Motherhood Changes You: Here's How Being a Mom Affects Your Body, Biology

As people all over the world celebrate Mother's Day, it is a good time to delve into the experiences of mothers and see how this season and responsibility have affected them in different ways.

Motherhood Changes Your Biology

While it is clear that there are several emotional transformations that go on with motherhood, there are also changes that are clearly biological and physiological as well. From the moment a mother sees a pregnancy test that is positive, the brain and body experience different remarkable changes.

Organ Displacement During Pregnancy

In order to accommodate a growing baby inside the body, it literally has to rearrange itself inside. According to Alissa M. Conklin, MD, an ob-gyne from the Indiana University Obstetricians-Gynecologists Coleman Center, on top of uterus expansion, the kidneys, lungs, diaphragm, and ribs also experience changes in the course of pregnancy.

As for ribs, they tend to flare outward during the early stages of pregnancy. This could lead to an increase in the diameter of a woman's chest. Moreover, the kidneys also grow by roughly one to 2.5 centimeters in the course of pregnancy, while their volume goes up by roughly 30%.

Blood Volume Goes Up During Pregnancy

The volume of blood also goes up during pregnancy in order to support the growth of a baby. Lauren Demosthenes, MS, a senior medical director and ob-gyne from Babyscripts, says that the blood vessels relax and liquid volume within the blood vessels go up. This makes the heart pump harder, which is normal.

Shortly following conception, blood flow changes begin. They peak during the early third and the second trimesters. They then stay steady across labor and delivery. The production of red blood cells also goes up during pregnancy.

Permanent Brain Rewiring Due to Pregnancy

The "pregnancy brain" phenomenon is actually true. Studies have shown that the brain of a pregnant person goes through tremendous changes. These are caused by hormonal increases, such as that of progesterone and estrogen.

Conklin notes that the brain also sees a gray matter decrease in pregnancy. This may be observed up to six years postpartum. Researchers think that this is how the brain fine-tunes itself in order to focus more on keeping the baby alive.

Studies have shown that during pregnancy's latter stages, women start exhibiting higher alertness towards threats. This is one way that the body prepares itself for protecting the baby.

Cellular Makeup Shared Between Mother and Baby

During pregnancy, a mother and baby truly shares everything, cellular makeup included. Starting from early pregnancy, cells of the fetus can be detected in the blood of the mother. Eventually, this will also be present in the organs and tissues of the mother.

Interestingly, the cells of a baby can still be found in the mother's body even decades after their birth.

Body Composition Changes

It is normal and expected for weight gain to happen during pregnancy. It is also possible that mothers end up storing their gained fat. Conklin explains that during the first six months of one's pregnancy, women who are well-nourished typically 7.7 more pounds of fat to the fat that was stored during their puberty and childhood.

This extra fat will help support the baby during the latter parts of pregnancy. Mothers who lactate will keep using it after they give birth, making them lose roughly 1.7 pounds each month.

Conklin notes, however, that though fat is lost during lactation and late pregnancy, several women apparently lose less fat compared to what they gained during early pregnancy. Hence, they end up having a net fat gain with pregnancies that follow.

Let-Down Reflex Triggered

Let-down refers to a chain of events within the body of a lactating person that makes the alveoli contract and release milk in the milk ducts, enabling the liquid to flow from the nipple. Such a process is crucial for nursing and pumping.

According to Amanda DeWeese, MPH, CPH, IBCLC, a lactation consultant from Florida, this reflex is stimulated by feelings, thoughts, and physical touch. Things that are as simple as seeing, touching, holding, hearing, and/or smelling a baby could trigger the reflex. In fact, it is extremely sensitive to the point where hearing the cry of another baby could end up triggering it.

After weaning, the body stops milk production. Eventually, a mother no longer experiences let-down reflex, though this may take weeks or months to happen.