Pregnancy: Do your feet really grow? Here's separating fact from fiction

CHANGE IS REAL. We know pregnancy causes changes in a woman’s body – growing a whole new person will of course do that to you. But do you know the extent of it? A woman’s heart, for example, grows by almost 50 per cent and her baby’s DNA floats around in her system. Dr Hamsa Noori, Specialist Obstetrics and Gynaecologist with Prime Hospital, explains some little known facts and busts some myths about carrying a baby.

MOMS MAY BE MORE VULNERABLE TO TOOTH DECAY. During pregnancy, hormonal changes can lead to an increase in the mouth’s acidity levels, leading to a rise in the number of cavities a mum-to-be has. Since this is also a period with intense cravings, cavities could also be a result of increased sugar intake and a decrease in attention to preventive dental care.

MOMMY BRAIN IS VERY, VERY REAL. The brain fog and mental bloopers associated with pregnancy and new motherhood really do happen. The term mom brain or momnesia is used to describe the spacey, sleep-deprived state when new moms tend to forget things and often appear absent-minded. This is common after pregnancy and sometimes lasts for more than five months after delivery.

PREGNANT WOMEN SHOULDN'T PET CATS. It's perfectly fine to be around cats when you're pregnant, but you do need to be very careful about cleaning the litter box. Have someone else do it if possible. That's because cat feces (and soil or sand where cats have been) can carry a parasitic infection called toxoplasmosis.

EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY CAN STRANGLE THE BABY. NOT. If you are healthy and your pregnancy is normal, it is safe to continue or start regular physical activity. Physical activity does not increase your risk of miscarriage, low birth weight or early delivery. However, it is important to discuss exercise with your obstetrician or other member of your healthcare team during your early prenatal visits. If your healthcare professional gives you the OK to exercise, you can discuss what activities you can do safely.

YOUR HEART ACTUALLY GROWS. Pregnancy stresses your heart and circulatory system. During pregnancy, your blood volume increases by 30 to 50 per cent to nourish your growing baby, your heart pumps more blood each minute and your heart rate increases. Labour and delivery add to your heart's workload, too.

YOUR BABY’S DNA IS IN YOUR BLOOD! About 10 per cent of the DNA fragments floating in the mother's blood comes from the foetus, from dying placental or foetal cells. Clinical tests capitalise on this DNA to discern the baby's sex and determine whether mother and child have incompatible Rh blood groups, and to check for any chromosomal abnormalities.

YOUR FEET GET BIGGER. There are numerous bones, ligaments, and tendons that the feet are comprised of, and it's common that they tend to loosen and relax during pregnancy. The additional weight gain that pregnant women gain can cause the feet to become wider, in addition to stretching the joints.

YOU GET A VERTICAL LINE ON YOUR STOMACH. About halfway through your pregnancy, you will see a dark, vertical line on your stomach. The linea nigra is the result of fluctuating hormones during pregnancy. One theory is that the hormones cause your body to produce larger amount of melanin (a compound responsible for giving your skin pigment), and this extra pigmentation shows up as a dark pregnancy line on your stomach.

BABIES CRY IN THE WOMB. A baby's first cry may happen in the womb long before its arrival in the delivery room. A baby starts developing all of its senses, from touch, smell, hearing, and practicing movements even while inside the womb and has all the abilities to mimic crying at around 20 weeks gestation. One study in 2005 in New Zealand showed that foetuses may learn to express their displeasure by crying silently while still in the womb as early as in the 28th week of pregnancy