You know what having a baby on board does to your belly, but did you know that it transforms just about every other part of you, too? Fortunately, many of those changes are temporary. In the meantime, here are ways to cope until the alien life form that's abducted your body returns it to you (more or less) unharmed.

Brain

What's going on:

          Think you're losing your mind? You may be right -- MRI scans of pregnant women have shown that brain size actually shrinks in the third trimester (but plumps back up a few months after birth). Other research has found that concentration, short-term memory, and learning ability are significantly impaired in late pregnancy. No one knows just what turns expectant moms' minds to mush, but lack of sleep during this fairly uncomfortable period may contribute to this mental fogginess.

What to do about it: 

         Update your "to-do" list daily and leave reminders in hard-to-overlook spots. Most importantly, though, cut yourself some slack.

Eyes

What's going on: 

          If you find yourself straining to see the movie screen, blame the fluid retention and hormonal havoc of pregnancy. Why? The corneas of your eyes swell along with the rest of your body. As your corneas thicken and curve more, the way they refract visual images into the eyes changes. Good to know, eyesight should return to normal within 3 months of delivery.

Even if vision remains unchanged, nearly one in four pregnant contact wearers find that once-comfy lenses become torturous. The cause, again, is hormonal. Curvier corneas mean contacts no longer fit well, and fluctuating hormone levels dry the corneas and cut tear production.

What to do about it:

          Pay a visit to an eye doctor, who may temporarily adjust your prescription. If your contacts are bothering you, switch to glasses until you have the baby.

Skin

Common pregnancy skin’s symptoms include:

• Melasma
• spider veins;
• skin tags
• moles (hormones cause the spots to multiply and grow)
• dry, itchy skin (blame stretching and hormone-induced skin dehydration);
• linea nigra (a dark line running down the center of the belly due to excess melanin);
• stretch marks (hormones and pressure from your growing girth cause the support structures in the skin to tear, leaving your belly etched with red striations, which will eventually fade to a silvery white);
• rashes such as polymorphic eruption of pregnancy (itchy, red lesions that appear in stretch marks);
• red palms (caused by increased blood volume).

What to do about it:

          To keep skin supple, drink eight glasses of water a day, take warm -- not hot -- showers, and use a moisturizing cleanser.

Immune System

What's going on:

          Your immune system hunts down and destroys invading organisms

What to do about it: 

          You may be less prone to illness now, but you can still get sick. So keep bugs at bay by washing your hands religiously and avoiding sick people like, well, the plague. Cutting down on stress, getting lots of rest, and eating well will also keep your defenses up. If you're in your second or third trimester during flu season, consider getting a flu shot, too.

Breasts

What's going on: 

          A surge in estrogen and progesterone in early pregnancy, and the milk-making hormone protactinium later on, spurs dramatic changes in your breasts that help them gear up to feed your baby-to-be. Nipples become erect, the areolas around them expand and darken (all the better for a hungry, nearsighted newborn to zero in on), and small milk-producing glands that dot the areolas grow more prominent

What to do about it:

          If your cups runner over, invest in a good support bra with wide straps and smooth material that won't irritate hypersensitive nipples. Be sure to have it professionally sized, and sleep in it if you have to.

Digestive Tract

What's going on: 

          Your stomach is roiling, all right, but it's not just from morning sickness. Heartburn, indigestion, and constipation are common side effects of a digestive slowdown

What to do about it:

          To head off heartburn, avoid fatty, acidic, and spicy fare and don't lie down right after meals (prop yourself up with pillows when you do hit the sack). If you're already feeling the burn, have a few spoonfuls of yogurt, chew gum, or crunch a calcium-based antacid to neutralize stomach acid and wash it back where it belongs. To combat indigestion, eat six small meals a day rather than three big ones. To keep things moving on the other end, bulk up on fiber, drink plenty of water, and get regular exercise.

Credit image: Pinterest

>>> More Tips About Pregnancy in Thailand

>>> Shop for Your Pregnancy

>>> Discuss About Your Pregnancy