By week 23, your body has gone through a lot of changes. For many, this includes thicker hair, fingernails that grow faster, and their skin might have that pregnant glow - which is excellent! However, many individuals also experience changes that take away a bit of that glow and happiness, such as increased body hair, stretch marks, and larger feet.
As far as your extra body hair may be concerned, your pregnancy hormones are again at fault. Specifically, the androgens are to blame for any little hairs showing up on your belly, chin, arms, and back. Safe solutions to these undesirables include tweezing, waxing, or shaving. Bleaching, however, is not a safe option.
Are you having multiples? Talk to your medical provider about symptoms of preterm labor, as carrying multiples puts you at a risk for premature birth.
At week 23, your feet may have increased by half a shoe size and may continue growing. Swelling, called edema, accounts for some of this growth. You can guess who the other culprit responsible is. That's right, it's your dear ol' pregnancy hormones! Your hormones are relaxing and loosening ligaments and joints, and this sometimes causes some women's feet to spread. Don't squish your feet into shoes that are too tight!
On top of everything that already aches and pains your body, does the plethora of issues associated with wearing shoes too small for your feet not need to be added? Purchase a new pair of shoes! And because gravity is real, you should put your feet up three to four times daily. Wear compression socks. Ask your partner for a foot and ankle massage. All of these things will increase your circulation and help disperse the edema.
If you have any new stretch marks or tiny tears in the supportive tissue located just beneath the skin, they may look dark during this pregnancy. The good news is these marks tend to fade over time. Many pregnant people use ample oils, creams, butters, and lotions to prevent stretch marks. No product is medically proven to cure, prevent, or eliminate stretch marks. But we can dream…
Are you having back pain? Your body isn't used to the additional weight it now carries, and there's a good chance your posture has likely changed. Talk to your doctor about your options before taking any pain medication, and try to maintain correct posture.