Second-trimester changes In the second trimester (weeks 14 to 27): Your breasts will get larger and heavier. You may need a larger bra that gives you more support. You will probably feel less of the breast tenderness from early pregnancy.
Growth and enlargement – Around weeks 6-8, your breasts will get bigger and continue to grow throughout your pregnancy. Expect to go up a bra cup size or two. Your breasts may feel itchy as the skin stretches and you may develop stretch marks.
During the first trimester, your body's blood volume starts to increase to meet the developmental needs of the growing fetus. This may cause the veins on your breasts to become larger, bluer, and more visible. Your breasts will also continue to grow in size.
Pregnancy: Your breasts during early pregnancy may feel sore, sensitive, or tender to the touch. They may also feel fuller and heavier. This tenderness and swelling will usually happen one to two weeks after you conceive, and it can last for a while as your progesterone levels rise due to your pregnancy.
In the early stages of pregnancy, your breasts may feel more tingly, full and sore and your bra may not fit quite like it used to. Because this is linked to hormone changes in your body, it could also mean you are about to start your period. Look for other tell-tale signs, such as the darkening of your areolas.
Tender, swollen breasts
You may notice your breasts growing or your nipples darkening. Some women also see prominent blue or purple veins develop on their breasts in early pregnancy.
Not every pregnant person has every pregnancy symptom, so it's possible to be pregnant without having sore breasts or throwing up. The only way to know if you're pregnant is to take a pregnancy test after a missed period.
Some mothers will see their breasts bounce back to their pre-pregnancy appearance, but the majority of women will notice lasting changes. In general, breasts will typically revert to their baseline volume when a mother reaches her pre-pregnancy weight.
“Breasts increase two to three times in size during lactation,” says Ross. Hormonal changes, primarily caused by prolactin, make the breasts engorged with milk production. And if you already had breast stretch marks and prominent veins caused by pregnancy, Ross says they may intensify during breastfeeding changes.
Some breasts will sag more than others, depending on how much they plump up. And after pregnancy, some women will be able to bounce back to their former shape, while others may feel as though their breasts are less full and more saggy than before.
Some pregnant women develop dark irregular patches on their face most commonly on the upper cheek, nose, lips, and forehead. This is called 'chloasma'. It is also sometimes known as 'melasma' or the 'mask of pregnancy'.
The nipples and the area around the nipples (areola) become darker and larger. Small bumps may appear on the areola. These bumps will go away after you have your baby.
It's possible to check the position and firmness of your cervix at home. You can do this by inserting a finger into your vagina to feel for the cervix. Your middle finger may be the most effective finger to use because it's the longest, but use whichever finger is easiest for you.
Lower abdominal pain is normal during pregnancy and is most common between 18 and 24 weeks. Your growing uterus is pulling and straining the muscles that support it. You may feel sharp pains or just a mild pulling sensation. It often occurs when you cough, sneeze, stand up, sit down, roll over, or during sex.
While breast soreness is one of the earliest signs of pregnancy, not every person experiences the same degree of soreness. So having no or decreased breast soreness in early pregnancy should not be interpreted as a sign of miscarriage.
Second trimester
Over the course of the second and third trimesters, the areolas often become larger and darker. Darkening areolas are likely to result from hormonal changes. Often, the areola returns to its prepregnancy color after breastfeeding, but it sometimes remains a shade or two darker than it was originally.
It usually starts at about 6 weeks of pregnancy and is at its worst at about 9 weeks. Most women feel better in their second trimester, but some have morning sickness throughout pregnancy. If you have morning sickness, tell your health care provider. Mild morning sickness doesn't harm you or your baby.
What does a positive toothpaste pregnancy test look like? If you're expecting, the toothpaste will supposedly begin to foam or turn blue (or both).
What a positive looks like. According to various sources, a positive salt pregnancy test will be “milky” or “cheesy” in appearance. The claim is that salt reacts with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone that's present in the urine (and blood) of pregnant women.
As with toothpaste, the hCG in urine supposedly reacts with the vinegar, causing a change in color. Once again, there is no evidence that this is true.
White spots on the nipples and the surrounding area during pregnancy may be caused by normal hormone changes, blocked pores and ducts or infections. During pregnancy, a change in the size and number of Montgomery glands is the most common reason to see white spots on the breast.
Pregnancy rhinitis is an inflammation of the mucous membranes lining the nose. This causes nasal congestion. Increased blood flow to the nasal passages and enlargement of the nasal veins also play a role. Symptoms occur during pregnancy.
"Hormones of pregnancy — specifically estrogen — increase blood flow everywhere, but especially to mucus membranes of the body," she explained. "So that increase in blood flow can cause swelling in those areas, or puffiness, which can make the nose appear larger on the outside."
"Although 'pregnancy nose' is not a medical term, many women's noses do appear to be bigger toward the end of pregnancy, and they may also experience more frequent nasal drainage than prior to pregnancy," says Dr. Jessica Madden, MD, IBCLC, the medical director of Aeroflow Breastpumps.
While the act of wearing a bra doesn't prevent sagging alone, it can help avoid unnecessary ligament stretching for those that need extra help. Supportive bras help to counteract the effect of gravity and give ligaments a break.