Any future mother impatiently awaits this moment: the one when she sports a round belly, a sign of a happy event to come. The first curves of pregnancy usually appear at the end of the third month, but it depends on the expectant mothers and the number of pregnancies.

The first curves of pregnancy usually appear at the end of the third month. The uterus, which at this point is a little larger than a grapefruit, is now too large to fit in the pelvic cavity. It therefore goes back into the abdominal cavity, causing a small snoring to appear in the lower abdomen. By the fourth month, the uterus is the size of a coconut and arrives between the pubis and the navel, leaving no doubt about the pregnancy.

If this is not a first baby, the tummy may start to round a little earlier because the muscles in the uterus relax more easily. But it all depends on the women and their morphology. In the event of overweight or obesity, the round belly is more difficult to detect for various reasons: the abdominal fat can “mask” the uterus, the weight gain is generally less important during the pregnancy and the baby, who has more place, tends to position itself differently in the belly, less forward.

According to the adage “pointed belly, split sex”, a forward belly indicates a girl. But no scientific study has validated this saying. Moreover, this method of predicting the sex of the baby according to the mother’s belly can change according to the regions and the families, and sometimes, it is the reverse which prevails: pointed and high belly, it is a boy. ; rounded and low, it’s a girl.

The shape of the belly depends mainly on the position of the baby in utero, but in any case the sex of the baby has an influence on his position or his movements in the belly.

From the first curves, it is important to take care of your belly in order to prevent the appearance of stretch marks. Prevention essentially involves these two actions:

• eat a balanced diet in order to avoid sudden weight gain which risks subjecting the skin to strong mechanical distension;
• From the start of pregnancy, moisturize the areas at risk once or twice a day in order to promote skin elasticity, taking the time to massage in order to relax the fibers.

There are many anti-stretch mark massage creams or oils on the market, but none have been scientifically proven to work. However, one combination of substances seems to stand out: Centella asiatica extract (a medicinal herb that would promote the production of collagen and elastic fibers) alpha tocopherol and collagen-elastin hydrolystas (centella) (1).

In general, during pregnancy we will choose organic care to avoid exposing the fetus to endocrine disruptors.

We can also turn to natural products, also chosen organic. By providing lipids to the skin, vegetable oils promote its elasticity. You can use vegetable oil of sweet almond, avocado, coconut, wheat germ, rosehip, argan, evening primrose, or shea butter.

To increase their effectiveness, it is possible to add essential oils with regenerating, skin toning and healing properties such as those of pink geranium, green mandarin zest or helichrysum. For the dosage and use of other essential oils, seek advice from a pharmacy or herbalist, because some are contraindicated in pregnant women.

Oral lipid intake is also essential for the quality of the skin and its resistance to stretching. On a daily basis, we will therefore take care to consume quality vegetable oils (rapeseed oil, walnuts), chia seeds, small oily fish, and other foods rich in omega 3. An oral supplement in omega 3 may be recommended during the pregnancy.

In principle, self-medication is not recommended during pregnancy. As a precaution it is recommended to consult in case of severe headaches or not passing, fever, flu-like condition. In the meantime, it is possible to take certain medications to relieve the headache. According to the Reference Center on Teratogenic Agents (CRAT) (1), concerning analgesics of step 1:

• paracetamol is the first-line analgesic, regardless of the term of pregnancy. Be careful to respect the dosages (maximum 3 g / day). However, recent studies have drawn attention to the risks of excessive intake of paracetamol for the fetus and the health of the unborn child. A study carried out by the Barcelona Environmental Epidemiology Research Center (2) thus highlighted a link between a regular intake of paracetamol during pregnancy and an increased risk of attention disorders in children, and disorders of the autism spectrum in infants. While waiting for possible new health recommendations, it is therefore advisable to be careful and not to have the paracetamol “reflex” at the slightest pain.
• aspirin can be used occasionally during the first five months of pregnancy (24 weeks of amenorrhea). Beyond 24 weeks, aspirin ≥ 500 mg / day is formally contraindicated until childbirth.
• all NSAIDs (non-steroidal inflammatory drugs) are formally contraindicated from 24 weeks onwards. Before 24 weeks, chronic treatments should be avoided. Note, however, that on several occasions, the review Prescribe has for its part advised against the use of NSAIDs throughout pregnancy. The latest alert follows an observation by the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Pharmacovigilance Center which reported a case of premature closure of the ductus arteriosus (a vessel that connects the pulmonary artery to the aorta of the fetus) in a fetus after a single dose of an NSAID by a woman 8 months pregnant (3). “During the first trimester of pregnancy, because of their pharmacological properties, NSAIDs may expose to an increased risk of spontaneous abortions, and some doubts exist as to heart defects”, had already warned the review in January 2017 (4), in response to the recommendations of the ANSM (French Medicines Agency) against the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from the 6th month of pregnancy (5). As for paracetmol, it is therefore advisable to ‘be very careful.

For the treatment of migraine attacks with triptans, CRAT indicates that sumitrapan can be used regardless of the term of pregnancy. If sumatriptan does not work, rizatripan and zolmitriptan can be used.

On the side of alternative medicine:

• acupuncture can work well for stubborn headaches;
• homeopathy offers different remedies depending on the characteristics of the headache, other associated ailments and their circumstances.

Applying cold compresses or special headache gel packs can help relieve the headache.