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Pregnancy brings about a ton of changes in the human body. Excess sweating, acne, varicose veins, stretch marks, skin tags, hyperpigmentation, and many more. These changes may vary from one woman to another. While some women have the much coveted pregnancy glow, others may notice that their skin gets worse during pregnancy. But the one thing that almost all women notice is a change in their hair texture and thickness. The surge in hormones can have a positive effect on the hair, making them grow stronger and fall out less. Though a thick mane is something every woman loves to flaunt, pregnancy can also result in hair growth in unwanted places such as the face, stomach, and around the nipples (1).
While there is much noise about the positive effects of pregnancy such as glowy skin, when it comes to embarrassing symptoms, most women are caught by surprise and have a hard time accepting those changes. Journalist Monique Bowley also experienced a similar unpleasant symptom when her belly decided to give her a hairy surprise.
“Behold My Hairy Stomach”
Talking to a leading Australian news portal, Monique said that she first noticed her hairy belly when she was in the shower and realized that her belly could do with some shampoo. Joking about the same, she said that she could knit her baby a small vest from the excess hair (2).
The mom also took to her Instagram handle to share a zoomed-in image of her baby bump.
Image: moniquebowley/Instagram
She wrote, “In the interests of balancing out perfect Instagram pregnancy posts, BEHOLD my HAIRY STOMACH. I’m calling it Hagrid and I love it sick. I’m sorry @drjosephsgroi but I’m not shaving it down for you anymore. Your doppler will have to deal. #sorrynotsorry #advancedhairyeahyeah”
Even though a hairy belly is one of the unpleasant symptoms that pregnancy brings out, most women feel reluctant to talk about it for obvious reasons. But thanks to some mom bloggers, women have become more accepting of the unpleasant symptoms that pregnancy brings about. Monique Bowley revealed that her hairy belly came along as early as the first trimester, and 25 weeks after, it hasn’t shifted yet. The mom also revealed that she had undergone laser hair removal in her 20’s, but that didn’t stop the hair from coming back years later during her pregnancy. Monique’s post was relatable to several women as many commented on how they experienced similar symptoms during their pregnancy. Most women felt relief in knowing that they weren’t the only ones to have hair on their baby bump and thanked Monique for being honest with her post.
Hairy Stomach During Pregnancy
Image: Shutterstock
While some pregnancy changes are welcomed, a hairy stomach is one unexpected change most women struggle with throughout their pregnancy. However, it is important to know that it is a common change among pregnant women such as linea nigra and usually goes away on its own once the hormones return to normal.
If you notice excessive hair growth in different parts of your body such as your stomach or around the nipples, know that it’s normal and is caused by the hormone levels during pregnancy. Try to remain patient as the excess hair will fall off once the hormones return to normal and the hair enters the re-growth cycle. This can take about 6 months after giving birth (3). But if you are uncomfortable about the excess hair and wish to remove it, shaving is considered to be the safest hair removal procedure during pregnancy.
What are some of your embarrassing pregnancy side effects that you had to deal with? Share them with us in the comments below.
