Pregnancy changes the body in different ways. Every pregnancy experience is unique in itself. Here are a few pregnancy facts that have been recorded. Did you know this?

1. The longest recorded pregnancy was 375 days. According to a 1945 entry in Time Magazine, a woman named Beulah Hunter gave birth in Los Angeles nearly 100 days after the average 280-day pregnancy.

2. One of the shortest recorded pregnancies where the infant survived was just 22 weeks. The baby had a number of complications but survived. An even younger baby, born at 21 weeks and 4 days, is now a toddler.

3. The oldest recorded woman to have a baby was 66 years old.

4. Blood volume in the body during pregnancy increases 40 to 50 percent. This increase helps with the extra oxygen needed to support a healthy pregnancy.

5. The uterus can expand greatly during pregnancy. During the first trimester, it’s about the size of an orange. By the third trimester, it expands to the size of a watermelon.

6. Moms-to-be can start producing breast milk just 14 weeks into their pregnancy.

7. Your voice can change during pregnancy. That’s because hormonal changes can cause your vocal folds to swell. It will most likely go back to normal after delivery or breastfeeding.

8. By the third trimester, a developing baby can recognize their mother’s voice from inside the womb. (Garbha Sanskar alludes to this fact)

9. About 1 in every 2,000 babies are born with teeth. These are loose natal teeth and sometimes need to be removed by a doctor. They can be painful for the mother during breastfeeding. They can also be dangerous — there’s a risk they may be dislodged and inhaled. What a teething trouble!

10. Many pregnant women in China avoid cold foods like ice cream and watermelon. They prefer hot drinks like tea and soup, believing that pregnancy is of a “cold” nature and that hot liquids help balance the yin and yang. There’s no evidence to support this claim, but this is still a common cultural practice.

11. In Japan, pregnant women can be issued a badge to put on a bag or hang on a necklace. The idea is that commuters on trains and buses will see the badge and offer their seats even when a woman is in early pregnancy and not yet noticeably showing. Is this great? Maybe we can try this in India too!

12. Turkey has the highest percentage rate of babies born via cesarean section (50.4 per 100 live births), while Iceland has the lowest (15.2 per 100 live births).

13. Eight — That’s the highest number of babies born alive to a single mother. In 2009, Nadya Suleman delivered her six boys and two girls in a California hospital. That calls for an “Octuplet” birth!

14. There are more twins born in Benin than any other country, with 27.9 twins born per 1,000 births.

15. About 32 people out of every 1,000 are twins. Isn’t that an interesting statistic?

16. Opposite-sex twins (one boy and one girl) make up approximately one-third of twin births.

17. At age 30, a couple’s monthly chance of conception is around 20 percent. By age 40, the chance is around 5 percent each month.

18. Home births are becoming more popular, but still the majority of women are delivering in a hospital or birth center. In 2012, 1.36 percent of births were at home, up from 1.26 percent in 2011.

19. Babies can cry in the womb. Researchers found expressions of displeasure in ultrasounds starting at just 28 weeks

20. In 1879, the heaviest recorded baby was born, weighing in at 22 pounds. Sadly, he passed away 11 hours after delivery. Since then, healthy babies have been born in Italy and Brazil weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces, and 16 pounds, 11.2 ounces, respectively.

Whoaaa! We hope you enjoyed reading these! Have a happy pregnancy time!