While you are prepared to get pregnant, you need to understand some normal changes to your body and know how to minimize the effect on your life or mood.

* Balance. As your uterus grows bigger, your body's center of gravity changes. It's easier to lose your balance. Exercise helps you adapt to your changing shape.

* Normal hormone changes cause ligaments and joints to relax. That increases the chance of sprains. Exercise increases muscle strength and flexibility.

* Heart rate. Because of the extra effort your heart makes during pregnancy, your heart beats faster. Even moderate exercise can make your heart stronger. During exercise, keep your heart rate lower than 140 beats per minute.

* Breathing. Expect to feel out of breath sooner than you normally would. If you can talk while you exercise, you're probably exercising at the right level. If you get out of breath, cut back.

* Heat. While pregnant, you feel warmer than usual. Exercise will make you feel even warmer. Exercise in a cool place. Drink two cups of water before and after you exercise. Avoid using hot tubs or saunas. Sitting in a hot tub raises your inside body temperature. To the baby, it's like having a fever, with no way to cool down.

Almost 25 percent of women have a change in their skin pigmentation due to hormones while pregnant. Many women complain of blotchy skin after having kids, and the sun makes those changes more noticeable. The prevention is sunscreen. The cure is a gentle bleaching by a dermatologist.

According to doctors going down in bra size is thought to be caused by a change in the makeup of the breast. When you get pregnant your fatty tissue is pushed aside to make way for milk production. Afterwards, it doesn't always fill back in. You can't counteract the shrinking of your breasts, but you can lessen any additional sagging during your next pregnancy by wearing a good maternity and day and night.

* Change to your midsection.

Many women complain they lose their waistline. Gynecologists say the skin only has so much elasticity, so once it's stretched past that point there's no return. Also problematic are your ab muscles. Some are stretched 50 percent during pregnancy. After such extreme stretching, doctors say they will likely never be as strong again. If you want to return to your after the baby, you better stay within the limits while your pregnant.

The female hormones estrogen and progesterone encourage the collection of fat while your pregnant. The good news here is that much of the collected padding disappears after child birth, especially if you breastfeed since it uses up stored fat. Still, experts estimate that on average a woman retains eight to ten pounds with each pregnancy. Studies have also found that women who gain more than the recommended weight during pregnancy are more likely to retain it.

You've probably heard new moms complain their shoes don't fit anymore. Researchers says feet don't actually get longer or wider, but the volume of the foot does increase due to fluids retained by your body. When it comes to spider and varicose veins, your blood volume increases by more than a pint while pregnant, and your veins expand to carry the extra blood. Your chances of getting varicose veins depends largely on heredity. Your best way to prevent them is: wear supportive hose while pregnant; avoid standing for long periods of time; prop your feet up when possible.Spider veins can be removed by a dermatologist. Varicose veins are more complex and require laser surgery. As for body hair, about 5 to 8 percent of women have more body hair after pregnancy because of progesterone hormones.