Your body changes a lot during pregnancy. A variety of symptoms emerge--from morning sickness to stretch marks and everything in between. In order to grow a baby, your body does some hard work!

Another symptom is the dark line that many parents develop on their abdomen when they're expecting. It's technical name is the "linea nigra" or "linea negra," which literally translates to "black line." It's dark in color, about a quarter inch wide, and runs vertically from your pubic area to above your belly button.

So what causes this line during pregnancy?

I bet you could guess. It's the same thing that causes most other pregnancy symptoms-- all those hormones! Increased hormones produced by the placenta cause the linea alba (a white line that all humans have, but is not usually visible) to darken because of increased melanin production. Melanin is a dark pigment found in the hair and skin and is responsible for skin darkening when it's exposed to sunlight. These same hormones are responsible for your nipples darkening in color during pregnancy.

At what point does the linea nigra appear?

The line usually makes it's appearance in the second trimester unless you're expecting multiples. Twin/triplet parents usually notice their skin darkening earlier due to increased hormone levels.

So now that I know it's normal, when will it go away?

For most birthing parents the linea nigra will begin to gradually fade after the birth of your baby/babies, finally disappearing around the 1 year mark. If you're breastfeeding, expect the line to stick around a little longer. For some women the line will never completely disappear.

Embrace all the physical changes that are happening during this special time. Your pregnant body is a beautiful work of art!

Did you develop a pregnancy line when you were expecting?