p<a href="http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-health/pregnancy-hormones.aspx">regnancy hormones</a>, which are also responsible for your&#160;<a href="http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/symptoms-and-solutions/breast-tenderness.aspx">newly darkened areolas</a>&#160;as well as an impressive variety of other skin anomalies, are behind the darkening of your linea alba (Latin for &#8220;white line&#8221;) &#8211; that's the white line between your belly button and your pelvis that you never noticed but was there before you got pregnant. When you're expecting it becomes the linea nigra (Latin for &#8220;black line&#8221;) as skin all over your body becomes hyperpigmented (you might also notice the skin on your face darkening too &#8211; that's known as&#160;<a href="http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/symptoms-and-solutions/chloasma.aspx">chloasma, the &#8220;mask of pregnancy&#8221;</a>). Yep, another weird little stripe you've earned just by becoming pregnan