Pregnancy is one of the craziest things I’ve experienced. I’m going to be 100% honest here…. I HATE being pregnant. Of course every single experience is different and some people actually enjoy pregnancy. I mean, dont get me wrong, there are so many positives that come with being pregnant. I’m just not one of those people. I’ve wanted to have 5 kids since my Husband and I first started dating, but as soon as I became pregnant, I was miserable and said hmmm… maybe 2 isn’t so bad. Here are some things that surprised me about pregnancy.
The exhaustion
When I was about 12 years old I contracted Mono from the middle school water fountain. If you don’t know what Mono is, let me briefly explain.
It’s a sickness that typically gives you extreme exhaustion and makes you feel weak and tired. There are different sides of severity, but I dealt with symptoms from Mono for years and had an extreme case.
HOWEVER, pregnancy exhaustion is a whole different kind of tiredness. I mean, it makes sense… Your body is growing a baby so of course, it’s going to take a lot of energy. But I truly was not prepared for just how much it would affect me. Especially in the first and third trimesters, I felt the need to sleep any chance I got.
Food aversions
I am a snack person and love to have a good snack/meal. I’m down for pretty much anything and I seriously get so much serotonin from my favorite foods.
That’s why I was totally surprised when I could no longer stomach some of my favorite foods. I guess my baby just didn’t quite like them as much as I did. My poor husband had to make so many sacrifices when it came to food while I was pregnant.
Cravings
Now, this is something that actually gets frequently talked about. I’m pretty sure a majority of us know about or have heard of “Pregnancy cravings”.
The thing that surprised me, however, was just how intense those cravings are.
I mean, once I get something I’m craving in my head, it’s the only thing I can think about and I seriously felt like it was the end of the world if I wasn’t able to obtain said craving. (Stupid hormones)
You’re not allowed to lie on your back
This is typically only for the end of the second and the whole third trimester, but you’re not supposed to lay on your back for too long. It has to do with how heavy your uterus is and it can cut off blood circulation or oxygen flow to you and/or your baby.
I didn’t think I’d have a problem with this since I don’t like sleeping on my back anyways and prefer to lay on my sides, but only having your sides to lay on really hurts your hips overtime during pregnancy.
Anytime I would wake up when I was laying on my back I was so out of breath and extremely uncomfortable. I really didn’t think I’d have to give up sleeping on my stomach AND my back.
Braxton hicks
Before I got pregnant I never heard anyone mention Braxton hicks contractions. Braxton hicks contractions are mild contractions you start to get towards the end of the second trimester.
They typically don’t hurt but are pretty uncomfortable and feel similar to mild period cramps. However, sometimes a heavy contraction sneaks in and can hurt. I had my Braxton hicks contractions start at around 23 weeks. Definitely took me by surprise.
Mood swings
Of course, I figured I’d have some mood swings during pregnancy since my hormones are all over the place. I just wasn’t quite prepared for feeling like I was on top of the moon and then feeling depressed for a few days shortly after.
I also cried over the smallest things like my husband not letting me have a bite of his food. (He let me after I shed some tears though…oops ) Emotions really do feel like a roller coaster during pregnancy.
Pregnancy brain (forgetfulness)
For the first 7 months of my pregnancy, I worked as a Dental Assistant, and man do I gotta give props for the patience everyone had. My brain was so foggy and I was forgetting so much stuff that it was embarrassing.
I was blessed to work in a wonderful office and I absolutely loved everyone I worked with and I was overall happy. However, I dreaded going to work every single morning and I would have a mental breakdown daily because I was just so embarrassed with how much I was messing up.
It didn’t help that it was a totally new career and I only got the chance to work there for a month before I got pregnant. Still super thankful for everyone not hating me there because jeez I was a mess.
The severe pelvic pain
So in my experience, I only had this be a problem in my third trimester, however, pelvic pain is no joke. It seriously feels like my pelvic bone is made of glass and anytime I moved around it felt like it was shattering.
It hurt the most when I was laying down and trying to roll over in bed or get up to pee, but that pain was absolutely terrible. All of the weight of my baby just made everything hurt and it was no fun.
Baby’s kicks can hurt
Toward the end of pregnancy, the baby inside gets really feisty and ready to come out lol. There would be times when his kicks would make me flinch, They get really strong and the kicks feel sharp and not as flutter-like as the first two trimesters.
Strong body odor
I don’t know if it’s because your sense of smell is heightened during pregnancy, but I smelled BAD. I really ended up taking showers multiple times daily. But man the shower during pregnancy really did hit differently and just felt amazing. I think it’s because warm water soothes sore muscles.
Swollen feet
This one hit me like a truck. I really knew nothing about this and then one day BOOM. My feet were extremely swollen and it looked like I didn’t have any ankles. It quickly became one of my top insecurities. I would wear my socks all day while running errands during my third trimester and by the time I came home and got comfortable, there would be indents where my socks were.
I once stayed up late nesting and looked down and my feet were almost purple they were so swollen! It was my husband’s favorite thing to tease me about.
I once thought I’d be better off not wearing socks so I wore my Crocs without them and you could see the holes made indents in my feet as well! Also, none of my shoes would fit me properly anymore.
Pregnancy acne
I always kind of struggle with acne, but of course right before I got pregnant my skin was finally clearing up. I was so excited about having clear skin but pregnancy humbled me real quick. My acne just wouldn’t go away. But to be fair I really didn’t have much energy to put into consistently washing my face so that’s probably my fault haha.
Heartburn
In the third trimester, there are high chances of getting heartburn, and man is that heartburn extreme. There were times I woke up from a dead sleep with extreme pain in my chest and back. I noticed my heartburn was worse if the baby was kicking around or if I ate certain foods.
Swollen nose (pregnancy nose)
This might be the weirdest symptom of them all. I honestly didn’t realize my nose was bigger at the end of my pregnancy until a few months after having my son. It didn’t affect me at all negatively in pregnancy but I definitely think it’s crazy what pregnancy can do!
Needless to say, pregnancy is really difficult. If you’re currently going through it, I give you my sympathy!!
Ah, man remembering all of these symptoms makes me feel a need to write a post about all of the great things that come with pregnancy! Pregnancy is a beautiful and badass thing and don’t let anyone think of you otherwise! Pregnancy is the hardest thing I’ve ever done 😰
I really hope you found this post interesting! Leave a comment below on what symptoms you were most surprised by!
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