5 Pregnancy Symptoms That Have Surprised Me
I thought I was pretty well versed in pregnancy and its symptoms for someone who hadn’t experienced it yet. I have five sisters who had gone through it, a load of friends, and have attended numerous baby showers where all the crazy stories come out. Then I actually got pregnant and the confidence that was once there disappeared.
Sure I knew about the stretch marks, the cravings, the nausea, and other widely talked about symptoms but there are a few that snuck up on me. I’ve found myself using Google to confirm if some of them are pregnancy related or not. And I’m sure there will be plenty more of that as my pregnancy progresses. Here are five that I’ve been surprised by so far:
1. Nosebleeds – I definitely Googled this one.
2. Weird dreams – If you tried to interpret these you’d conclude I’m plain crazy.
3. Heartburn – I down Tums like they’re Skittles.
4. Belching – I feel like Buddy the Elf.
5. Still an A cup – Where are these big bosoms I was promised? Once a flat girl, always a flat girl.
What are some symptoms that have surprised you?
image: David Strohl
Yes on the nosebleeds for me. I woke up a few times in the middle of the night with a nosebleed while pregnant.
Nosebleeds, and bleeding gums! And the boobs… they may still be in your future. Mine went up from a D to an I cup while nursing (yes, that’s the letter i, as in “I hated my gigantic boobs” ha ha).
Having to wear pantiliners all the time, having thrush, feeling like a virgin (as if it’s closed up) leaking painful boobs and the weird sex dreams!
I really didnt have anything with my pregnancy. I was supprised it was nothing like people told me it would be like.
The nosebleeds were the most surprising for me, I had never heard of them being common during pregnancy. The belching is out of control so badly that the other day my husband looked at me weird and asked if I did that at work.
The boobs get bigger when the milk comes in…for some people.
I was a breastfeeding mom till i went back on birth control and couldnt do it anymore i thought it would be worse nothing really surprised me about my pregnancy except that i lost weight the first 6 months and gained it all plus in the last 3 but then i also read what to expect from cover to cover had a lot of time to read and crochet and throw up and play on the computer and whatever being all laid off and having nothing to do all day but clean and watch tv lol
The digestive problems were the worst. Constipation and heart burn all the time. I had Tums on me at all times.
I had no idea to expect such horrible leg cramps! Oh, they are aweful! My boobs are huge, which I hate…they were perfect for me before pregnancy
Oh well, it is what it is!
One thing nobody ever mentioned to me is the round ligament pain. I feel like someone kicked me down there since about 4 or 5 months along. The heartburn has also been insanely bad for me as well.
I was one of the lucky 1% to get a PUPP rash..for those not familiar, its the itchiest rash you’ll ever get, it causes your skin to blister, and in my case, rupture and bleed.. I looked like I had severe psoraisis or leprosy. My doctor says they are still unsure of what causes it, but it acts like an auto- immune disorder. The hormones of pregnancy and the baby cause your body to attack itself.. That is one side effect of pregnancy I never saw coming..
Heartburn was awful. My baby tended to have her feet wedged under my breastplate so my chest always hurt (esp wearing a bra). The fact that I could feel contractions in my thighs. So much for trying to walk it off. It made me crumple like a sack of potatoes
The smells. I was amazed at how strong my sense of smell was. I didn’t mind it too much, except for when there was something that was really bad…like someone’s breath or exhaust from diesel trucks. Oh, and the smell of meat being cooked…yuck!!
My first pregnancy was a breeze.. although my boobs did NOT get bigger.. My small A cups wound up being B cups but went back as soon as I was done breast feeding. That was disappointing.
My second, I was so busy as a single pregnant mom that I barely noticed anything wrong.. OH wait sciatic nerve.. yup that was a surprise and so painful but i powered through.
My third (I’m 6months pregnant), I had severe migraines up until a month ago four times a week, sciatic nerve started at 5months, and now I have a placenta that is in front of my cervix so I am in danger of it rupturing and hurting us both. I have never heard of this and it’s so scary right now.
the heartburn, oh god. i also had hives in my first trimester. i knew to expect the nosebleeds because a friend of mine had them. no one told me how bad it would hurt when my pelvis spread. there were weeks when any movement was just excruciating. and all the food issues! the aversions, the cravings…bleh.
@Yvette – I had a lot of problems with my pregnancy, complete placenta previa (in front of cervix), was one of them. Doctors wanted to do ultrasounds every visit to see if it had fixed itself, which I thought of as a blessing because every check up I got to see my baby instead of just the usual checkup. Because it wasnt moving they said it had to be a csection delivery. Just rest and relax as much as possible to not rupture it.
The sneezing and odd combination of burping and hiccuping which I constantly referred to as my ‘hiccurps’ . The really bad pelvic joint pain at the end that made me unable to sleep lying down; I had to sit propped up to sleep. And my hands sometimes being numb; that was strange.
Some of these comments are TMI.
Nosebleeds in the middle of the night are the worst!
The mucous! I wake up with a stuffy nose every morning. Super annoying.