Wondering about pregnancy symptoms no one tells you about? This article shares things no one tells you about pregnancy so you can be prepared. Keep reading to find out things to know about pregnancy for first time moms.
Congratulations on being pregnant! This must be an exciting time for you and your family. A new member of the family will certainly bring more joy and happiness. The best you can do is keep calm while preparing for the coming of the baby. Let’s review some incredible facts about being pregnant that might surprise you.
Things to know about pregnancy for first time moms
Pregnancy is a pretty exciting time. You will certainly learn a lot during your first prenatal visit. This includes some of the changes to expect during each trimester and how well your baby is growing in your womb. You will also undergo some vital tests to ensure good health of you and that of your baby throughout the pregnancy period.
Even with all the expectations and a full load of information from your doctor (and the internet of course), pregnancy can take you by surprise! Yes. You shouldn’t worry if your doctor leaves out some important details. He/she is actually not ignoring such details. It’s just that pregnancy tends to affect different women in different ways.
You may not necessarily have the same pregnancy experience as your friend. For example, some women experience morning sickness while others don’t. Others experience foot swelling and other symptoms while others don’t…etc.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should simply ignore any unusual changes you experience. Should you have any pressing concerns, no matter how minor they may seem, do not hesitate to consult your doctor.
That being said, let’s have a look at the things that might surprise you about being pregnant. This article will help answer your question: how does it feel to be pregnant for the first time?
Things That Might Surprise You About Being Pregnant
1. Morning Sickness, many days in a row
Yes. Your doctor must have mentioned something about experiencing morning sickness, especially during your first trimester. If it’s your first pregnancy, you may not know how morning sickness feels like.
Well, morning sickness is horrible! Feeling nauseated all the time, vomiting, heartburn, persistent headaches, and many others. What the doctor failed to mention is that it’s possible to experience morning sickness every single day for many days in a row, any time of day!
Of course, this might take you by surprise if it’s not something you thought was possible. But this should get you overly concerned. It’s absolutely normal and will probably end in your second trimester.
2. Mood Swings – severe mood swings
If you have always been a jovial person, don’t be surprised if you act happy one minute and extremely sad/angry the next. You are likely to experience the same exact symptoms as those of premenstrual syndrome.
Pregnancy causes hormonal imbalance, in that your hormones might fluctuate a lot during this period. You may even experience intense mood swings lasting more than two weeks! In such a case, be sure to consult your doctor. You might as well experience changes in eating habits and sleep disturbances which may also require a checkup.
3. Inability to Concentrate Properly
Can’t seem to concentrate at work, school, or home? Well, blame it on your pregnancy!
You may have trouble concentrating or even become forgetful. Of course, morning sickness and fatigue in the first trimester may make your head a little bit fuzzy, and you may feel excessively worn-out. But women who do not experience such symptoms may also have trouble concentrating.
Besides hormonal changes, the fact that your mind is fully preoccupied with the much-anticipated baby may also contribute to this.
4. The Nesting Instinct
The feeling of having a baby can be exciting and at the same time overwhelming for any woman. You may find yourself busy preparing your home for the baby, which includes bringing in the necessary baby stuff, cleaning the designated room, and even decorating.
Take care not to overdo it though. Excessive straining during pregnancy may pose a health risk to your unborn child.
5. You May Notice Skin Changes
Expect various skin changes during this period. Don’t be shocked when people start complimenting your skin “glow.” Increase oil production is the major culprit of the pregnancy glow. You may also notice frequent breakouts due to increased sebum production.
Chloasma or the “mask of pregnancy” may also develop. These are simply yellowish or brownish patches on your face.
Have you noticed the dark line on your lower abdomen? This shouldn’t shock you since it’s absolutely normal during pregnancy. It will disappear once you give birth.
Other skin changes may include darkening of the nipples, areola, anal, and genital area. Existing freckles or moles may also become darker or bigger.
Note that all these changes will disappear after giving birth, apart from the areola which is usually permanent.
6. You May Experience Changes in Your Hair and Nails
Blame it all on hormonal changes. Your nails may break and split more easily and your hair may either become oilier or drier, grow faster, fall out less, and even change color.
You may also notice hair growth in unwanted areas such as the face, around the nipples, or the belly.
Just like with the skin, these changes are also temporary.
7. Adjusting Your Bra Size
You may be forced to adjust your bra sizes during pregnancy since your breasts are bound to grow. An increase in estrogen and progesterone as responsible for enlarged breast size.
Apart from increased breast size, your rib cage/chest may also increase in size as your lung capacity increases to accommodate extra oxygen for you and the baby. Again, this will change once you give birth.
8. Foot Swelling- Change in Shoe Size
You may be surprised that your friend never had the nasty experience of swelling feet, but you do.
Many women experience feet swelling and may, as a result, be forced to adjust their shoe size. Large-sized slip-on shoes are a great option since they are more comfortable with swollen feet compared to your regular shoes.
9. Restricted Joint Mobility
Many women experience restricted joint mobility due to the release of the hormone relaxin. Relaxin is the hormone that helps a woman’s body prepare for childbirth.
The hormone tends to loosen the ligaments in your body, thus making you much less stable and more prone to injury. This mostly affects the lower back, pelvis, and knee joints. It’s, therefore, advisable to avoid heavy lifting or vigorous exercise to avoid injury.
10. Constipation, Varicose veins, Hemorrhoids
Constipation, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins are some of the major effects of pregnancy. Hemorrhoids can especially be very painful.
Varicose veins which mostly appear in the genital area and legs can as well be a nuisance. Plus they are not fun to look at.
The good news is that these problems usually disappear after giving birth. All the same, it’s important to drink plenty of water and fiber-rich foods to prevent constipation and hemorrhoids.
11. Gas, Fluid Leakage, Diarrhea
Experiencing leakage during pregnancy can be shocking especially when labor is yet to begin. However, in most cases, this is absolutely normal. You may continue leaking amniotic fluid until delivery, but since the fluid is replaced every three hours, it should not be a cause for worry.
All the same, it’s advisable to have the doctor examine you to rule out any potential problems.
Apart from leaking fluid, you may also experience excessive gas, diarrhea, vomiting and be feeling nauseous during labor. You may also lose control of your bladder and bowel movements while pushing.
If you’ve been experiencing most of these symptoms but aren’t sure if you’re pregnant or not, you can undertake a homemade pregnancy test to confirm. This test will offer quick and accurate results.
Don’t panic if you experience some or most of these changes. They might come as a surprise to you especially if it’s your first pregnancy, but there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Of course, some of them can be embarrassing, but once you hold your bundle of joy in your arms, it will all be worth it.
Author Bio
I am Lily Hayes, a writer and teacher by profession who firmly believes that motherhood is the fulfilling experience we can ever have in this world and founder of TheBabyLands.com. I have spent years being an expert in what I do. I love my job immensely because I love to share and create things that will have a big impact on people. In fact, I have already written various e-books about self-development and parenting. Follow me on Twitter@TheBabyLandsCom
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Adree | The Keele Deal says
Haha, this list includes almost all of the things that surprised me with pregnancy. I was also surprised by how tired I was during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Julie says
Yea! I knew I would be tired but not THAT tired!
Hailey says
Mood swings were a big one for me! But we made it through! As well as skin changes, it might sound crazy but I swear that pregnancy cured my adult acne.
Julie says
That’s so interesting how pregnancy made your adult acne go away. I broke out a ton while I was pregnant ha.