22 Weeks | 6 THINGS NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT PREGNANCY

Okay, so I’ve said before that I wanted to do more lifestyle posts, but something just keeps pulling me back. I guess I’m still a little unsure about moving in a new direction and losing readers L But I so miss blogging and really wanted to talk more about my pregnancy, since I’ve barely shared anything about the experience on this space. I do apologize in advance if you don’t want to hear about these kinds of things, and if it means that I’ll be losing your virtual friendship, then I can only say thank you for the support you’ve given me up until this point…

So, pulling focus back to the title of this post…

I must be honest; I was never one who was all that interested in pregnancy and baby things. Sure, I always wanted a family and knew that I wanted to be a mother, but I was never really drawn into that world like other women are. Yes, I’d cuddle a cute baby for a few minutes and promptly hand them back to their parents once they become a little crabby (or smelly, lol!) and I would certainly notice the adorable clothing in the baby isles. Beyond that though? I’m afraid I’ve always been rather clueless – by choice.

All of this took a drastic turn the second I found out I was pregnant. All of a sudden I wanted to know EVERYTHING about pregnancy and babies and the vast load of information in-between. I started reading up on what my body is going through and what I should expect in the months ahead. I was in awe (still am) and I am so grateful for being that oblivious before because I feel immensely grateful, not to mention utterly excited about every little thing. I don’t want to take anything for granted since I know what an incredible blessing this is.

Of course, there are certain things that we all know about pregnancy. Things like morning sickness and that the boobies will grow overnight – kapoOoOow!! But there were definitely a few things I was not prepared for, and today I thought it would be fun to share some of them.

*These are just some of the things I’ve experienced on my journey, I know every single woman is unique and will, therefore, have their own story to tell.*

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1. YOU CAN’T/WON’T DO WHAT YOU’D NORMALLY DO

So this is something that may not necessarily be a rule of thumb, but for me, it happened instantly. I am quite agile and I love walking; but ever since being pregnant, I found that these things I’d be able to do with ease were all of a sudden impossible for me to do. And even if I tried doing something, the fatigue would have me huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf! Still, I think this is to be expected, but what I really wasn’t prepared for was how much my usual routine would change.

The night we discovered that we’d be having a baby, we immediately jumped into the car and drove to my parents to share the news. On the drive there, my husband and I were talking, and it should be said that it took him a little while to actually believe that it was really happening for us. But as I was explaining to him the reasons for my suspicions in the first place, I mentioned that I hadn’t touched a cup of tea for a whole week, and what was even more curious was that I haven’t been interested in reading either. It was like watching someone get hit on the head with this huge, life-altering realization because he knows that tea and books are an everyday thing for me. Seriously, it was just the best thing in the world to see him actually believe that we were starting this new chapter in our lives.

My point is, everything changed quite drastically for me. If I wasn’t limited by my body then I was being held back by my lack of interest in the things I loved doing. But here’s the thing though, even if I heard anyone speak about this before, I still don’t think I would’ve been prepared for it. I mean, I didn’t even realize it was happening until I found out that there was an actual real-life reason behind all these weird things I’ve been going through.

2. YOU’LL FEEL TIRED EVEN AFTER SLEEPING FOR 10 HOURS STRAIGHT

This was a big red flag for me before taking a pregnancy test, and it was one of the reasons I suspected that I might be expecting. I remember the weekend before taking the test I was absolutely out of it. I was totally exhausted for no apparent reason and I don’t think I was awake for more than a couple hours. My husband thought I was sick, it was really bad.

When the GP confirmed my pregnancy before referring me to an OBGYN, she explained that fatigue is quite normal and should be expected throughout the first trimester. However, I am very much delighted to say that it has since waned and I feel more like my old self now.

3. GROWING PAINS ARE (not) AWESOME

Something that’s been quite rough for me since the very beginning of my pregnancy, are the growing pains. The pains are around the hip and pelvis area, as well as the lower abdomen. At the beginning, I was a bit concerned, especially since I never heard anyone talk about this before. But after reading about the changes my body was undergoing it made sense to me that there will be some discomfort – this was later confirmed by my doctor.

There are days when it gets quite bad, and sleep becomes a real pain – lol, pun intended! I’d toss and turn, unable to find a comfortable position, the tossing and turning alone causing pains that I’ve never experienced before. Getting out of bed takes a couple of minutes, which is so odd to me because I’ve always been quite agile despite being the clumsiest person alive.

On days when these growing pains are especially bad – I like to think the baby is also undergoing a growth spurt during these times so it’s hard for me to stay frustrated for long – walking becomes difficult too. And for someone who loves walking as much as I do, it takes some getting used to.

4. YOUR BODY CHANGES

This might seem like an obvious one, and I was fully expecting changes to happen, but I was actually shocked to realize the dramatic extent of the changes. Seriously, when I talk about changes, I mean visible transformations to the structure of my bones – it’s insane! I can understand why I’ve been having these growing pains – those kinds of changes would most certainly take its toll.

5. NOSEBLEEDS

Getting a little icky now, another thing I had no idea about was that during pregnancy you are susceptible to nose bleeds/ gum bleeds. I am prone to hay fever and sinusitis, but I’ve never in my life experienced a nosebleed. Imagine my shock and horror to be going through this now!

I’ve since learned that pregnancy can cause blood vessels in the nose to expand, and with the increase in blood supply this means that more pressure is being put on these vessels which may lead to rupturing. Fun times!

6. MORNING SICKNESS DOESN’T JUST HAPPEN IN THE MORNING

This was a real treat to discover! And I feel like I’ve been lied to all my life! Trust me to choose a different pattern and have my “morning” sickness almost exclusively at night. Although there were quite a few times where it would last all day – my husband was an absolute CHAMP during the entire ordeal and I am just so thankful to have him through all of this.

Btw, I think the only person I ever heard say that they had morning sickness at night was Phoebe from friends – which is awesome because I’ve always felt drawn to her character.

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Woah, I was not expecting this post to be so long!! But as you can see, I have so much that I want to share… If you’ve had kids or if you are pregnant right now, I’d love to know what it was that you feel no one ever told you about being pregnant!