5 Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy (But They Probably Should)

This post is sponsored by Bayer®. To make sure Bayer® products are right for you, always read and follow the label.

Pregnancy is an exciting and life changing event in a woman’s life. With all those changes, there are bound to be a few that your mother, sister, best-friend or co-worker never thought to mention (or didn’t want to share). Read on for five facts about pregnancy that might surprise you.

Pregnancy is an exciting and life changing event in a woman’s life. With all those changes, there are bound to be a few that your mother, sister, best-friend or co-worker never thought to mention (or didn’t want to share). Read on for five facts about pregnancy that might surprise you.

1. It can get… emotional

There is so much focus on the physical changes in pregnancy that the emotional ones are sometimes overlooked. Hormone shifts during pregnancy are common and can leave you with unexpected bursts of anger, sadness or anxiety. Rest assured, it’s (unfortunately)100 per cent normal.

Mood swings may be normal, but that doesn’t mean you have to deal with it alone. Your doctor is a great resource for mental health and wellness advice as well as the physical stuff.

2. Weird smells “down there”? Don’t ignore it!

Bacterial Vaginosis is a common vaginal infection that comes with some unpleasant side effects, including a fishy or unpleasant smell. BV can cause complications for pregnancy and childbirth, so make an appointment with your doctor if you think you might have it.

Pregnancy is an exciting and life changing event in a woman’s life. With all those changes, there are bound to be a few that your mother, sister, best-friend or co-worker never thought to mention (or didn’t want to share). Read on for five facts about pregnancy that might surprise you.

If you do have it – don’t panic! If you are pregnant, you can ask your doctor about treating BV symptoms with OTC products like CanesBalance which work to regulate your pH. Treatment is no sweat – CanesBalance is easy to use and can relieve symptoms in one week. The website has more information on symptoms and prevention. 

3. Maternity pants rocks 

Stay with me on this one. Your pregnancy is the only time you will be able to unapologetically wear stretch pants to work with pride. Embrace the guilt-free comfort! 

4. Hemorrhoids – it’s a thing

Hemorrhoids may not be a polite topic of discussion with your friends and loved ones, but they are a very real part of pregnancy. Hemorrhoids are actually varicose veins in the rectal area. They are usually not dangerous, but can be annoying. The Cleveland Clinic recommends this: Try applying cotton pads soaked in witch hazel or soaking in a warm tub to soothe your symptoms.

5. Cravings are no joke!

Everyone jokes about weird food cravings during pregnancy. When you look back, yes, it will be funny that you craved pizza for three solid months or drank enough orange juice to float a boat. When you’re in the midst of those cravings though, they’re dead serious! You want something specific to the point of obsession, and nothing else will do.  During my 2nd month of pregnancy, I needed a particular strawberry shortcake dessert. I didn’t know where it was, couldn’t even describe it. My husband drove me to 7 (yes, seven) different restaurants as I bawled over the menu and said “this isn’t the one!” We finally found it, and I gorged on it, then never craved it again!

Ok, so pregnancy isn’t all magic and rainbows. But the end result is a beautiful, incredible, amazing baby. Your baby! So rock those maternity pants Mammas and get ready for a wild ride! It’s totally worth it.

If you’re trying to get pregnant – what are you most looking forward to? If you’re an experienced Mamma, what surprised you the most about your pregnancy?

 

This post is sponsored by Bayer®. To make sure Bayer® products are right for you, always read and follow the label.

 

26 thoughts on “5 Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy (But They Probably Should)”

  1. Nicely written and well executed article. This things are very important to know specially during first pregnancy. I am sure this information will be very helpful for many first timers.

  2. It’s okay to tell people NO when they ask to touch your stomach, or when they reach for it without asking. I don’t know why people see a pregnant woman and think it’s okay to just reach out and touch her without her permission :-(

  3. Jennifer Williams

    I loved my maternity pants! I wore them completely out after the baby was born because they were so comfy!

  4. I’ve never had a baby but I do see a lot of births as a part of my job. I feel like I am pretty knowledgable about he whole birthday thing but pregnancy sill scares me!!

  5. I love the maternity pants and I wish I knew the Bacterial Vaginosis before when I was pregnant to my daugther I have an infection and the smell was really not good.

  6. Reesa Lewandowski

    Oh this post is so right on. Such little secrets. Most friends I know are so surprised when it isn’t perfect and fun and beautiful like they originally thought it always would be!

  7. The thing that surprised me most was that it wasn’t the flu. Seriously, I was on fertility drugs for nearly a decade and thought I had the flu only to find out I was nearly 3 months pregnant WITH twins! I thought I was coming down with the flu because I was all stuffy and nauseous but nope I was pregnant.

  8. I totally agree with this. i can still remeber the day when I was pregnant. I really can’t help but cry and i really don’t know why.

  9. Heather Castillo

    Yep, I can totally relate to this all. Three pregnancies and I’ve lived through each and every one of them.

  10. It is pretty crazy the things you don’t know about pregnancy until you actually go through it. I always try to be honest with moms to be, just because. This article is great.

  11. So glad I didn’t have hemorrhoid with my pregnancies. The cravings is so crazy, I remember crying because I couldn’t have what I was craving lol.

  12. I was definitely surprised by some things I experienced in my first pregnancy, so it would be great if we were told about them beforehand! I had some strange cravings with both of my pregnancies but they were different for each.

  13. Oh yes, I had intense cravings while pregnant–and there were foods I could NOT be around. For example, chicken breasts. They freaked me out while pregnant.

  14. Ashley @irishred02

    You had me laughing because I wish people had told me about some of these things. I had weird cravings with my son but not my daughter. So funny how different each pregnancy can be.

  15. I’ve never been pregnant so I missed out on this fun. I can’t imagine the crazy hormone changes and constant flux the human body goes through being pregnant.

  16. Think somethings we just forget about after the baby is born and don’t think about them until the next pregnancy comes along. Why we forget to share so much.

  17. The only thing that really surprised me with my first child was that I had the exact same craving at the exact same time every single day. It was for a slushie by the way.

  18. I was surprised by how much my feet swelled towards the end with one of my pregnancies. And, yes, cravings are for real.

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