Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy

Pregnancy. There are things people tell you about pregnancy and there are things people don’t tell you about it. I’m here to tell you all about those things no one told you about pregnancy. Yes, I’m thankful for everything awesome in pregnancy, but there are some right-down-crappy things that happen in pregnancy that no one tells you about.

You will be like a turtle that can’t turn over

While big and pregnant, there will be multiple times you will feel helpless. I’m talking lying-on-your-back feeling like a turtle helpless. You will need help to get off your back and onto your feet. It’s not pleasant, but life does go back to normal post-birth (in this area).

A baby moving inside of you is indescribable

At first, you feel the flutters of the new baby. Yay! And then you feel the kicks, jabs, and Kung Fu of the baby. It’s amazing what it feels like to get kicked in the ribs from the very person you’re working incredibly hard to grow. You'll miss all those flutters, hiccups, and maybe even the jabs.

You'll Pee A Lot

Everyone tells you about rushing to the bathroom for all those pee breaks. What they don't tell you is that you'll pee when you sneeze or even throw up. I had “morning” sickness with both boys and every time I was sick, I had to change my underwear. Never failed.

Morning Sickness is All Day

So maybe someone did tell you about morning sickness. They may not have told you it could last all day, every day. Many women seem to feel better once the second trimester hits, but that's not always the case. I was sick throughout my entire pregnancy, both times.

Your Feet will Grow

I knew my feet would swell after standing or walking all day. What I didn't know was that they would actually grow. Most of the time, they'll go back to their normal size, but if they grow too much that might not happen. As it turns out, I did get to purchase some new shoes after pregnancy.

Nerve pain can affect your whole body

Many women deal with sciatic pain while pregnant. This pain is pretty indescribable and it does go away after pregnancy. No one ever told me about sciatic pain and how hard it would be to deal with during pregnancy. I remember googling “butt pain while pregnant” and seeing this is totally common. Completely uncomfortable, but you'll learn to deal and you will survive.

The amount of water weight your body can carry

While pregnant, it is amazing how much water weight you carry around. At one point, I swear there was even water weight in my nose. After you give birth, though, the water weight mostly goes away. It’s amazing how thin you start feeling again.

Your body won’t be your own

As amazing as pregnancy is, your body is not your own for 9 months. Weird things happen to your body and you will not feel normal until after you give birth. It’s not uncommon to feel like an alien has invaded your body. It’s an incredible and very weird feeling all at once.

You're Not Eating for Two

This is a hard one. So many people will tell you “go ahead, you're pregnant, have another”. I mean, who wants to tell the pregnant lady she probably doesn't need that third cupcake? The truth though? It's a lot easier than you think to gain 40 lbs during pregnancy. All of those extras really add up. Most pregnant women really only need about 300 extra calories a day.

Time slows down towards the end of the pregnancy

I’m not sure what it is, but those last few weeks of pregnancy are the slowest. It’s like Father Time slows down t-i-m-e just for the pregnant women of the world. If you have the patience for those last few weeks of pregnancy, you are awesome.

The brand new 5th edition of What to Expect^® When You're Expecting has a fresh perspective, up-to-the-minute information and advice, and the same friendly, reassuring voice that has made the book a bestseller for decades. We all need a friend that's going to tell us the truth and there are a lot of truths in this book that most of your friends won't tell you or maybe you're too scared to ask.

Things I love that are covered in What to Expect^® When You're Expecting: VBAC information, pregnancy message boards, mommy wars, postpartum emotions, and coping with loss.

Social Media and Pregnancy

Gender reveals (p. 263)
Baby bump posting (p. 289)
Mommy wars (p. 336)
Message boards (p. 173)

Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing

Pregnancy depression, panic attacks, and anxiety disorder (pp. 174–177)
Managing stress (pp. 145–149)
Safety of antidepressants (pp. 44–46)
Postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD, and PTSD (pp. 495–503)
Dad’s mood swings and depression, during pregnancy and postpartum (p. 176)

Plus, Entirely New Chapters and Sections that Expand on Important Topics Like:

Cord blood banking (pp. 295–298)
Coping with miscarriage, stillbirth, and other pregnancy loss (pp. 582–603)
Birth control choices and decisions postpartum (pp. 511–518)
Medications during pregnancy (pp. 538–542) and beyond (pp. 538–542)

In addition to bringing Dad into the book throughout, it answers every imaginable question expecting parents could ask and offers solutions for every pregnancy and postpartum symptom.