- Not So Surprising – Acne. Everyone knows that during pregnancy your hormone production sky rockets, and all that up and down definitely has lots of side effects. Not everyone breaks out, but it’s very common to do so. You may also have other skin effects, such as dry skin or blotches.
- Surprising – Hair thinning. Most of the time when women talk about their hair during pregnancy they’re discussing how hormones and prenatal vitamins made it thicker, stronger, longer, more glossy, etc. However, sometimes pregnancy can have the opposite effect and thin your hair out, which is what happened to me. It’s gotten thinner with each pregnancy!
- Not So Surprising – Constipation. A symptom that pretty much happens to everyone. Pregnancy hormones make all your muscles relax, even the ones used for digestion. Which means it’s hard to move food through your intestines and eventually out the back door. Needless to say it’ll be about 10 months until you can poop like normal again.
- Surprising – Lightning vagina. You read that right. Learn it & fear it ladies! Lightning vagina is a real medical thing that happens during the later weeks of pregnancy and is a pain that will literally drop you to your knees. There are 2 reasons why this occurs: 1. Round ligament pain. There are long muscles in your abdomen that support the uterus, and during pregnancy they get very long and thin from the pressure of the growing baby. If you twist or move the wrong way you can cause them to stretch too far or too fast causing sudden sharp pain. 2. Nerve pain. Your cervix and uterus have tons of nerves running through them and as baby grows they can bounce off your nerves. Yup. Your baby is literally kicking you in the cooter from the inside out. And it’s a white hot electrical pain that shoots right through your pelvis and stops you dead in your tracks.
- Not So Surprising – Gas. Everyone knows mom’s to be can burp & fart like a frat boy. Expect it and laugh at yourself – it’s pretty much all you can do lol.
- Surprising – Increased discharge. Especially in the third trimester. Gross, I know, but it’s the truth. Higher and higher levels of estrogen causes more blood flow to your lady bits, which increased the amount of fluid to the area. Familiarize yourself with panty liners, they’re your new best friend.
- Not So Surprising – Heartburn. Hormones during pregnancy make your muscles relax, including the valve between your esophagus and stomach. The valve usually stops stomach acid from rising up into your esophagus, but when relaxed the stomach acid can pass through. My chest is usually on fire throughout my entire pregnancy not gunna lie.
- Surprising – Loss of libido. Sometimes the hormones can make you horny AF and sometimes they can make you detest sex. I experience the latter. I’m usually a very affectionate wife, but during pregnancy forget about it. Please don’t touch me unless it’s to cuddle or rub my feet!
- Not So Surprising – Mood swings. The whole 10 months is a roller coaster of emotions caused by, you guessed it, hormones. You pretty much have PMS for a year sistahs. You cry over ridiculous things, you get cranky for no reason, you get needy and clingy for cuddles & attention, and you go back and forth to these extremes so fast you usually don’t even know why you’re feeling what you’re feeling.
The Most Surprising, And Some Not So Surprising, Pregnancy Symptoms
Published
Mama Bear Inc 