Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy

There’s no question that your body changes so much during pregnancy. Aside from the growing bump, potential stretch marks and overall weight gain, you don’t hear much about some of the other things that go on. Even though I felt like I knew a lot beforehand, some things have been a surprise to me up until the 24-week mark that I’m at now! Keep reading for some of the physical, mental and emotional changes I’ve experienced in my pregnancy (TMI warning) that I didn’t necessarily anticipate.

Since I’m the first of my friends to have a baby, most of my prior pregnancy knowledge comes from my mom from 27 years ago or what I’ve seen and read online. I’ve followed a lot of girls’ pregnancy journies through social media, and though I’ve learned so much from each of them, there are still some many new things that pop up. Here are those!

BODY CHANGES

Blood rushing
This was one of the first crazy things I experienced at the very beginning of my pregnancy. You wouldn’t think this is something you’d necessarily feel, but YOU DO! Your blood volume increases by 50% during pregnancy, and you can actually feel the difference. It can sometimes feel like you just ran a mile or you’re anxious about something, even when you’re resting and totally calm. It feels tiring and it makes you feel out of breath. It takes a while to get used to, but it does become your new normal. Wild!

Hair on your belly
I don’t have a ton, but it’s definitely more than I’ve ever had there before! Some of it is dark, but most of it is light and I shave those bad boys right off. This comes with increased hair growth everywhere, which is probably thanks to hormones and prenatal vitamins. I have to shave twice as often!

Moles/freckles change and appear
This is one I’d NEVER heard of, but one I’ve started experiencing over the last couple of weeks. I have two moles (they’re not even on my belly) that were once always flat that are now raised. I’ve always had a lot of tiny moles, but I’ve noticed a few pop up that I don’t remember having before and some old ones that just look different now. I asked my doctor is this is normal and she said absolutely. Fun!

Can’t sleep, even if you’re not uncomfortable or in pain
When I heard people say you don’t sleep well during pregnancy, I assumed it was due to being uncomfortable or in pain. Well, to my surprise, even when I feel physically just fine, I STILL don’t sleep well! I toss and turn so much and have the craziest dreams every single night. I don’t wake up extremely exhausted every morning though because I feel like I’m used to it, so that’s a plus.

Gas pain
Gas gets stuck inside me so much more now than ever before, which is uncomfortable and sometimes painful. Thankfully Gas-X is on my approved medications list though, so I’m grateful for that. Sometimes it feels like it’s competing with the baby and they’re pushing each other around, and it’s not pleasant!

Change in bathroom activity
The bathroom activity change I heard about most was peeing more, which has happened too (though not at frequent as I thought yet), but #2 doesn’t always come out in the frequency or format you’d like for it to, if you know what I mean. This can lead to some discomfort as well.

Lactating
Who knew I’d start lactating halfway through my pregnancy?! Not me! This seems like something that would happen at the end of your pregnancy maybe, but I didn’t anticipate it this soon. I bought breast pads a couple of weeks ago and the leakage seems to happen randomly a few times a week. I can usually tell when it’s going to happen, but sometimes it’s a complete surprise.

Body acne
This seems like something that may happen at the beginning of your pregnancy because of all the hormone changes, but this has escalated for me as time went on and has covered my upper back with red bumps/breakouts (not cystic though). I’ve been very lucky to have great skin for most of my life otherwise, so this is new territory for me. It has lightly spread down my back, onto my chest and up my neck as well. I have some bumps on my forehead and around my ears too, so my doctor prescribed me a pregnancy-safe ointment and I can’t tell if it’s working yet. I guess it’s true what they say about little girls taking your beauty during pregnancy… 😅 But in all honestly, wouldn’t trade it for the world!

Stuffy, runny nose
I wake up so snotty every single morning. It carries on throughout the day as well, but it’s definitely at its worst in the morning.

OTHER

Anxiety for no reason
I’m not an anxious person, nor have I ever really dealt with anxiety, but I have during my pregnancy — especially towards the beginning. There were moments where I would just have to unplug and lay down because I felt stressed and like my heart was racing for no reason. I couldn’t really find any solutions for it, but ASMR videos helped me a ton! I don’t experience ASMR “tingles” or anything in the slightest, but I do find some of the videos calming, which is great for me.

Unable to make decisions and obsessing over the little things
I’ve always been a pretty confidently decisive person, but that has went out the window since I’ve been pregnant! I second-guess almost every decision I make, specifically when it comes to baby-related things. I’ve turned into a crazy pregnant lady when it comes to prepping for the baby, especially with the nursery and registry. I freak out that I may have picked the wrong item or something, have an obsessive researching sesh/meltdown, then eventually move on.

Nesting is real and it starts earlier than you’d think
Branching off of that, nesting has hit me hard. Again, I didn’t expect to feel this so strongly this soon, but it consumes me some days. Especially with the pandemic slowing down shipping, I feel like I need to be WAY ahead of the game when it comes to gathering things the baby will need. It’s equally stressful and fun at the same time!

Coming up with a name isn’t as easy as you think it will be
This varies for everyone of course, but even being the type of person who has a running list of names saved in her phone hasn’t helped us come to a decision any sooner. It becomes so real once you’re actually pregnant and it’s definitely not real for your partner until there’s an actual child on the way (at least in my experience). Justin became a lot more opinionated than I anticipated for someone who is usually so laidback about pretty much all decisions. With that being said, be patient and open with each other’s ideas! I think we MIGHT have a name!

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If you’ve experienced any of these, let me know in the comments! What surprised you most during your pregnancy? It truly is such a wild (yet totally natural at the same time like I was born to do this, ya know? 😂) ride. If you enjoyed this post, check out my other baby-related ones here and follow along with me on Instagram for even more updates.