Pregnancy – The Surprising Side Effects and Symptoms

Pregnancy is downright wild. Is there anything more amazing than the fact that your body can grow an entire human inside of itself? Like hair, nails, eyes, heart, the lot. But with that incredible job comes a surprising array of side effects and symptoms.

Personally…

I personally couldn’t wait to be pregnant. I obviously wanted a baby and was excited about the end result. But there was something romantic about the idea of being pregnant. Growing that tiny human inside of you, feeling the kicks, watching your stomach grow, and of course being able to walk around rubbing your tummy all the time. I was excited for it.

Then I actually got pregnant. I came to realise quite quickly, that there was a lot about pregnancy that I was completely oblivious to. There are the obvious things that everyone talks about, morning sickness, swelling feet, and cravings. However, I had no idea to what extent it affects ALL OF YOUR BODY. In ways you never would have thought possible. There were so many times that I was on google searching ‘is it normal in pregnancy for…’

So ladies, those of you dreaming for it and those of you about to go through it, listen up, I’m about to reveal to you some of the most surprising things that could happen. Just so you’re not caught off guard, as I was.

Now every woman and every pregnancy is different. You might not experience any of these, or you might experience all of them and more. Who knows. But well done for being brave enough to research the possibilities.

Here are some of the things that I found to be the most surprising:

• How early symptoms can start.
  Not a symptom but one of the most surprising things! It doesn’t take long for your body to start showing the signs, I personally don’t know how people can go so long without knowing that they are pregnant. They must be the lucky ones that don’t experience many symptoms.
  • Frequent need to pee – I know that this is a pretty common one, but I had no idea that it will start so early on. Way before the weight of your baby is pressing down on your bladder. You can, as for most things, blame those hormones.
  • Heartburn/indigestion – Again I associated this with having a baby taking up all the room inside, I had no idea that there is a hormone that’s released during pregnancy that relaxes joints and other things, including the valve that stops the bile in your stomach coming back up.
• Nosebleeds and nasal congestion
  In my first pregnancy, I must have been about 6 weeks gone (so super early), I was just going about my day when my nose started dripping blood. I NEVER get nosebleeds, I think the only times, were when I was little and I fell down the stairs. I started freaking out! Luckily trusty google was there to reassure me that yes, this was a normal part of pregnancy!

• The effects on your digestive system
  Hormones again I’m afraid. They slow everything down; causing things like bloating, gas, constipation or even in some cases the opposite, even diarrhea. Either way, expect to spend a lot more time of the toilet with all things considered!

• Bleeding gums
  If you find that you are spitting out blood after brushing your teeth, do not panic! It’s just another common part of pregnancy. Dental care is quite important during pregnancy, and if you are in the UK you get it for free while you’re pregnant!
• Weird dreams
  When not pregnant, I have some pretty odd dreams, but they aren’t that frequent. However, for me, pregnancy brings an onslaught of crazy dreams most nights.

These are just some of the most surprising things for me, that I had no idea about. So I have also tried to compile a more comprehensive list of all of the possibilities. But before you go on to read that and possibly freak out or are completely put off the idea, I must tell you… pregnancy is beautiful. Tough and disgusting sometimes but oh so beautiful.

All possible side effects and symptoms 

• Nausea – with or without puking (Otherwise known as morning sickness, but it can hit at any time of the day!)
• Frequent need to pee – why is this the most talked about one? I wouldn’t say it’s the most irritating.
• Nosebleeds – pregnancy can cause the blood vessels in your nose to expand, and with an increase in the amount of blood pumping around it can cause these vessels to burst.
• Food cravings or food aversions – some things that you would normally love you might find that you just can’t stomach and other things that you weren’t fussed over before will become a new favourite.
• Fatigue – you’re body is working pretty hard behind the scenes! Sometimes fatigue can be a sign of something else like an iron deficiency (as I found with my second child, but all of that will be picked up in your checkups)
• Swollen and sore breasts – This can be one of the first signs that you are pregnant but I found that it wasn’t just one jump up in size, they change all throughout pregnancy.
• Bloating – Hormones causing your digestive system to slow down!
• Constipation – same as above.
• Diarrhea – apparently less common but a possibility!
• Gas – same again, slow digestive system to blame.
• Mood swings – hello hormones! Most women are aware of the effect that hormones can have on our mood every month so you can imagine it has a similar and prolonged roller coaster effect in pregnancy.
• Increased sensitivity to smell – pregnancy nose, as I call it, will mean that smells can be stronger and you will find some things extremely repulsive.
• Bleeding gums – hormones (again!) make your teeth more sensitive to plaque and bacteria.
• Abdominal pain or cramping – according to the NHS website this can be ‘common’ and quite often caused by some of the above mentioned digestive issues.
• Piles/hemorrhoids – hormones can make your veins relax, and if you are having trouble with constipation, it can make this more likely in pregnancy.
• Heartburn/indigestion – as mentioned before, hormones relax the valve between your stomach and esophagus, causing things to go the wrong way. Then as the baby takes up more and more room, it will start to put pressure on your stomach, worsening the issue!
• Increase in vaginal discharge – it’s probably worth investing in some panty liners.
• Breathlessness – just walking down the street might feel like a workout! Especially as you near the end and your poor lungs are being squashed up in there.
• Round ligament pain – on either side of your uterus, there is a round ligament that helps support it. In pregnancy this will grow and stretch to accommodate the changes in your uterus which can cause some discomfort.
• Other general aches and pains – your joints in general can ache but your hips and ribs are especially prone to it. Particularly when a tiny human starts exercising their legs.
• Itchy skin – as it stretches and grows it can become itchy. It is definitely worth making sure you have a nice moisturiser on hand.
• More prone to vaginal thrush – hormones again increase your chances.
• Headaches – There are a few different reasons for this, including increased blood volume and stress headaches from carrying the extra weight!
• Excessive salivation – definitely an odd one! There just seems to be an increase in bodily fluids generally I’d say.
• General swelling – feet, face, ankles, anything really.
• Weird dreams – dreaming all revolves around sleep cycles and how much deep sleep we get. Because there are a number of things that can affect and disturb our sleep during pregnancy, we are more likely to stay in the cycle that means we will remember our dreams. The craziness of the dreams might just be me?
• Stuffy nose – dammit hormones again!
• Feeling hot – increased blood volume is to blame for this one too.
• Hair could either fall out or get thicker and lovelier – this is not just limited to your head either. During a conversation with some other mums, I found that it is not uncommon to find that you don’t need to shave as frequently. My body hair becomes lighter and grows slower when pregnant. (Also the hair on my head has not been the same since having children, sorry to say ladies.)
• Dizziness – feeling dizzy during pregnancy is fairly common and nothing to worry about. Fainting, however, is something that you should definitely get checked out. I’m not sure why pregnant ladies on the TV seem to faint all the time?
• Peeing when laughing or sneezing – this is not just something that will happen after you’ve pushed the baby out. Oh No! The baby puts pressure on the pelvic floor muscles, again panty liners are a good idea.
• Skin changes – you can get acne or you could get that lovely ‘pregnancy glow’ about your skin.
• Linea nigra – this is a dark line that can appear on your stomach, from your belly button going up or down. Apparently we all have it but the pigmentation in your skin changes during pregnancy which makes it more pronounced.
• Change in sleeping patterns – insomnia or difficulty sleeping can occur. It’s almost like your body wants to prepare you for when the baby arrives and sleep will be scarce. Can’t decide if I like that idea or not!
• Metallic taste in your mouth – this is called Dysgeusia, if you want the fancy term.
• Nipples getting darker and bigger – this is the last one on my list, phew! But your nipples will most likely become quite large. The word ‘saucers’ is often thrown around.

If you are experiencing any of these, we mummas feel ya. We’ve been there, and for some reason keep on doing it and will continue to do it. You can make it through, it’s worth it!

I would love to hear what you found surprising? Or if you have had any other side effects that I haven’t mentioned? Let me know in the comments!

Ri x

Disclaimer
I’m not a medical professional, this post is for informational purposes only. Please do consult a doctor or health care provider if you have any concerns or worries about what is ‘normal’.