Six Unexpected Pregnancy Symptoms
Growing up as the third of four daughters in my family, I was surrounded by feminine symptoms of all kinds. And when my oldest sister had both of her boys, I was going through puberty at the time, and was especially curious about the process.
However, somewhere along the line, I missed that the below six symptoms could be a part of pregnancy. Perhaps my sister didn’t have these symptoms, and maybe TV left them out along with the existence of the placenta and the fact that it usually isn’t the water breaking that indicates the start of labor.
Though my daughter has already made her beautiful, perfect entrance into the world, I felt this information was important. So, for your benefit, here are some symptoms I didn’t know had anything to do with being pregnant:
1. Achy breasts – Around 3-4 weeks.
I was used to this being a symptom of menstruation, which, to my understanding, meant that no egg had implanted, and my period was about to start. But being pregnant, something was different this time. The aches were more intense. I was even woken up in the night with how tender they were once. It also lasted for several days rather than just one like I was used to with my normal period symptoms.
2. Cramps – Around 3-6 weeks.
Again, this was a normal period symptom, but was not accompanied by any bleeding. Once I found out I was pregnant, this cramping made me exceptionally nervous, since I thought it might be the beginning of a miscarriage. The cramping was actually more painful than I was used to with my period, and while friends who had been pregnant before me described this normal symptom as a “stretching” feeling as the uterus works to make room for the rapidly growing fetus, I couldn’t describe it as such, and was continuously nervous until it stopped around six weeks along. From then on I would have periodic round ligament pains (NOT fun!), but no lower abdominal cramping.
3. Peeing – The. Whole. Pregnancy…
I remember hearing that pregnant women pee a lot, but I thought that was an issue for later months, since the baby would be larger and sitting on my bladder. That certainly was true for later months, but the problem actually began at about 3-4 weeks along, even before I knew I was pregnant. I was waking up a couple of times in the middle of the night to pee and thought I had a UTI. I learned later that when you become pregnant, your body is processing one and a half times your normal blood supply, which means that your kidneys and liver have a ton more to filter through and are trying to dispose of toxins to create a habitable environment for a teeny-tiny new life that is trying to form. So… we pee.
4. Nose bleeds and stuffy nose – Again… the whole pregnancy…
Who would have thought this would be a thing? As far as I’m concerned, apart from hyper-sensitive smell, one’s nose has nothing to do with being pregnant! But early in my pregnancy, like 4-6 weeks, I started noticing that my nose was stuffy. I thought I was coming down with a cold, but no. And constant boogers. Sometimes it was better than others, but even when I was healthy, I had to blow my nose several times a week if not a day, or I couldn’t breathe. Since I had never had allergies or respiratory issues prior, this was so strange to me. I heard that it also had to do with the increased blood supply causing enlarged blood vessels to constrict sinuses. Regardless… annoying.
5. Heartburn, but weird – 30 weeks and on
I knew heartburn was a symptom, but I thought it would have to do with eating spicier foods. And you have no idea how many people will tell you “oh, that means the baby is going to have lots of hair!” (Well, she came out with some hair, for sure, so maybe they’re right?) What surprised me was that the heartburn would come out of nowhere! It had no understandable link to eating or food of any kind. It didn’t matter what I ate or didn’t eat. It didn’t matter if I was currently eating, had eaten recently, or was about to eat. I would have heartburn at random times, though in the third trimester, I would have it bad when I would lie down. Sleeping was tricky…
6. No room in my stomach for food – 34 weeks and on
I had always heard pregnant women ate a ton. It was something I was looking forward to. No one judging me for having another helping of mashed potatoes, or a huge meal AND three brownies. You know, “eating for two” and all. But towards the end, I was lucky if I could handle one helping of mashed potatoes. And forget about a huge meal, let alone any brownies. It was tragic… truly disappointing. Luckily I didn’t’ feel starving. I ate smaller meals, snacked a bit more, and once the baby dropped, I was able to eat a bit more. A bit.
These are six symptoms I had no idea would be assailing my body at the time. Be sure to check out my post on other symptoms that took over my body during pregnancy, if you haven’t already. I can’t truly fault anyone for never bringing these up. Every person and pregnancy is different, and there are truly so many symptoms that come up during pregnancy. It’s a weird, weird journey, my friends.
How about you? Are there any pregnancy symptoms you had that were unexpected or strange? Any stories involving the above symptoms during your own pregnancy? I would love to hear about your experiences!