What they never tell you about pregnancy

One of the things I’ve learnt in my 13 weeks of pregnancy is how much information pregnant women don’t share with you. So many things have happened to me that no one ever speaks about. And, the scale they happen on has never been discussed. I will share my experiences with you all of what I’ve learnt so hopefully you won’t be too shocked when it comes your turn.

Sore boobs – Everyone tells you about sore boobs but the stories I’ve always heard just made it sound like the ached every now and then. In my experience this has not been the case. They didn’t just ache, they killed me. Some days I was overwhelmed with stabbing pain and throbbing. Some days, when I took my bra off at the end of the day, it felt like two bowling balls had suddenly been released. It is painful. It is uncomfortable. And at 13 weeks, it continues.

Nausea – Everyone tells you about nausea but no one once told me it was not a permanent state of being. I was totally unprepared for the fact nausea comes and goes so don’t be concerned if yours does. Between weeks 4-5 my appetite plummeted. Weeks 5-6 I had 2 or 3 really bad days where I thought I would puke. Week 7 was constant. I had nothing between week 8 and 10 then it all came back. It was constant between week 10 and 11, nothing in week 12 then back this week.

It is unpredictable and you never know when it will hit. But, as my fertility specialist said, once you’re past 6 weeks nausea is not used as a sign of a viable pregnancy. There is no choice but to roll with it and always keep food in your hand bag!

Round ligament – I had never heard of this. Apparently it’s the ligament that supports both sides of uterus. As your uterus expands, so does this ligament. The expansion process creates sharp pains and aches in your lower abdomen, groin and thighs. You mostly feel it when you get out of bed, move from a sitting position or if you’ve been on your feet all day.

The stabling pains can be nerve racking because you don’t want stabbing pains in your belly when you’re pregnant. But, I have gotten use to them and I can tell the difference between all my pains now. There is the round ligament pain, gas pain and ache pain. So long as none of them are prolonged or accompanied with bleeding or fever, they’re normally pretty good. Good, just painful and a bit annoying.

Teeth – They hurt. And not just hurt but really, really hurt! And it’s not just the teeth. The pain moves up through your mouth and into your jaw so a few mornings I’ve woken up with a really saw and clicky jaw. I wear a plate to bed when I remember but it’s just part and parcel of the pregnancy journey.

Gums – The worst, most unexpected pregnancy-related symptom is split gums. I woke up one morning with my gums literally split from end to end. It was like I had been chewing them during the night. It was very painful and no wonder why – when I lifted my top gum it was red raw. Poor gum! I put bonjella gel on it which is used for teething babies and had instant relief. It cleared up in a day or two but has since came back. I’m assuming it’s one of those things that will just reappear for whatever reason so keep the bonjella in your top draw!

That’s all I can think of for now, but I’m sure I’ll have lots more to share as we get deeper into the second trimester and the body stretching really begins. Of course the biggest coming attraction is feeling a kick for the first time which should happen in about 4 or 5 weeks time. I’ll be sure to pay close attention to describe what it’s actually like!