Things nobody ever really mentions before you get pregnant then they all nod in unison and it obviously happens to every pregnant woman ever

[Pruni]

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Please tell her to be prepared for the fact that the sickness does not go away for everyone at 3 months, mine lasted nearly 6 months and I thought I would stab the next person who told me I 'shouldn't be having it by now'!
Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. I had no idea about this and by the time I reached term I couldn't make any fine motor movements with my right hand til lunchtime (and the left wasn't much better)
I think SPD has a higher profile now thank goodness.
Hope she escapes without any of it!

suejonez - you are a wicked, wicked woman!!

I agree riab - I reckon that of the three things - pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood, pregnancy turned out to be the most difficult so far (DD only 6 months, so realise it could all go tits up!! ) I didn't even have any problems - just the usual pregnancy stuff.

That while you are suffering the nausea/acne/piles/flatulance/heartburn/hair growth in innapropriate places/exhaustion you will have a friend or relative who is pregnant at the same time and who is GLOWING and LOVING it and can't BELIEVE how wonderful she feels....Grrr

Yeah Liath and don't you JUST hate that and also they don't DO long labours, the baby just POPS out so quickly and Oh the Mother looks perfect just after the birth with full make-up and fabulous hair even Posh would die for!!! And their baby's the one that doesn't cry but settles straight to sleep so Mum can lie there reading her Mills & Boon! Yes we all know someone just like that! Sickening!!!!!!!

LOL! Until you're pregnant when everyone (even men who haven't fathered children) come out with the worst horror stories designed to scare you!! Not helpful!!

and when men who haven't (obviously!) given birth, or even been present at one, tell you that it must be ok, as women have been doing it for thousands of years. It's what we're "built for"... Oh how I'd love it if a man could do birth....

People you have never met before think they are allowed to just touch your belly every where you go!

I felt odd at first (people touching my bump), but am getting used to it now..

Increase in wind!

Scary dreams about the baby not being well..

Worried that my pregnancy wasn't OK because I didn't get alot of the symptoms early on i.e. morning sickness, etc..

the stretching ligaments..

the constant worry that all is ok - 20 weeks on now and starting to chill out though... !

Pregnancy was great for me apart from the indigestion & morning sickness.

The thing that cracks me up now is when pregnant everyone told me to take it easy & relax as though in preparation for the big event. In reality I should have been doing SAS style training to prepare for the grim reality of new motherhood.......

Remember a few moew

An uncontrollable desire for pasties (don't ask)

Agree with the men telling you their wives gory stories and then after birth if you even say 'it was difficult' to same men they run a mile and no details please - hyprocrites!.

There are lots of lovely things too - you feel really womanly and connected to people in a way you don't normally (must be that emotional thing!)

Yeah that's true and you can cry at the drop of a hat! Not sure if that's the exhaustion or hormones!!!
I remember not sleeping a wink for 24 hours after giving birth to our son as I just could not keep my eyes off him!!! He just lay there staring up at me as if he knew who I was. It was a magical feeling!

Baby has hiccups and your belly visibly starts twitching rythmically.

If you've got big hips (like me) you will spend months looking like you're not pregnant, just hugely fat.

That getting pregnant is not the most stressful thing about pregnancy.

Those dreams - I assume it's because I'm having a boy that my subconscious has gone a bit gay .

O the dreams were my fav bit!! Had tones when i was expecting DD not much this time..

Worse part has to be hip pain, pressure, getting comfie o an middle of the night trips to the loo and awake then for hours!! God it doesnt really appal to be pregnant maybe you should tell her all the best bits..

O the dreams were my fav bit!! Had tones when i was expecting DD not much this time..

Worse part has to be hip pain, pressure, getting comfie o an middle of the night trips to the loo and awake then for hours!! God it doesnt really appal to be pregnant maybe you should tell her all the best bits..

Bumping this, because it just made me literally cry with laughter at my desk- and I needed one today! stares in despair at in-tray

Dropping everything because of swollen hands and general clumsiness. Really painful ligament/muscle/tendon/whatever pain around and under bump. Odd menstrual-like cramps which are really scary at first.

What are EG cramps? I feel like I've got period pain a lot of the time - is this what it is? I have to say that this all looks like a truly terrifying list of what to expect.

the insomnia...oh the insomnia and also the insomnia
no one told me i would grow to roughly the size of a baby elephant and maybe never go fully down again!! also that i would get so constipated that every time i went for a poo i was sh**g bullets!! ( this btw was about once a fortnight!!) that i would vomit up everything i had eaten for the past year every time my nose smelled anything with any sort of a scent to it!! crazy but only partly true!!

your ribs and hips are bigger. post-ds i was convinced that id get straight back to the same size. and tho i was actually thinner 6m later (long story) my ribcage was huge

no one warned me that my bum would feel it had gone to sleep and wouldn't be waking up for a few days, after the birth.

the tiredness
oh god

Brain turning into jelly.

i agree - the tiredness to the core of your soul, uncontrollable weeping at extreme home makeover and finding yrself gazing at catalogues of matching twee nursery items you'd have poured scorn on 9 months ago.

also - the constant "good advice" from others - even those who've never been close to pregnancy themselves!

This thread is brilliant! as first timergreat to know the horrid bits are normal !!

Will read and post tomorrow when not so tired forehead is touching screen...