What parts of this pregnancy lark have come as a shock to you?

[TheScenicRoute]

Hello,

Well I can definitely be accused of romanticising the idea of being pregnant before I got here, but one or two things have come as a shock (and I'm only 8+4 so I'm sure there's more to come!!!)

Here's my three....

The exhaustion! The EXTREME exhaustion, the fact that I'll go to the lengths of secretly locking myself in the grubby work shower room at lunch time with a blanket on the floor and a pillow to shoe horn an extra 1/2 hours sleep into the middle of my day! I wouldn't cope working full time if I didn't do this!

The soles of my feet are on fire! I'm one of life's 'cold' people, my feet are NEVER hot, this is so weird and a little uncomfortable.

Finally, the romanticised idea that when I got pregnant the baby would be mine and my partners. But oh no! What I didn't anticipate was that EVERYBODY would have a stake in these (twins) babies, and everyone has an opinion. It's made me dread the announcement at 12 weeks because then there'll be even more opinions.

So what were your shock factors?

itchy boobs. Come on, I can't be the only one?

I would much prefer a dream about putting my eyeball in my pocket to this morning's highlight... involved a colleague who is approaching twice my age (and I don't get the "distinguished older man" thing!) ewww.... Carrying my own eyeball is quite appealing compared to that

The startling rage. This afternoon I tried to post a present to DF at post office. Had to buy box and bubble wrap from WHS at EXTORTIONATE price. Immediately after paying realised that (a) box, despite costing over a fiver, required parcel tape to seal it and (b) couldn't immediately locate tape in shop. Returned box and tape in rage so bad I was literally shaking. Terrified poor shop assistants with my silent red-faced quivering I think. Poor DP embarrassed bystander. Poor DF now won't get his present posted until Monday. Burst into tears outside as realised how unreasonable I had been. Now anxious that the shop assistants' feelings were hurt.

The tooth and gum problems. Three DC, three root canals. Plus not being able to take anything except paracetamol

The dribble! So much of it
Oh and most of my pre pregnancy shoes no longer fit, a year after giving birth

Tuffgingernut.... The itching boobs, no you are so not alone. I try covert scratching of my nipples at work when I'm absolutely desperate and hope to god nobody notices!

I honestly didn't realise just how much i'd want to eat. I've never been a big eater- I was underweight when I got pregnant and i've put on nearly 5 stone because i'm constantly eating. Absolutely shocking. I've done from a Size 4/6 to a Maternity size 12.

Thank you TheScenicRoute I was beginning to wonder if I was a bit odd!

Well I didn't have itchy boobs... until I read this and started thinking about itchy boobs... thanks for that

How hard it is to wash my feet/cut toenails/do anything below my knees

How blooming painful braxton hicks are

How much my digestive system would hate me (hyperemesis then alternating squits and constipation)

The hair growth - my legs look more like a man's!

How annoying it is to keep needing the toilet every hour

Yep to the itchy boobs and extra mucus down below - so much for pregnancy being glamorous!

I was shocked that I ended up finishing 6 months chemo on my EDD instead of bringing a baby home - and then was banned from TTC for a year.

I never needed to shade my legs. Hair just dyed not grow (not that I could have reached anyway)

Pregnant, pretty ok, but the after-pains. OMG. I gave birth with no pain relief, but needed pethidine to cope with the after - pains!

The worry, everyday! Is the baby okay, does it move too little, too much, how long is it normal for baby hiccups to last, is my bump too big, too small. Its something everyday.

I definitely didn't have any romantic ideas about pregnancy but I wasn't prepared for just how vile it is:

• the utter exhaustion/hungover feeling/inability to even look at any food apart from the nastiest, cheapest carby shit (McD's fries mainly), having previously had a reasonably healthy diet;
• vomiting daily up to 28 weeks! I thought it would tail off at 12, then some people told me 16, then others told me 20 ... neither my sister nor my mum had this side effect so I'm not sure why I won the genetic lottery!
• the bone crushing exhaustion at 28 weeks of anaemia - thank god for iron supplements
• the sore hips & groin (I think I have SPD) and the inability to roll over in bed without a major production, and the limping round like you've just been stomped in the fanjo
• now at 37 weeks, the snoring and the constant stuffy nose

Pregnancy sucks! And this has been pretty straightforward (so my ob keeps telling me), baby has been healthy all the way through - I'd hate to have to contend with baby health issues or HG. I always thought I'd like 3 kids but if this child gets a sibling it will be a miracle. Mother nature is a bitch! Thank god I have an ELCS scheduled and the end is in sight...

love this thread! I hate the fact that it feels like everyone else iv known to be pregnant in the past have had it easy. My once lovely husband secretly thinks im milking it! sick of hearing 'ur pregnant not poorly!'
Feel exhausted hungover fed up hormonal dont know whether to cry or scream (just crying at the minute) oh and also feel guilty that I feel like this in the first place
21+4 and feels never ending! first pregnancy with DD was a breeze!

-Catching relentless colds- my immune system is shot to buggery
-The utter crapness of maternity clothes, all which seem to only made to fit one basic body shape
-Nipples turning into hobnobs

Yes yes yes to everything already said!

My hairy tummy has come as a bit of a shock...

15+1

YY to toothpaste bump silverfish!

Also didn't fully appreciate how debilitating baby brain is. As a teacher, to regularly forget the names of the children in the class you've been teaching since September is embarrassing to say the least.

And the rage and unreasonable-ness. I am utterly convinced my new ndn is spying on me and disapproving of everything I do It's got so bad I won't go in the garden if he's there.

I keep forgetting that my husband doesn't know as much about pregnancy as I do. I am knackered and he keeps telling me to go and do something. Well, it's not like I can!

The fact that everything's so much harder this time. Second pregnancy and presumed it'd be similar to the first. Well, it IS similar, in that I have all the same symptoms - but they're all twice as bad this time round I am utterly, utterly exhausted from the moment I get out of bed to the moment I close my eyes again.

Same goes for nausea - every minute of every day (apart from when I'm actually eating) I just feel awful. And the fact that I'm not actually vomiting means it's basically invisible to all except DH and DS. I am hating this first trimester so much that it's making me want to never, ever do this again.

Love this thread . My shockers are:

1. How long it would take me to realise / come to terms with the fact that I had no control over my body at all (I will freely admit to being a complete control-freak)

1. How absolutely painful it can be to get out of bed in the middle of the night - it's the whole rolling over; swinging you legs onto the floor and hoping you don't fall out of bed rigmarole

1. How I am now completely unable to bend over far enough to prevent any meal ending up down my front and bump. I now have to bring the plate / bowl to me, rather than the food on the fork / spoon...

1. I didn't actually realise quite how much everyone under the sun would be interested in my pregnancy. Sometimes it's lovely, other times I wish they'd all just p*ss off and leave me alone

Now have 9 days to EDD with DC1....eeekkkk!

2 words: Lightning Crotch

The pain! >.

I hate choosing I had never ever heard of that before... Was always wondering what it was when I seen it on here!

I can now safely say I no! Aaaaagh