Well nobody mentioned THAT!! Things I never thought about pregnancy until I actually got pregnant

[heylottie]

I consider myself fairly well read on all things fertility and baby, having been ttc for some time. But now I am pregnant there are things that I am still surprised about.

1. Drool - I am sure I never used to wake up in The Pool of Drool that now greets me every morning
2. Baby gender - was always adament that I would never want to find out the sex, but MY GOD the temptation to ask at the 20 week scan was nearly overwhelming! I didn't but golly...
3. That I would need panty liners some days (TMI? yes but still)
4. That listening to Matchstick Men and Matchstick Cats and Dogs on the radio had me wailing (I don't expect this one to be universal)
5. The amount of people who, when you tell them of back ache, gripes and pain, say 'well it will only get worse' triumphantly.
6. That when the baby kicks my first response is still (sometimes) 'Oh I need to fart.'

Any more???

Hilarious!
Loving this thread!
Extreme grumpiness - at my grandparent's golden wedding party I wrote out post it notes saying "no, i don't know the sex yet", "yes, I am huge", "2 weeks and 4 days left to go", etc, etc and stuck them all over my bump to save me answering questions and thought this was a perfectly reasonable way of dealing with nosey old ladies!!!!

I have to say....that I never had many pg symptoms with first DS...

But the more babies you have....the more symptoms you WILL come across !!!
Every pg really is DIFFERENT.

Having twins this time...& I already have 4!!!
(yes Im mental....and you really do forget the complaints of pregnancy once your DC is born........may take longer than 3 mins after birth for some ladies though !!!)

.yet this is the first time EVER I didnt get morning sickness for the first trimester !!!

Maybe because I have learned that eating EVERYTHING actually helps with sickness !!!
have to eat BEFORE the nausea kicks in....though...
which does mean a 24 hour eating fest MOST days !!!

*until 3rd trimester....when feeding the family a tin of biscuits is an acceptable meal !! (to tired to cook.....and unable to eat even a child size portion even If I did cook !!) got into stage of: opening fridge.....sigh.....close fridge.....sigh....reopen fridge......sigh again.....go back to sofa & cry !!**

however.....due to my non-sickness 1st trimester...I'm now suffering terribly with everything else......to make up for it !!!

symptoms through this pregnancy:

Standing & chatting to family....have a little sneeze.....pee myself......soak my PJ's......continue talking & hope noone notices my clothes getting darker/wetter !!!

I really do need to cross everything, in preperation for a sneeze/cough/giggle !!!

knocking down displays in shops!!!.....having to shuffle faster than old people to escape any humiliation.

Difficult, now snails are overtaking me these days!!

Unable to remember which way to turn wheel in order to reverse car....!!
unable to remember where Im driving to !...and occasionally....finding new bumps/scratches on car !!!
Very costly pg symptom !!

my genitals have swollen 3 times original size....look like a newborn baby girls (too large for the body they are attached to!!)
albeit....mine are now covered in a jungle....as unable to reach downstairs to trim !!!!
Tried using veet once...as fearful of young docs staring at my horrific overgrown mass......but I burned my pregnancy hemorrhoids....and decided that it wasnt worth the pain !!!

I cry at EVERYTHING ....

although sometimes have occasional laughter fits at innapropriate times......again silence prevails...tumbleweed flies across the room...!!!!!
everyone looks at you in shock horror at laughing at the dead cat story !!??!!

Its NOT meee...its the hormones !!!!

Terrible insomnia......Im awake most nights now due to:-
...constant toilet visits (although not always does wee come out !!)

....terrible heartburn
....wet pillow sticking to my head from drooling (never had drooling with others!!)

.....nightmares

.....carpal tunnel / stiff arms / pins & needles in hands....limbs hanging off bed in order to try & prevent this.....but then I have terrible nightmares than freddie Kruger will chop my limbs off....so its a no win situation !!

......restless legs !!!! so annoying!!..
look like Im a freak suffering a mental attack !! (even had it during my 1 night stay in antenatal ward....and ppl just stared at me like I was abnormal!!!)

.......Leg cramps & foot & toe cramps !!

.......discomfort from lying on "same" side for last 8 months !!
unable to roll over, get up, do anything requiring stomach muscles !!
now have to drop off the bed...after throwing anything (pillows/ duvet) on floor to cushion my landing !!

Supersonic smells.....esp. soup....which can be smelt from 3 miles away !!!
not good when you have a bf who has always had smelly wind !!

Im completely stupid most of the time now.....
I too USED TO HAVE A BRAIN .....this really does deteriorate after children & during pregnancy!!
now i find things in the fridge that belong in the cupboard/sink/bin ....and visa versa !!!
forget what Im saying midsentence, forget why I went to kitchen etc etc.

Bump gets in way of everything....everthing has to be done at arms length !!!
washing up is done using fingertips as arms not long enough to reach the sink anymore !!

Bump comes in handy to rest plates on etc....when eating.....however be prepared for food going everywhere when baby decides to kick !!
constantly spilling food & drinks anyway.....as I misjudge distances all the time....
including distance from hand to mouth !!!

I can never be bothered to get dressed anymore....usually Im naked...but occasionally (for the sake of my poor sons sanity) I manage a nightie or large T-shirt..
..but people ALWAYS knock at the door..!!!!! WHY!!!!..and I have to dive for cover, pray they think noone is home, or tell my sons to say "mums in the bath....etc etc"...whilst hiding under tables.....
but still.....the next day.....there is nooo enthusiasm to get dressed !!!
Even my hair is scrunched up in a horrific mess, as cannot be bothered to even brush it anymore....let alone go to hairdressers and have it cut..(has been a mess since 20th week of pregnancy!!)
I used to be one of those who wouldnt do the school run without looking like Id stepped out of vogue !!

Pain everywhere....places you didnt know exist......and ppl really do love to say....ohhhhh....it only gets worse my dear

YES I KNOW !!!!!
ive been here before !!!!

Brushing my teeth has become impossible.....(now I suffer being sick....if I attempt to be hygenic!)

I drop everything......hilarious as I now cant bend to pick it up !!!

and when the babies finally arrive, and every young doc/nurse/passerby has stared long & hard into my nether regions, using lamps/ torches/ magnifying glasases etc etc
and Ive been prodded & poked by every metal object known to man up "there" whilst being told casually to "try and relax"

(all for training purposes of course!!)

and my belly deflates into a horrific deflated balloon mess, I know Ive got lots to look forward to...

cos Ive done it all before....
.....and I hear....."it only gets WORSE "
...
nice.....
I cant wait !!!!

I am now 17 weeks pregnant and I can say the following have surprised me...

1. Overwhelming tiredness and nausea - they do tell you about it but I didn't get it until I experienced it myself. My other half was totally clueless at this stage.

1. Smelly, lingering farts - and I mean really smelly...

1. Sex drive... went mad like a bunny and it was really enjoyable. Now feeling a bit less up for it as feel podgy with the slowly emerging baby belly...

1. Back pain. Never have had it before and now I have a constant cramp in my lower back on the left...

1. Emotions - I haven't been cranky but weirdest things make me cry, don't show me anything with kittens!

Heh heh, great post. Whoever mentioned pornographic dreams - me too! + With the most random participants. Best = Jack Bauer, most disturbing so far = Jeremy Paxman.

Other things I did not know (in addition to the many covered below!):

1. That spider veins, varicose veins and other swollen lumpy bits get progressively worse with each pregnancy;

1. That my swollen, lumpy bits could possibly extend up to my crotch area... until I went for a bikini wax and almost hit the ceiling;

1. That I, creator and enforcer of the no-TV-after-breakfast rule, would be the one suggesting a DVD mid-afternoon so I could slope off upstairs for 'a little relax';

1. How many hours it is possible to spend on baby-naming websites and STILL not be able to come up with a shortlist of names that OH and I agree on;

1. That epidurals don't always work, and when they have already started to perform your CS and the drugs just aren't working they will give you a general anaesthetic so you're unconscious for the first hour of your baby's life ;

1. That I would even be contemplating a 10-day camping holiday at 30w, let alone actually looking forward to it.

The constant leaking!!!!

Have been visiting the in laws, and woke up too late to have a shower so just chucked on a pair of trousers and went through to breakfast, only to have to excuse my self 5 minutes later as "I must have spilt OJ down the front of my t-shirt" funnily it was only in two little lines down my front, they must have known, but I couldn't bring myself to admit it.

sorry if that is TMI

I have laughed so much I'm surprised my bulbous gut hasn't split. These things have surprised me so far (at 13wks):

The sheer number of baked beans I feel are necessary to my daily survival (you try not being able to crap for a week)

Everything smells - I can smell when someone has eaten chips on their way to the train station then I feel the need to glare at them on the platform while my stomach provides appropriately menacing sound effects.

Due to the above, I now also stink. Don't know if other people have realised this, but it matters to me.

You will want to punch people for uttering the most mundane comments, and I always thought I'd be a calm earth mother type.

Not everyone thoroughly enjoys being pregnant, and there is a website where people are brave enough to say it!

Hi Lostelnore,

I have had / am having that "oh my god I stink" feeling in both my pregnancies and eventually reached the stage that I was showering 4 times a day during the first one. This time around I have found that the only thing that helps is Sure's new 48 hour deodrant applied after both my daily showers. My DH assures me it is all in my head but I just can't bear it any other way

oh the twins comment at 14 weeks...and you just smile and you wish you had the courage to say nope it just my pre-pregnancy fat getting in the way

and the constant HUNGER...and when you tell your DH your hungry it doesnt mean hmmm lets stop have a think about what you would like to eat..it means FEED ME NOW!!!!

restless legs nonstop all night... every night.
and the wondering where the baby got the bicycle from as it cycles away all night while you try and close your eyes waiting for the sleep to appear

the tripping over everything and making everyone in the room jump to save you.. as you smile away to yourself thinking god help you if you try to catch me!!!
and the bumping into everything, i still do it 3.5 years later
the lists and lists of baby names your MIL comes up with that you would never name your child ever unless you wanted them to be a priest...but you nod along smiling hoping she doesnt see you rolling your eyes

And im planning on doing it all again..i must be mad!!!

Did anyone else have nosebleeds throughout pregnancy?

Couldn't see it mentioned before & boy, was that fun to deal with on a regular basis at work & while commuting.

Used to take spare tops in (larger) handbag on a daily basis when expecting DD1. DD2 - never happened - wierd.

Now 14 weeks with DC3 and have to say the only new thing that I have noticed this time is that nobody. cares. a. jot. I passed an antenatal group (they were all still pregnant) yesterday while dragging a 5 yr old & pushing a buggy with 2 yr old & thought 'I wish I had the time for the self-obsession & a child-free coffee break'.

That I would have the most weird and wonderful and totally off the wall dreams, that would feel real while I am dreaming them.

New to Mumsnet and really enjoying this thread!

33 weeks pg and am experiencing:

• Horrible bleeding gums every time I brush my teeth (some days it looks like Dracula has visited my bathroom sink)
• Rise in body temperature - want pints of iced water constantly
• Overwhelming urge to be naked as much as possible
• Extreme irritation with my poor well-meaning mum, who is still insisting on telling me that labour will feel like 'bad period pains'...yeah, I just bet it will, ma...

Merryoncemore - Thank God it's not just me!

I haven't read the whole thread but the things that have surprised me are:

How body-conscious I was up until about 16 weeks

And.. um this is embarrassing - how hairy my tummy is! I have never been a hairy person but my tummy is starting to look a little, uh, furry... please someone provide me with an explication for this one.

I have to stop reading now because the laughing is hurting the VERY TIGHT skin on my tummy... I had no idea that skin could get this tight and not tear (although clearly there is tearing to come )

LOL at EH-EHHH! by GentlyDoingIt,

That made my day, thanks!

Flyingcloud, are you having a boy? because the furry tummy is likely due to the boy hormones in your system! That's what happened to me anyway. The good news is that it will go after the delivery. I'm pregnant again now and keeping a close eye on my stomach to see if it gets hairy again!

Things nobody mentioned about pregnancy? The way you have to sit down slowly and carefully in the last few weeks because there's a baby's head actually filling your pelvis and it feels like if you sit down fast you'll sit ON them.

And that when your bladder gets full it pushes the baby up, so when you go for a wee and the bladder empties you can feel the baby's head bumping back down into the pelvis with a proper bump. That was nice.

That even with a 2nd degree tear, the post birth poo might actually be FINE and not anything to worry about!

That a 2nd degree tear (once it's done and stitched up) isn't that bad compared to the grinding afterpains and sore nipples. Ouch.

That I might be up for sex 3 days post birth. (We didn't obv, as I was still bleeding)

Im 8 weeks Pg with my second and i had NO sysmptoms that time, this time though what has surprised me is,

1 Feeling SICK CONSTANTLY and being sick at the drop of a hat. I left work 2 days ago very happy feeling fine and then just threw up in the street without warning. WTF it was not pleasant.
2 Feeling tired all the time even though i sleep for 12 hrs.
3 The Wierd dreams !!
4 Having to get up in the night to eat ALREADY god knows what it will be like when i get further along.

I'm sure i have many more to look forward to aswell. Oh the JOYS. i am very happy to be pg though.

...that they poke an IV into you first thing when you are in labor, then strap you on your back while your free hand hopelessly grapples for your expensive birthing ball ...

...that the episiotomy leaves your privates looking very different from what you thought was normal...

...that going pregnant through a stupid cold without meds while getting up x times a night to wipe dc's nose is the horrid ordeal it is....

...that i'd develop super-human reflexes to the extent that I could rap flies on the nose with teaspoons.

...that the supposed 'energy burst' during the 2nd trimester doesnt always happen.

...that I should buy shares in gaviscon

...that in the last week of pregnancy my fanjo felt like i'd hung weights from it

...that i'd think about sex constantly

By Comma2 on Sun 20-Sep-09 16:17:20
...that they poke an IV into you first thing when you are in labor, then strap you on your back while your free hand hopelessly grapples for your expensive birthing ball ...

Yes. I'm hoping that they only do that for first babies. Or to put it this way, if they attempt to to do that to me again I'm going to scream obscenities until I get my own way. They wouldn't even take my (useless, unnecessary) IV out of my hand for over 24 hours, despite me asking five times. I was SO bruised.

Constant burping

Laugh-crying

Crying if people tell me about sad things / happy things / sweet things to do with babies

Not being able to sleep apart from on my left side - which then wakes me up as everything get stiff

Sausage fingers in the morning

Bloated generally in the morning

Heartburn

If another person mentions pushing a watermelon through the eye of needle I'm going to hit them!

Ah some i don't think have been shared (btw im 6wks 3days preg with second):

1. that even though you don't have any sort of tummy yet (6wks) you still can't sleep on your front as it's far too uncomfortable. Grrr - it the only way i sleep

2. That you boobs will become as hard and solid as two huge rocks stuck (all bumpy in places too that yo can mould them like plastercine) to your chest - very uncomfortable - you litterally have to squeeze some milk out to relieve them a little. And this is even BEFORE giving birth.

3. that when you BF your boobs are so overfilled that when baby has finished feeding you will continue to spray them in their faces untill you can get them out of the way and your boob back in your bra, lol!

4. when you do BF you have to wait another 3 hours to relieve the other overfilled boob, and by the time that comes around the one you fed from last time is overfilled yet again

5. That you baby may come out as hairy as a monkey, with dark hairs all over their arms, back, shoulders and even ears , worse still mine was a little girl - I thought i'd given birth to a gremlin. It took a good few weeks to dissapear but it did all go in the end.

6. that any baby comes near you and your boobs will go into overdrive and leaks masses needing numerous bpads - this even happens before giving birth too

7. that my craving weren't food, but to sniff Fosters (no other brand of beer smelt the same or good enough) I didn't want to drink it, just smell it over and over - weird! Or suck a wet flannel for ages in the bath

I could go on but there are ton's of things you don't get told about so this thread is fab - and it's amazing how nature makes you forget so many of these things so that you are tricked into doing it all over again

Sorry so many typing errors in my last post , I can usually spell but pregnancy has happened again wiping my brain out.

I forgot to add that you may find yourself only being comfortable in the bath, and when you finally get out, within 5 mins you just want to get back in again. I spent the last 3-4 months of my pregnancy in the bath if i wasn't at work, lol! I even ate my dinner in there a few eves

Oh sorry, me again - PARANOIA, it kicks in in early pregnancy when you are certain something is going to go wrong and you'll MC (not nice at all feeling like this - i'm here again).
And again when baby decides to stop kicking like crazy for a day or more - straight out panick.
And then again about pooing while in labour, i was on iron tablets so yes experienced the rabbit poos during labour and being so terribly embarassed and appologising to everyone Saying i can't push incase i poo!
And then paranoia stays with you after baby is born - you'll check on them every 10 mins and watch them just to make sure they are still breathing or is that just me?

Oh and a really embarrasing one is you can wet yourself without even realising once you get really big - i wet myself in the street once and only realised once my legs came over all warm

This thread never ceases to cheer me up.

I always thought I was completely chilled out but I now panic at the smallest thing (as fuwtn says above)

No one told me my feet would grow two sizes and this would be considered normal.

I'm also usually a neat freak, but recently if I drop something 9/10 I will leave it until I drop something else because bending down is such a hassle.

That I would worry if anti persperant deo could cause my nipples to close so have switch to a non anti perspirant. (or is that just me?)

That I would pack and repack my hospital bag at leats once a week, each time adding more and more things, I currently have enough bags packed to tour Borneo for a month!