What You Won’t Read in “What to Expect”

Within the past two weeks, two of my friends shared the news they are expecting. For one friend, it’s her first. The other friend, it’s her second. Me, I have three (which gives me a great deal of knowledge in the pregnancy department).

Keep in mind I have absolutely no medical training, but considering I’ve been pregnant or nursing since October of 2008 (that’s 66 months!) I think of myself as somewhat an expert of the experiences of pregnancy and postpartum. So without further ado I present to you the knowledge I gleaned over three pregnancies.

1. You’ll have heartburn. I experienced varying degrees of heartburn throughout each pregnancy. At times it was so bad I couldn’t even drink water. Stash Tums or a similar antacid EVERYWHERE. I kept them in my car, on each floor of my house, in my purse…you get the idea. My doctor actually wrote me a prescription when I was pregnant with my first child because nothing over the counter worked.
2. Drink water. You’re going to have to go to the bathroom a ton regardless, so you might as well do your body a favor and help flush out all the salt your pregnant body is retaining. I had terrible cankles throughout my first pregnancy (I taught school up until 3 weeks before my delivery), and all I could wear were Crocs sandals. It also helps if you can put your feet up above your heart to help improve circulation.
3. Everything swells. Feet (and pregnant belly) aren’t the only things susceptible. Believe it or not, my nostrils swelled and I constantly had a stuffy nose throughout my pregnancies. I tried a variety of products with little luck. I was finally so desperate for relief that I used a neti pot. (A neti pot is a device where you pour warm, salty water into one nostril and let it drain out the other. It was so gross, but I was miserable. And it worked!)
4. Morning sickness is a misnomer. I was lucky and avoided morning sickness with my first two pregnancies. However, I vomited nightly for the first six weeks or so with baby #3. Nothing I tried gave me relief from the nausea, except for a prescription from my doctor. And that old wives tale about having morning sickness with a girl? Definitely not true. I have three boys, and different experiences with morning sickness.
5. Food aversions and cravings are 100 percent real. I could not eat eggs in any form when I was pregnant with my first, and I’m still pretty grossed out by boiled eggs. I had various cravings at various times, but it was fairly typical stuff (no dill pickles and ice cream for me!). My weirdest craving had to be the Simply Lemonade which I drank straight from the bottle throughout my first pregnancy. One of my doctors scolded me for divulging in so many acidic foods and then complaining of heartburn! But it was something that I absolutely had to have!

6. 

   You’re not always happy. We’ve all seen the images of pregnant women smiling ear to ear, cradling their belly full of unborn child with that unmistakeable glow. I was never a happy pregnant person. In fact, for the majority of my pregnancies, I was pretty downright miserable (ask my husband). But the three healthy boys I have are worth it all. Plus I’m convinced all the misery during pregnancy is meant to psych you up for labor and delivery. Because after each of my boys were born, I not only had an amazing little person to show for my nine months of misery, but all the uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms vanished. And I’d gladly do it all over again.

What was your pregnancy experience? Did you have symptoms you didn’t read about in “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”?