You can only learn so much from those baby books and your mama friends. There’s a lot that goes into being pregnant! And while I thought I was prepared, there were definitely some things that I didn’t expect. Here’s what I wish I would’ve known before getting pregnant…
1. Not everyone feels the baby move at the same time.
Once I hit the second trimester, I had people asking if I was feeling him move. After continuously saying “no” I started to get nervous. After speaking with my doctor I found out that mamas can start to feel tiny movements as early as 13 weeks, but some may not feel them until closer to 25 weeks.
Something else I realized… I had no idea what I was feeling! For me, it didn’t feel like butterflies, which is what I read other mamas compared these little wiggles to. In the beginning, it feels more like gas bubbles, but towards the front of your body. It’s very slight, but once you feel it there’s no mistaking that those little “bubbles” are your baby moving around and making space in your tummy.
2. You don’t always get that 2nd trimester energy boost.
That “second trimester” energy boost is a big fat lie! (At least in my case). I feel like I’ve been exhausted since conception and more sleep doesn’t necessarily help.
The only advice I can give is to listen to your body. Do what you have to do for work and around the house, but don’t go overboard or try to overexert yourself. I know it’s easier said than done, and it took me basically this entire pregnancy to figure it out. The world isn’t going to end if you put off laundry for another day or two.
3. You’re going to have really weird emotional moments.
I remember I was watching This Is Us while eating crackers and all of a sudden I couldn’t stop crying. My husband came over to console me and I had crackers all over my chest and falling out of my mouth while I cried. Then I started to laugh. Then I started to cry again. Let’s call it #Craughing. It was a really weird moment and I knew I was being crazy, but couldn’t do anything about it.
I also remember getting irrationally upset because a fast food joint forgot to give us ketchup. I acted as if it was impossible to eat French fries without ketchup and “why are they so stingy with their ketchup packets anyways?! Who only uses three ketchups for a medium fry order?!” ***head spins 360 degrees***
For the most part I feel like pregnancy has been enjoyable, but I have definitely had moments of complete insanity. I just try to let my husband know that I’m not upset at him and it’s the hormones / uncontrollable hunger.
Also, we made sure to stock our fridge with ketchup 😉
4. Morning sickness isn’t always in the morning & not everyone gets it.
I may have some mamas wanting to punch me after saying this, but I didn’t experience morning sickness. I did however get what I called “night nausea” – where I’d feel gooey right before bedtime.
While I should’ve been grateful for the lack of yack, I have to admit it also scared me during that first trimester. I always figured that morning sickness was a sign that your body was growing a healthy baby. I started to worry if everything was OK. Come to find out, about 30% of women don’t have morning sickness at all, so I was worried for nothing.
5. Take a break from google
During the first trimester, when most people keep their pregnancy under wraps, there are a lot of questions. I remember before my first doctor’s appointment I googled everything I could think of! I do NOT recommend this.
My doctor answered all of my questions and I found out that I actually was able to have some of the things I thought I had to give up completely, I just needed to make sure they were consumed in moderation.
6. Everyone’s bump is different
This is something I had a hard time with. While we’re bumpin’ like crazy now… it took awhile for my baby bump to pop. I remember having people ask “well, where’s the baby?” and telling me how small my bump was. They probably meant it as a compliment, but I couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong and that my baby was too small compared to other growing babies.
Again, talk with your doctor. Ollie was measuring two weeks behind schedule, but my doctor said that was completely normal in taller women. He has more room in there!
Same goes for women who feel like they’re bump is bigger than others. Every body is different, and every mama to be is beautiful. If your doctor says everything is fine… believe it.
7. You’re not really eating for two
In the beginning I was eating so much food my stomach would feel uncomfortable afterwards. I wanted to make sure baby was getting enough nutrients – and trust me… he was (plus about five extra cookies that neither one of us needed). During our birthing class, our nurse said that most pregnant women only need an extra 300 calories per day. Of course, speak with your doctor first about any dietary questions you may have.
8. It can take time… or not. Try not to stress.
I feel like I’m always hearing about couples who are using IVF treatments to get pregnant, or another celebrity duo that chose to use a surrogate to carry their child. But, you don’t really hear about the couples who get pregnant immediately. Why would you? It almost seems insensitive when you think of all the couples who have difficulty conceiving.
One study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, found that most couples were pregnant after six cycles. My husband and I started trying in August, and were pregnant by September. I only say this because I started worrying about complications before we even really started to try. It was unnecessary stress. Bottom line: it can take time, or it can happen quickly. Either way try not to stress yourself out.
Love, Lindsey
