10 Things Nobody Tells You About Pregnancy

There are plenty of strange things that start happening to your body when you are pregnant, but during my pregnancy, there were some startling things that I hadn’t heard or read about prior to experiencing them. Everyone talks about how much you have to pee, or how sick you feel, but here are 10 things that nobody talks about! Obviously not all of these things happen to every pregnant woman, because every pregnancy is different, but here’s what could happen to you!

1. Clipping and Painting Your Toenails is a WORKOUT!

Everyone talks about how hard it is to shave your legs when you start getting that big belly, but nobody talks about how hard it is to reach your toes, let alone do small meticulous things with them! I had to hire my hubby to clip and paint my toenails for me after a certain point because I just could not. It gets so hard to reach down that far or to bend your legs in funny ways!

2. Peeing is Not Only More Frequent, but Annoying and Hard!

Everyone talks about how you have to pee more often when pregnant, but nobody talks about what a hassle it is to pee. Maternity clothes can be tricky to work around. Extra high bottoms and extra long tops can make it such a hassle to undo your clothes, pee, and then rearrange everything again. Another thing that is hard in regards to going pee, is that it gets SO HARD to reach around your belly to wipe. You guys. This surprised me so much and frustrated me too (those dang hormones made me get so easily irritated). My belly just got so big out of nowhere and reaching around that belly was no joke.

3. Your Limbs Will Fall Asleep Before You Can

This was a weird symptom. This mostly happened to me in my first trimester, but it was still scattered throughout my pregnancy. I thought something was wrong with me, but sure enough, it’s just one of those strange symptoms. I’d finally get in a comfortable position, when my arms and hands would fall asleep before I would. SO annoying. You have to readjust and try to get comfy enough again to fall asleep. Good luck mama.

4. Your Immune System Is Totally Shot

If I would’ve known this, I would’ve definitely taken some kind of immune-boosting vitamins from the start of my pregnancy. When I was 13 weeks pregnant, I got a bad cold, which under normal circumstances isn’t a big deal, but when you’re pregnant, it’s awful. There are so many medications you can’t take while pregnant, so I was basically just suffering with no meds. Because my immune system was already so low between pregnancy and having a cold, I started stacking viruses and my body had the hardest time fighting anything off. I got an upper respiratory infection and then ended up getting the flu. I was running high fevers, my nose was so stuffed that I couldn’t breathe, and I ended up going to the ER to see if there was ANYTHING they could give me, but they just sent me home and told me to feel better. So frustrating. If you can avoid getting sick while pregnant, DO IT! I started taking vitamin C and D every night after that experience.

5. You’ll Get Nasty Skin Tags

I had read somewhere that mentioned skin tags being common in pregnancy, but I didn’t get just how common they were. I was constantly getting new skin tags my whole pregnancy. They show up in such weird places too. Thankfully for most women, they go away after pregnancy, but they’re definitely annoying for the time being.

6. You Might Grow Hairs Around Your Belly Button

I was so sure this wouldn’t happen to me, but it did. The hairs are few, but wire-y, dark and long. They’re gross and I’m always embarrassed at ultrasound appointments until I remember how many other pregnant bellies these doctors and nurses see. This is just a strange pregnancy symptom, but thankfully doesn’t cause any extra pain or inconvenience. Hairs around the belly button go away after pregnancy for most women as well!

7. Drying Your Body Off With A Towel After Showers is A Hassle

A couple weeks into your third trimester, it just gets hard to move no matter what you’re doing, but one thing I specifically got annoyed about, was drying off post-shower. Drying off my lower legs and feet just stopped happening at one point. The air did a good enough job, I just had to be patient and plan for my showering time (because of drying off) to take a lot longer than normal.

8. The Time When You Start Having The Urge to Pee, Comes Out of Nowhere

When I was 24ish weeks pregnant, I was so sure I had a bladder infection because of how terribly bad I had to pee every single time I got up. The pressure was so unreal, even if I had just gone to the bathroom. I didn’t have a bladder infection, but only a bouncing, acrobatic baby! I understood that the bad urge to pee would gradually happen as the pregnancy progressed, but nope. It came out of nowhere for me!

9. Your Normal Love Life Will Become Quite The Challenge

Everyone talks about how out-of-breath you get during pregnancy, but let me tell you. Making-out and kissing is no exception. You’re constantly having to stop for air. Sex can get really difficult as you become more pregnant too because that belly will prevent you from so many positions. Sometimes the baby’s kicks during that time can get distracting too! I didn’t notice these struggles as much until the end of the second trimester, so enjoy them as much as you can before you hit the point that it becomes a serious effort! Your hubby will appreciate it too!

10. Waddling Is No Joke

Waddling is emphasized like it should be. As soon as that urge to pee hits (which will always come faster than you think), the only way to walk is to waddle. I have always been such a busy-body and can stay out shopping for hours, but not at the end of my pregnancy. Shopping trips get significantly shorter in your third trimester, so get everything bought for the baby before that point comes, or if you’re like me, Amazon will just become the default for EVERYTHING!

Hopefully this post will help you be more mentally prepared for some of the odd pregnancy symptoms that aren’t as well-known. If you have any other weird pregnancy symptoms to share, comment below and help other mamas out!