Congratulations! You have found out that you are pregnant and you are about to embark on such a special journey. The next nine months will feel surreal, and it is best to accept that no pregnancy will ever be the same.
Some people will have different symptoms, and others will have complications that they may not expect. You may be expecting the usual symptoms such as sickness, but there might be some symptoms you may not expect. In this blog post are some of the surprising pregnancy symptoms to look out for.
My early pregnancy symptoms
There are also lots of different early pregnancy symptoms. Some people know they are pregnant right away because of a change in their bodies or unusual things happening.
With my first child, my very first pregnancy symptom was loose bowels, but I didn’t make the connection at first as I’d never been pregnant before.
With my second child, it was the most insanely sore breasts for a couple of weeks and bleeding gums. Once I saw my gums were bleeding I put two and two together and knew I was pregnant.
Ongoing pregnancy symptoms
The rest of my pregnancy experience was not a glamorous one.
I suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, hypersalivation and pregnancy anaemia. Eugh.
In the first trimester of each of my pregnancies, I lost one stone and with my second I ended up in hospital on a drip!
When I’m not pregnant I’m very rarely ill, not even once a year at the moment, but when I’m pregnant it’s a different story. It simply doesn’t agree with my body!
Every pregnancy is unique
I always find it so fascinating that pregnancy affects us all so differently. We are all so unique even when it comes to female health and experiencing something like pregnancy, something you’d assume would be the same for everyone.
Some people, like me, experience illnesses only in pregnancy that simply disappear once the baby is born. It’s quite bizarre.
Others have no symptoms at all. A family friend of ours had no clue she was pregnant until the third trimester. She simply thought she was eating unhealthily and had put on some extra weight. She had no other symptoms and it was quite a shock when she realised and only had a few weeks until the baby arrived!
Some people bloom. Boy, am I jealous of those people! When I was pregnant I had several people tell me about this ‘blooming’ stage, but it never happened to me. I felt worse than I’ve ever felt before when pregnant!
Surprising symptoms of pregnancy
Hopefully, you won’t suffer any terrible symptoms or pregnancy illnesses and will be a bloomer! You might be even someone who has the strangest pregnancy symptoms like wanting to eat chalk! Yep, that can happen.
Read on to find out about some pregnancy symptoms that you might not be expecting.
· Craving things that are not food
When you are pregnant you are likely to know already that getting cravings is something that you are going to endure. You may find that you crave something that is normally not your thing, perhaps you are not a cake lover but then find that is all you want. Maybe you want all of the vegetables, or even crave chocolate or sweet treats….
But, some people can crave non-food items, and while it may sound surprising it can be quite common. It might just start with smells, but people have been known to crave things like charcoal, for example. If you do notice it, speak to your doctor so you can get some insight on how to handle it.
I’ve heard of people wanting to eat chalk, soil and stones. It’s so strange!
· Problems with your feet
During pregnancy there is no denying that your body changes and you do become heavier thanks to the bundle of joy that you are carrying, weight gain and also water retention. This can have an effect on how you walk which means that the alignment in your feet could change, and things like over-pronation or flat feet could occur.
It isn’t something to necessarily worry about, but if you notice any changes in terms of your footwear and comfort then get it checked out.
· Varicose veins
While you are pregnant your womb is adding extra pressure to your body and in particular to the vein responsible for carrying blood from your feet to your heart. This is when varicose veins can become more present during the pregnancy months, and while it can be a little unsightly, this could just be a temporary symptom that will lapse after pregnancy.
· Getting the common cold
You may already feel that you are susceptible to more illness during pregnancy, and the common cold is one thing to think about. You might find you get colds even if you don’t usually, or you have them more often. It could linger for longer too as all your resources go to protecting the baby and not necessarily you!
· Headaches
Finally, headaches are a surprising but very common symptom of pregnancy. You would expect to feel aches and pains in your tummy area, your back, or even your legs thanks to the extra pressure and weight, but your head can also feel aches and out of sorts. Your body is under strain in terms of getting oxygenated blood around your body, and so you may find that a headache can occur when you have overstretched yourself a little.
There are so many different symptoms of pregnancy and you may get some that you weren’t expecting. By researching and being aware of some of the surprising symptoms, you will be better prepared for pregnancy and what might be to come.
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