Oh yes, you told people you were pregnant and the questions start: "how do you feel?", "are you tired?", "do you have morning sickness?", "did you are you hungry?", etc. "Are you hungry?", etc.
Symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, back and joint pain, constant urge to pee, constant hunger, and emotions (good and bad) are all considered normal when present. It's a pregnancy, so they don't surprise anyone. However, there are many (many) other pleasures that can come with a positive pregnancy test that aren't talked about and shown to you in the movies.
Here are 20 of the lesser-known pregnancy side effects and symptoms to give you a head start (or scare you if you're a teenage girl who wants to be on a reality TV show) so that you know you are not alone.
You might have them all, and I can only say "I'm sorry" and assume karma will one day reward you for winning the lottery. Or you don't have any, to which I reply "Lucky duckling"!
So sit down and listen to the story, the story of a fateful journey, which began in this womb and which quickly turned to disaster.
Pregnancy side effects you may not know about:
1. You may have sore breasts:
One of the first symptoms of pregnancy that many women experience is breast pain. Essentially, your body is sending a message upstairs saying "the eagle has landed" and your breasts are turning to each other and saying "That's what we trained for! Don't hold tank tops. Not having free drinks. It's show time!" Then they flip the switch and start preparing for milk production. Blood flow, fat production (hello big boobs) and hormones are all factors that make tatas more tender, especially in the first few weeks.
2. Your nipples may be protruding and your areolas may darken:
Ah yeah, weird guys all over the world just said "well" to this little extra feature.
Once again your boobs are excited about the news of the baby's birth and want to make sure everything is ready to roll - they're like an excited grandma stocking up on toys from DIY - so they turn on the permanent high beams and it can be uncomfortable.
Your areolas also tend to darken, enlarge, and show the little bumps from the sweat glands that lubricate the area while breastfeeding.
While these two phenomena have a belching effect for some women, they are completely normal. Don't worry too much and try to limit your outings without a bra and in a white t-shirt if you don't want to cause traffic jams.
3. You may be constipated:
You have a surplus of progesterone right now and it's quite important - hence the name which means "pro-gestation" - because it relaxes the muscles of your uterus so that you don't have early contractions (to name just one of its important functions).
The downside is that it helps relax all your muscles, so you get easily constipated.
"Wouldn't relaxed muscles actually give me diarrhea?" you say. Oh contrary, my petal. Your intestinal tract works really hard to get things going, so as soon as it gets a little sluggish, the shit won't budge. Literally. Shit doesn't move.
Moving more, drinking water, eating smaller meals and increasing your fiber intake seems to be the suggested course of action.
Don't use laxatives (or at least talk to a doctor before doing so) because they can mess things up and there may be an easier solution before you borrow this way.
4. You might have heavy leg syndrome:
Heavy leg syndrome is not dangerous or a sign that something is wrong, but it can be uncomfortable and disrupt your sleep.
Nobody really knows what causes heavy legs, but it's one of the most common side effects of pregnancy. It tends to occur at night, affecting your lower legs between the knee and ankle, although it can also occur in your feet and arms.
Stretching, warm baths, acupuncture and massage seem to be the suggested remedies, but also mention this to your healthcare provider as they may want to check your iron levels to make sure that you are not suffering from a deficiency.
Some women keep a food diary to see if a food they eat (usually later in the day) triggers their nervous legs at night. It is definitely worth trying. I suppose you could also take up clogging or Celtic dancing.
