Pregnancy: expectations VS reality

darkangel42 · June 2014

Oh, I also wasn't expecting so much boob-expansion last time (from DD up to a J!) and am currently hoping for less expanding this time around when my milk comes in since I'm already about to break out of F cups.

I was expecting hormones both times but not to the point where I cry at some of the stuff I do (dog videos, cold toast and cows I bawl like a toddler at if I see them or cry just thinking about).

Wasn't expecting my hair and nails to be in such fabulous condition either, I've really lucked out with it as my nails are long and gorgeous and my hair is thick and shiny - last time, my hair was greasy-dry and really thick but fell out by the truck-load(couldn't win with it) and my nails went brittle.

beff12 · June 2014

I expected to have morning sickness the whole time because my stomach would act up on a good day pre-pregnancy. I was pleasantly surprised that the sickness went away, especially since it was all day and not just in the morning!

I didn't expect to feel the way that I do now in third trimester. I've had a fairly easy pregnancy and I'd say it's still a pretty ideal one, but I don't like feeling as though I can't do anything but be on the couch. I wasn't expecting to feel so useless. There's so much that I want to do, but I just can't bring myself to do it!

I expected to be terrified of giving birth, and I am. But the thought of having our little girl in the outside world and not being pregnant anymore is outweighing the nerves at this point. However, if you ask me in a month how I'm feeling about labor, I may have a different answer

mamakiss · June 2014

Ftm but I've pretty much been the poster mom for the "what to expect" books. Morning sickness kicked in when I was told it would, I got heartburn for the first time the exact day that my app told me I would. Everything has happened exactly when I was told it would. Peeing all the time, she flipped right when I was told she should, she's cooperated through all ultrasounds.

Other than an irritable uterus surprising me, everything has been almost exactly as I imagined.

Although... No cravings, no sex drive, no hormonal outbursts, and (so far) no swelling. So not everything is as stereotypical as it coulda been, but nothing has surprised me.

darkangel42 · June 2014

I totally forgot to take my vitamins from about mid-January so can't blame the nails on the vitamins

I left the bottle at my Ma's when I was visiting and forgot all about it til she found it and emailed me some 6 weeks later. Meh. I didn't take them with my first and she turned out fine and took them from pretty much day 1 until January which was the important part so it's probably NBD.

Also (both times) I did not expect the non-optional advice, lectures and general inappropriateness from well-meaning/asshole strangers. Apparently there's no getting used to that part.

brittany&dain · June 2014

With DS I had an extremely easy pregnancy and delivery. After finding out I was pregnant again I knew I was lucky to have it so easy the first time but still expected the same outcome. In reality this pregnancy has been draining and exhausting, I was constantly sick and nauseous, constantly tired, and I have been having a horrible time sleeping! I can't seem to get comfortable or stay asleep. Hopefully this delivery is similar to the first

Katieryan13 · June 2014

I did not expect pregnancy brain.

chevronseven · June 2014

Hoshikitsune said:
I am a first time mom. Let me preface this with until I became pregnant, I had never been around pregnant women, didn't know what happens, and to this day I still have not seen anything ever born. I am adopted so my mother never went through pregnancy either.

I honestly just thought we got fat and a baby was born after 9 months. I was not prepared for all of the nausea, aches, pains, constipation, fatigue, movement of the lo inside me or anything. This has been a rather eye-opening experience. I hear birth is painful but I also there are drugs to help with that, so we shall see what the end game has in store for me.

Oh honey...had you ever taken a science class? Watched TV or a movie where someone was pregnant? I get being surprised about a lot of things in pregnancy but to just think we get fat for 9 months and then painlessly pop out a baby? I don't mean to make you feel stupid, it just is very hard for me to imagine having ZERO prior knowledge of pregnancy and childbirth. I am really looking forward to your birth story....

For me, I was surprised not to have had any morning sickness (yeah be jealous) or specific cravings. But I paid for the lack of nausea with sciatica, which is a total bitch that I wasn't expecting at all. I also was expecting to feel more glowy and less whale-y. And I was very surprised to get close to my a/s and honestly not care what the sex was. I mean I still wanted to know, but I never understood how people could honestly have no preference until I was in that position myself, imagining it both ways and being absolutely in love with the kid regardless.

Hoshikitsune · June 2014

livelaughlove88 said:

I am a first time mom. Let me preface this with until I became pregnant, I had never been around pregnant women, didn't know what happens, and to this day I still have not seen anything ever born. I am adopted so my mother never went through pregnancy either.

I honestly just thought we got fat and a baby was born after 9 months. I was not prepared for all of the nausea, aches, pains, constipation, fatigue, movement of the lo inside me or anything. This has been a rather eye-opening experience. I hear birth is painful but I also there are drugs to help with that, so we shall see what the end game has in store for me.
Oh honey...had you ever taken a science class? Watched TV or a movie where someone was pregnant? I get being surprised about a lot of things in pregnancy but to just think we get fat for 9 months and then painlessly pop out a baby? I don't mean to make you feel stupid, it just is very hard for me to imagine having ZERO prior knowledge of pregnancy and childbirth. I am really looking forward to your birth story.... For me, I was surprised not to have had any morning sickness (yeah be jealous) or specific cravings. But I paid for the lack of nausea with sciatica, which is a total bitch that I wasn't expecting at all. I also was expecting to feel more glowy and less whale-y. And I was very surprised to get close to my a/s and honestly not care what the sex was. I mean I still wanted to know, but I never understood how people could honestly have no preference until I was in that position myself, imagining it both ways and being absolutely in love with the kid regardless.

My parents actually pulled me out of the sex-ed classes. I didn't feel need to look up the information either given I had no intention of ever having children unless I adopted. It would be a waste of time to look up something that I would never experience...or I thought I never would.

shanaynerz · June 2014

This pregnancy has been at least 100% more difficult than my pregnancy with DD. I loved being pregnant with DD; I felt cute and great right until the end. With this pregnancy I've felt miserable for months. Being pregnant with twins really is the longest 3rd trimester ever. I literally cannot stand for more than 5-10 minutes before I feel dizzy and like I'm gonna fall over. Running errands is pretty much impossible. It's really a nightmare and I feel just huge and uncomfortable 24/7.

I've been trying to enjoy this pregnancy as much as possible since it'll be my last, but I'm so over it and ready to meet these kiddos. I'm carrying around about 12 lbs. of baby and they're only gonna get bigger! Despite how I'm feeling, I'm very grateful this pregnancy has been relatively complication free (just GD with insulin), so I can't complain about that.

I'm also so excited to be blessed with twins after losing twins, but this pregnancy can end any day now and I would be even more grateful lol.

Katieryan13 · June 2014

Hoshikitsune said:

livelaughlove88 said:

Hoshikitsune said:
I am a first time mom. Let me preface this with until I became pregnant, I had never been around pregnant women, didn't know what happens, and to this day I still have not seen anything ever born. I am adopted so my mother never went through pregnancy either.

I honestly just thought we got fat and a baby was born after 9 months. I was not prepared for all of the nausea, aches, pains, constipation, fatigue, movement of the lo inside me or anything. This has been a rather eye-opening experience. I hear birth is painful but I also there are drugs to help with that, so we shall see what the end game has in store for me.
Oh honey...had you ever taken a science class? Watched TV or a movie where someone was pregnant? I get being surprised about a lot of things in pregnancy but to just think we get fat for 9 months and then painlessly pop out a baby? I don't mean to make you feel stupid, it just is very hard for me to imagine having ZERO prior knowledge of pregnancy and childbirth. I am really looking forward to your birth story....

For me, I was surprised not to have had any morning sickness (yeah be jealous) or specific cravings. But I paid for the lack of nausea with sciatica, which is a total bitch that I wasn't expecting at all. I also was expecting to feel more glowy and less whale-y. And I was very surprised to get close to my a/s and honestly not care what the sex was. I mean I still wanted to know, but I never understood how people could honestly have no preference until I was in that position myself, imagining it both ways and being absolutely in love with the kid regardless.

My parents actually pulled me out of the sex-ed classes. I didn't feel need to look up the information either given I had no intention of ever having children unless I adopted. It would be a waste of time to look up something that I would never
experience...or I thought I never would.

Did you do any research when you got pregnant?

emy730 · June 2014

I did not expect the morning sickness to be as bad as it was or that it would last well into my second trimester.

I thought I would be more diligent about exercise, but that didn't happen.

I was expecting to have a lot of anxiety and that's been totally at bay so far. I thought I'd be batshit, but I actually feel really calm.

Hoshikitsune · June 2014

Katieryan13 said:

livelaughlove88 said:

I am a first time mom. Let me preface this with until I became pregnant, I had never been around pregnant women, didn't know what happens, and to this day I still have not seen anything ever born. I am adopted so my mother never went through pregnancy either.

I honestly just thought we got fat and a baby was born after 9 months. I was not prepared for all of the nausea, aches, pains, constipation, fatigue, movement of the lo inside me or anything. This has been a rather eye-opening experience. I hear birth is painful but I also there are drugs to help with that, so we shall see what the end game has in store for me.
Oh honey...had you ever taken a science class? Watched TV or a movie where someone was pregnant? I get being surprised about a lot of things in pregnancy but to just think we get fat for 9 months and then painlessly pop out a baby? I don't mean to make you feel stupid, it just is very hard for me to imagine having ZERO prior knowledge of pregnancy and childbirth. I am really looking forward to your birth story.... For me, I was surprised not to have had any morning sickness (yeah be jealous) or specific cravings. But I paid for the lack of nausea with sciatica, which is a total bitch that I wasn't expecting at all. I also was expecting to feel more glowy and less whale-y. And I was very surprised to get close to my a/s and honestly not care what the sex was. I mean I still wanted to know, but I never understood how people could honestly have no preference until I was in that position myself, imagining it both ways and being absolutely in love with the kid regardless.

My parents actually pulled me out of the sex-ed classes. I didn't feel need to look up the information either given I had no intention of ever having children unless I adopted. It would be a waste of time to look up something that I would never experience...or I thought I never would.
Did you do any research when you got pregnant?

Yes.

rachelchristina · June 2014

I wasn't expecting the swollen feet and back aches. I know you're told they'll come, but I was not expecting I'd get them for some reason.

I did not exercise and eat as well as I thought I would either. I was doing P90X and eating clean when I got pregnant and kept a good active and healthy routine through the first trimester and into the second, then when February hit, I'm not sure what happened but I quit being so good. It may have been the candy on Valentine's. I've stayed active and been walking and doing yoga and such, but the food cravings got too much for me to handle I guess.

I expected I'd fight the cravings better, but I way gave into sugar. And now I can't quit.

. I don't have a ton, but I can't stop. It has definitely attributed to the gaining more weight than I thought I would aspect of this pregnancy as well. Oh well. Only 3 1/2 more weeks.

On the flip side, I had no idea
I'd be so excited to feel her move and react to me. It's the highlight of my days some days.

I didn't know DH would want to feel her so much and would talk to her in the mornings and that I'd be so ok with him holding and rubbing my belly. I wasn't huge on the stomach touching pre-pregnancy.

I didn't know how prepared I'd feel to go through labor, but I do for some reason. And I didn't realize how terrified I'd feel to screw everything up after she gets here and do it all wrong. I'm hoping I at least get some stuff right.

helloblueeyes · June 2014

I didn't expect to be in such denial. Lol. Or to be so relaxed about certain things.

I didn't expect the GD to be as bad as it is. I actually figured i would have it, but not to this extent or to have to deal with it so early on.

I didn't expect the never ending exhaustion, i keep reading it would let up and then hello second tri energy burst. Nope.

I didn't expect to have no interest in sex whatsoever. My drive was really high before i got KU, and i thought it would get worse.

I didn't expect my love for my DH to become something so much more.

I didn't expect a girl. Or that naming her would be such a huge freaking issue.

All in all i did a lot of research and actually felt really prepared, so not too many huge surprises.

abrazz · June 2014

I didn't expect to be pregnant a third time at the time I got pregnant (does that make any sense?). I fully expected to be puking the entire pregnancy but luckily it stopped right around the time the sciatica kicked in (which I did not expect). I planned on working till I delivered since my body was basically able to achieve that goal twice before. I am now on bed rest

. Hormonally I have been the same all three times (a bit of a short fuse but nothing too crazy).

Honestly this has been the most stressful pregnancy because of issues early on. I have been more worried about this baby being okay than I was with the other two due to my age and the fact that I was being exposed to many more occupational hazards than before. I am still worried and will be till I see this munchkin and am assured that everything is okay.

darkangel42 · June 2014

I was expecting a girl right from the "feeling" that I was pregnant even before I got my BFP 2 days later (the feeling happened before the test could pick it up). Even bought pink baby clothes early on and sure enough, she's a pink.

I was expecting to feel bigger too. I put on a load of weight this time around but I felt so much bigger with my first despite being about 40lb lighter then. I still feel big but last time I felt huuuuge at the end.

Artistmom30 · June 2014

Since this is my 2nd pregnancy, I guess I was assuming it would be similar to my first. No morning sickness this and last time, which was nice. There was a lot more anxiety with this pregnancy than the last one and my emotions were ridiculous this time. Weight gain has been the same and the size of the baby. Oh, and this pregnancy's been more physically exhausting and painful.

emineminem · June 2014

JLHV1909 said:
I'm a FTM, and for the most part up until this weekend my only "issue" was getting up in the middle of the night to pee. However, now that the summer heat is on and I am in the last few weeks of pregnancy and apparently must get miserable to want to push him out: I miss being able to wipe myself completely without the help of two different types of wipes, I miss wearing several different pairs of shoes (only one pair of flops fits now), I miss being able to shave my legs and lady parts (finally noticed the massive new hair there this morning), and I miss being able to wear cute underwear without the marathon that it takes to put them on in the morning.

I'm absolutely terrified of the birthing process. Everyone and their brother has made it a point to tell me some sort of delivery room horror story. So I'm guessing that I am ready for the worst case scenario and maybe I will be pleasantly surprised. Anyone else a little panicky that they are going to the hospital and leaving with a tiny human???

I'm gonna miss the daily pushes and nudges he gives me esp when I eat ice. Though I know having him actually here will be absolutely amazing- I'll have to actually share him with others and that makes me a little sad.

Wow, yeah. This pretty much verbatim.

I also thought I'd pee myself more, but that's only happened once so far. *knocks wood*

MTAtlanta · June 2014

I've had a harder time during this round but i think it's due to my different life style. With ds things were pretty easy, and i worked in a fancy air conditioned office. I had bfast and lunch out often and there were always others around offering to help lift something heavy. Weekends were just me and dh soi could sleep in, all that fun stuff.

Being a stay at home is a lot more physical than I realized until after getting pg again. The extreme fatigue from first tri is back with a vengeance in the third, and the heart burn is worse than i remember with ds. Keeping up with a very happy and energetic two yr old has been physically so much more taxing than my "real" job was but has also been a more effective distraction!

As excited as we are to meet ds2, i remember how much easier it is to be tired and uncomfortable than it can be taking care of an outside baby, so there's that.

Most of all now i know how quickly all these icky parts fade from memory, even natural childbirth with a nine pounder, and of course it's all crazy worth it. Time goes by so achingly fast after they arrive. I still get sad knowing this will be the last, aches and pains and all. The bump has made pg a lot of fun even though i haven't been as active as with my first board. Wish you all the best!:-D

amwenz · June 2014

I thought that getting after having to have surgery and getting pregnant via ivf that the pregnancy part would go smoothly minus some aches, pains, and nauseau. Didn't expect: water on a kidney making back pain at 8 weeks, an irritable uterus that was so tight throughout, modified bed rest starting at 21 weeks, more god awful progesterone suppositories, PTL symptoms starting at 31 weeks, but most of all insomnia since 4 months...I think that has been the toughest battle. I feel so blessed to have been lucky with ivf number one but I am ready for my body back and to hangout with my husband again because I am just not that fun and I know it!

queenieM · June 2014

On the whole, it's been better than expected. I didn't get any morning sickness, and have been fairly active throughout. The only thing that's slowing me down now is the weight of my bump. I didn't expect that I would have hip pain pretty much from the beginning of pregnancy all the way throughout. It doesn't affect me during the day (unless I sit around too much), but sleeping has pretty much sucked from month 2 or 3 from hip pain on both sides! I didn't expect this much weight gain... after losing lots of weight and maintaining it for years, it's been really tough for me to see 38 pounds gained so far with a few weeks to go. My sister gained 65 lbs, so unless these last few weeks go horribly wrong, I don't think I'll gain that much. I also expected to have that lovely pregnancy glow in my skin and hair... didn't expect my usually blemish-free face to look like a raging hot mess! And my hair, which is usually dry, has gotten drier and more hay-like. I thought I would be more nervous leading up to the big day, but so far I'm feeling pretty calm (practicing my hypnobirthing regularly). I say there's no point constantly worrying about it when there's nothing you can do! :-)

Salsera29 · June 2014

I also expected to feel more glow-y. I wanted to be pregnant for so long (not IF, just my own insistence on doing things in the order I wanted) that I expected to take all pregnancy - related annoyances in stride. I didn't. My poor husband had to listen to me bitch for 8.5 months...1st tri exhaustion, 2nd tri anxiety and headaches, and 3rd tri sciatica and overall discomfort.

I definitely didn't expect to deliver by c/s 6 weeks early and become a NICU mom. I thought I had mentally prepared to expect the unexpected, but that one definitely fell outside the realm of anything I ever imagined.

AutumnBonfire · June 2014

When I got pregnant with DS, I was excited about being pregnant and the whole process. I read a lot of books and knew about all the symptoms, but never heard any women in real life (including my mother) complain about pregnancy. I expected to be nauseous, tired, have to pee a lot, walk around with a cute bump, and get to wear cute maternity clothes. I didn't expect the horrible back pain, reflux, and swelling in the third trimester. Constipation took me by surprise. I underestimated how annoying people would get with all their questions. I was more relaxed about the actual labor process. I knew what to expect from books and classes, but I didn't really know from experience. DH talked me into being team green and I was surprised that I liked not knowing. Despite what everyone warned me about, I didn't have a problem with being pregnant all summer.

This time, I was excited to learn I was having a baby, but not that I had to be pregnant again. I was hoping this pregnancy would be easier, but it turned out to be a lot worse than my first in regards to morning sickness and exhaustion. The summer heat is bothering me more this time (of course I was moved into an unairconditioned office). I'm more worried about labor now that I know exactly what to expect and we have to get someone to watch DS when the time comes. I'm also more excited for the baby with being an STM and knowing what to expect with caring for a newborn.

acciovino · June 2014

Fortunately this pregnancy has been much easier than the last. I was much heavier and put on modified bed rest at 30 weeks due to PUPPPs and SPD last time.

I was expecting to be healthier and more active this time. Having MS and SPD this time really hindered that. Having another little one to chase has helped keep me active, however I've gained about the same amount of weight as last time even though I look smaller. I have more energy this time and work was much easier.

I expected to get PUPPPs again and thankfully have not. ::knocks on wood::

What I didn't expect was how active LO would be. DD was not this active and it has really weirded me out! I also didn't have BH contractions last time and this time I've had a ton since about 20 weeks.

These last few weeks have been miserable though and I'm over it.

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