10 Things Nobody Tells You About Pregnancy

“Ten Things Nobody Tells You”

Don’t worry. We know of no conspiracy keeping you from knowing all there is to know about pregnancy. But your friends, sisters, cousins - whoever tells you what to expect with your pregnancy - often forget the little details, especially the more unpleasant ones. Furthermore, other books often gloss over this stuff, perhaps in the interest of decorum. Well, at the risk of being indecorous, we’re going to give it to you straight in this chapter.

1. Pregnancy Lasts Longer than Nine Months

Patients always ask, “How many months along am I?” and we have trouble giving them a precise answer. Pregnancy is said to last nine months, but that number isn’t exactly accurate. The average pregnancy lasts 280 days, or 40 weeks, starting from the date of the mother’s last menstrual period. (You think 40 weeks is a long time? Just be glad you’re not an elephant, which has a gestation period of 22 months!) If a month is four weeks, that calculation comes out to ten months. On the calendar, however, most months contain four weeks plus two or three days, so nine calendar months often do contain close to 40 weeks. Practitioners speak in terms of weeks when measuring gestational age because it’s more accurate and less confusing.

2. Other People Can Drive You Crazy

Friends, relatives, acquaintances, strangers, and even your partner give you unsolicited opinions and advice and want to share with you every pregnancy horror story they’ve ever heard. They may tell you your rear looks big, you’re too fat (or too thin), or you shouldn’t be eating whatever you’re putting in your mouth.

We realize these people usually have only good intentions when they tell you how their sister’s pregnancy ended badly, or about the trouble a friend of a friend had. They don’t realize that they’re increasing your anxiety. Don’t pay attention. Try to politely smile and ignore them. Tell them you really don’t want to hear this story right now. If you have any real problems or concerns, talk them over with your practitioner.

3. You Feel Exhausted in the First Trimester

You may already have heard that you’re going to feel tired during the first trimester, but until you go through it, you really have no idea how overwhelming the fatigue can be. You may find yourself looking for every possible opportunity to catch a few winks - on the bus, on the train, at work, or even on the exam table waiting for your practitioner to come into the room. Rest assured this fatigue does go away, usually by the end of the first trimester (at about 13 weeks), and you do get your usual energy back. Look out, though. Around 30 to 34 weeks, the physical stress of pregnancy may overwhelm you again, and you may go back to feeling pretty washed out for several weeks. Frequent naps either in the first trimester or at any time are always a good idea if you’re feeling tired.

4. Round Ligament Pain Really Hurts

The round ligaments run from the top of the uterus down into the labia. As the uterus grows, these ligaments stretch, and many women feel discomfort or pain on one or both sides of the groin area, especially at about 16 to 22 weeks. Practitioners tell you this symptom is only round ligament pain and it’s nothing to worry about. And they’re right - don’t worry. But you deserve some sympathy (you have ours) because this pain can be fairly intense.

You can probably ease round ligament pain a bit by getting off your feet or changing positions, thereby taking the pressure off the ligaments. By the way, if you’re having twins or more, the round ligament pain may begin earlier and last longer. The good news is that round ligament pain usually diminishes by about 24 weeks.

5. Your Belly Becomes a Hand Magnet

After your stomach protrudes noticeably with pregnancy, you’re likely to find suddenly everyone presumes touching it is okay - not only your friends, family members, and the people you work with, but also the mailman, the cashier at the supermarket, and other people you’ve never even met. Although some women appreciate the extra attention, many find it an invasion of privacy. You can either grin and bear it or discover how to say, “Hey, hands off!”

To be continued………..

Reference: New parent