EDIT 3: December 12, 2016 12:32AM
- Insomnia: I don’t think I have insomnia per se, but there have been many nights when I do not feel tired or feel too excited to sleep. Some of this is probably brought about by my constant need to use the bathroom, which leads to my next point…
- Constant urge to pee: I am down to my last 3-4 weeks of pregnancy and am now needing to use the toilet around once every hour, depending on how hydrated I am. It is annoying. It also seems like a waste of water and toilet paper because my bladder can hold so little that it almost makes a trip to the bathroom not worth it. However, the pain (and potential damage) of holding it in scares me more than the utility bill and cost of TP.
- Fetal movement: My baby moves a lot, and it is comforting and exciting, but it is also uncomfortable as the baby is growing larger and running out of room. Sometimes I feel out of breath from its stretches, mostly I feel the skin of my belly stretching, which can be uncomfortable. I can also coax my baby to move by scratching my belly, and I have noticed it moving/jolting when I first step into the shower and the stream of water hits my belly 🙂
- Acid reflux: Worsening as the baby is growing, probably due to the increase in hormones as pregnancy is progressing. However, this does help curb my attraction to foods I’m not suppose to eat (e.g., processed foods like potato chips) during pregnancy anyway. Sometimes the acid reflux is strong enough to wake and keep me up at night, at which point I’d have to stumble out to the kitchen and make myself the ACV concoction (see below).
- Sore/tired hips from sitting too long: As my joints are loosening to prep for childbirth, it becomes harder to rise from sitting in a chair for too long. I grunt and groan as I sit down and get up!
- Fear of crowds: The Lion and I went to the mall the other day despite our distaste for visiting shopping centers during the holiday season, and my immediate instinct was to keep a wide berth from shoppers and children from fear of them bumping into me and my belly. Not sure if this was because I knew holiday shoppers can be merciless or if it was the mothering hormones kicking in.
- Swollen ankles and feet: These have returned with a vengeance because I wore high heels yesterday and was probably dehydrated as well. Harmless for the most part but unattractive and slightly abnormal.
- Posture restrictions: I have been trying to lay on my left side [when sleeping] or sit leaning forward in order to coax Baby over to the left side of my belly. Throughout pregnancy, B has enjoyed hanging out with its back to the front-right of my belly, but as we are nearing expected due date, the midwife recommended exercises and these positions to get B into a more ideal positioning for easier delivery. I am looking forward to being relieved of these positions because I miss sleeping on my back, and I miss reclining on the couch!
EDIT 2: September 22, 2016 11:47PM
- Acid reflux: I had heard from girlfriends that despite not having acid reflux or heartburn ever in life before, they started experiencing it during pregnancy. My acid reflux has been relatively mild, and I wouldn’t consider it “heartburn,” usually just an acidic taste in the back of my throat. But it is annoying and uncomfortable enough to be noticed and sometimes keep me up at night. The nutritionist (who came and gave a talk one Saturday morning) had recommended taking some apple cider vinegar diluted in water, so I started drinking about 6oz of water with a splash of ACV (eyeballed because I was too lazy to get out the measuring spoon and then wash it after use) a little bit before bed. Surprisingly, it didn’t make me get up in the middle of the night to pee, and it did help to ease the acid reflux. Now, I drink that same amount whenever I feel the acid and/or before bed just in case.
- Hemorrhoids: Prior to being pregnant, I would make dinners that consisted of a salad starter followed by a protein + veggie entree. When I had my decreased appetite a couple months ago, I stopped making the salads because I wasn’t hungry and because I physically felt I couldn’t eat that much (since I was feeling bloated anyway/because I feared acid reflux). The sudden decrease in veggies made my bowel movements much more difficult. I strained every time I had to go, and it was painful and resulted in bleeding. Fearing the descent into anal retentiveness, I began eating a small snack of raw veggies and dip because I remembered how this had eased my constipation earlier in pregnancy. Lo and behold, during the week that I made and ate this snack during the day, my trips to the bathroom were much more pleasant. This week, I ran out of sour cream and forgot to buy more, so I am suffering yet again. This is why it’s important to eat your veggies!!!
- Bernhardt-Roth syndrome: This is a new one for me that just occurred in the last couple days. We recently relocated to a new house, and I have been on my feet many hours during the last few days watching the movers, unpacking, lining closets and shelves, laundering, washing, etc. etc., and it has taken a toll on my lower extremities. The bottom of my feet were very sore and hurt from standing so much, and yesterday evening, I noticed there was a patch of numb skin on the outer part of my right thigh. I didn’t think much of it, and it eventually faded away at bedtime, but when it resurfaced again this morning, I Googled it and called my midwife. Turns out, it is called meralgia paresthetica (or Bernhardt Roth syndrome), which is a condition that causes numbness, pain, tingly sensations, or burning in the outer thigh. It happens because there is too much pressure on the nerves of your leg. Right now, it feels like a cold burning sensation, like there’s an ice pack on my thigh (but not in a pleasant way…), and I can feel heavy pressure but not light touch. The nurse at my midwife’s office confirmed there has probably been too much pressure on the nerve 😦 I am trying to perform as much of my duties as I can while sitting, and I’m trying to prop my feet up as much as possible. Of course, the extra weight from the baby doesn’t help. I’m hoping as I adjust to our new place and things get finished up, this unpleasant side effect will dissipate…
- Swollen ankles (edema): Relatively common side effect but it was still jarring to see it on my own ankles!! I have chubby ankles now, ew.
EDIT 1: August 26, 2016 1:40PM
- Eczema/skin update: The eczema soap I linked to above has really helped me a lot. Some of it may be psychological, but my belly is finally smooth again and free of sandpaper-y skin. Some of that may be due to the weather finally cooling down too… I love this soap though!
- Fibroids – This was a scary one for me when I first heard about it. I hadn’t come across this term in any of the books I’d read so far, so it was a shock. Fibroids are noncancerous (99% of the time) tumors that develop in/on the uterus. My four were discovered during my 18 week ultrasound. My midwife reassured me that fibroid development is pretty normal (about 80% of women develop them by age 30) and shouldn’t interfere with the pregnancy/baby as long as it doesn’t grow too large (only in about 20% of cases does it cause complications). Based on my own research on the internet, it seems like the worst fibroids could do to pregnancy/childbirth is block the cervix or prevent the baby from getting into a head-down position, which may mean that I’d need to have a c-section to have the baby. Apparently, until I develop further symptoms (extreme abdominal pain, heavy bleeding), it shouldn’t be a big worry for me.
Original post: August 10, 2016 3:35PM
There’s a lot more involved in pregnancy than just belly and boobs getting bigger, as I’ve learned. This is my list of some of the unexpected symptoms I’ve experienced. Thank goodness for Google!
- Pregnancy rhinitis – As estrogen and progesterone increases, so does the mucus in your nostrils. This was very noticeable in my first trimester, as I was going through a box of tissues a week. I need tissues for my runny nose constantly, and it was difficult to lay down and breathe comfortably to sleep. I ended up using more support under my pillow to help keep my head elevated at night, but I lost some valuable sleep. Eventually, the rhinitis just dissipated.
- Sore and tender breasts/nipples – Definitely one of the first things I’d noticed. It was uncomfortable to dress/undress, and I had to take greater care in not accidentally hurting them (especially with sports bras and bralettes!). Again, E&P at work here! They aren’t as sore now during my second trimester, but I still prefer to sleep with a full coverage top or a cotton bralette because…
- Protruding nipples – This is what makes avoiding them as you take off sports bras difficult and what is annoying about sleeping in a triangle-top nightie
- Extreme fatigue – I knew that pregnant women needed more sleep, but I wasn’t expecting just how tired I would be! I was napping basically after every meal in addition to going to sleep earlier at night. I was also going to the bathroom throughout the night, which meant I needed daytime naps to fill in the nighttime gaps. I maintained light exercise (daily dog walking, aerial fitness a few times a week), but paced myself on daily chores and errands. Everything took a lot slower to complete…
- Montgomery tubercles – These little pimple-like bumps on your nipples or areolas are the visual part of the areolar glands (which are glands that secrete oils to help keep your skin moisturized), which help to keep your nipple and areola lubricated and protected.
- Itchy belly (eczema flare up) – As the pregnant woman’s belly is growing and stretching, the belly skin can dry up and become itchy. Similarly, the change in hormones can affect the severity of dermatitis. My eczema seems to be especially bad this summer, probably a combination of the heat, hormones, and not being able to use my steroid creams. I’ve avoided hot baths and heavy, scented lotions. My friend recently gave me some baby eczema soap, which has helped immensely. The soap is so amazing that sometimes I don’t even need to use lotion! Sometimes, when it gets really bad, I’ll also use a cold compress for 10-15 minutes, which helps a lot too.
- Decrease in appetite – I’d always heard the phrase, “Eat for two, now that you’re pregnant!” but I just couldn’t! Interestingly enough, I seemed to have a decrease in appetite. Quite the surprise for The Lion because now there’s enough for him to eat until he’s full! 😉
- Round ligament pain – Quite possibly my most unpleasant symptom right now. There are many thick ligaments that surround and support the uterus, one of them being the round ligament. As the womb grows, the ligaments need to stretch to accommodate the weight, thus causing you to feel some dull, ache-y, cramp-y pain. I notice this pain the most if I shift positions too quickly and also when I stand up from sitting for awhile. The discomfort is persistent, although not debilitating, and will apparently be around until after childbirth!! *cries
A House Rises 