6 Things No One Ever Tells You About Pregnancy

1. Morning Sickness, my butt!

While some women are blessed to only experience sickness in the mornings, and some are even more blessed to not experience it at all, there is a large number of women that experience nausea, vomiting, and extreme fatigue at all hours of the day… for weeks and months on end. Take a second and let that sink in. Days, weeks, even months of living with symptoms that eerily remind you of your worst college hangovers. When you think of it in that light, it’s amazing women choose to do this human-making thing more than once!

2. “Such Great Advice!”

The word “advice” sounds so benevolent doesn’t it? It brings up thoughts of insightful conversations with friends and loved ones about relationships and life decisions. Well, sorry to tell ya, all the advice you get when pregnant isn’t that. It’s funny how being pregnant makes every one you meet into the resident Gyno. Oh, I shouldn’t be eating the turkey sandwich that’s currently halfway chewed in my mouth? And if I don’t get the heartbeat monitor for newborns I am most likely a sociopathic baby-hater? Wow, guys. No pressure here. The worst part? Having to smile and say “Thank you! Such great advice!” to every person that thinks they know what’s best for you better than you.

3. Personal Space Schmersonal Schpace

We’ve all done it. Seen an adorable, waddling pregnant woman and not been able to help touching her belly. It’s just so cuuuuute! Well, until you’re the actual pregnant woman, that is. It turns out, having complete and quasi-complete strangers touching you as if you’re Buddha sent here to give good luck is not as fun as it may seem from the casual onlooker. First off, if it’s not normal to go up to a stranger and touch them intimately when they’re not pregnant, why is it all of a sudden OK when they are? It’s not. It’s weird, people. And to make it worse, most pregnant women are fiercely protective already of the life growing inside them. Which makes them want to smack your been-God-knows-where hand the moment they see it reaching for their belly. But it happens. A lot. So if you’re particularly protective of your personal space, get ready to start chopping at strange hands faster than the Karate Kid.

 

4. When Your Nipples Turn on You

Oh, nipples…such a fond body part for so many years. A source of pleasure for all, you might say. That is…until they’re not. Pregnancy can cause a sudden growth of blood vessels in the breasts, which can and does cause blood to leak from the nipples. You heard that right: you don’t even have to wait until you’re breastfeeding to get you some bleeding nipples! Lucky you!

 

5. When Your Bladder Revolts

Look, it’s understandable. There’s a tiny human laying on the little balloon organ we call the bladder, and that can definitely make things interesting. And not just with the frequent urination that is well known to accompany baby-creation. All of a sudden you gotta start worrying about leaking, from, ya know, down there. Yep, like a drippy faucet, pregnancy often causes urine leaks from all the pressure on the bladder and urethra. And to make matters worse, childbirth itself can cause issues with the strength of your pelvic floor and thus cause leaks to happen permanently. But not to worry, there are products out there that can help you live a normal life, no need to go invest in adult diapers just yet!

6. It’s All Worth It

You’re probably thinking that from the sound of this list, it’s hard to figure out why any woman would willfully choose to have a baby. Creating a human is HARD. But then… it happens. Your baby arrives and you look into their eyes and in an instant realize you’d do it again 1 million times over if it meant the chance to love and raise this special little person. In that moment you understand what true love really is, and your life is changed forever. And hey, if so is your bladder, that just comes with the territory.

Finess is there to support moms through the crazy changes caused by pregnancy and childbirth, so you can worry less, and enjoy those baby cuddles more!