My Unexpected Pregnancy Symptoms

36 weeks pregnant… some days it’s hard to believe I’m this far into the journey and so close to meeting my first child. What do you mean I’m going to be a parent?! I mean, I knew we were having a baby, but it’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that we are bringing a human into the world.  A human that is half of me and half of Hubbs. A human that we will be solely responsible for.  A human we are expected to teach right from wrong, prepare for the world and love unconditionally.  I know we can do the last part because we already do.  I’m going to have a DAUGHTER or a SON.  WOW.

And then, on the other hand, I feel so ready.  We have the ‘stuff’. We’ve read books. We’ve been around other babies.  We are ready to meet our little one. Parenthood? Bring it.

My clothes are ready, too. They can’t hold in the belly much longer.

It’s strange not knowing which pregnancy post will be my last, so I wanted to talk a little about the symptoms I’ve experienced throughout pregnancy.  This interests me because I always thought everyone felt the same things. Well, they don’t!

Let’s start with what I expected to happen that never did…

• I never threw up.
• I never had bowel problems of any kind.
• I never had any swelling.
• I never became crazy hormonal.  A few extra tears here and there? Sure, but I thought I’d be a mess and drive Hubbs crazy. I think I did OK.
• I never took medicine. I thought I’d have to have a tylenol for a headache or allergy meds when things got tough, but I never did.  I’m proud of that.

I did experience some of the common symptoms, though, including occasional headaches, 1st trimester exhaustion, food aversions and even a fun craving or two!  And now, it’s safe to say I have a bit of a waddle

Then there were some symptoms that I never knew came with pregnancy, but evidently they can be common.  Some of my weirdest symptoms included:

• Nose bleeds. They were never severe, but I’m not the kind of person who gets these so they freaked me out at first.  Apparently they are incredibly normal with the increased blood volume you get during pregnancy.
• Furry belly. No, my tummy doesn’t look like an ape, but once I became pregnant I noticed the fine, light hairs I had on my belly turned a little darker and more noticeable.  I’m just glad I’m not the only one.
• Popping back.  It started happening around week 30.  I’d notice when I sit, stood, walked, etc that my lower back would pop, pop, POP like I was trying to crack it.  It isn’t painful at all.  My doctor says it’s just my body producing relaxin, the hormone that loosens up my joints to allow Baby D to slide out.  Good to know it’s working, even if it does sound like I’m a walking bowl of Rice Krispies.
• Sensitive tongue.  Though it hasn’t stopped me from eating whatever I want, I’ve noticed eating tomatoes, garlic, citrus and a few other strong flavors that my tongue gets irritated.  In fact, the doctor even said I might have a mild case of geographic tongue, which apparently happens sometimes in pregnancy due to hormonal surges and should go away once I’m not pregnant anymore.

So that’s a quick run down of the odd and unexpected, but where are we now?

• 36 weeks and 2 days pregnant
• At my doctor appointment last Friday I had my first internal exam.  The doctor was surprised to find my cervix is already soft- WAHOO!
• Blood pressure:  112/64 – hoping it stays that way
• Braxton Hicks contractions: All. The. Time.
• Also feeling a lot of pressure in my pelvis and sometimes Baby D feels like s/he is trying to escape!
• Total pounds gained: 29
• Workouts per week: closer to 4 than 5- Fridays are doctor visits and I’m find that I’m skipping the gym.
• Hours spent of Etsy: too many.

According to my iPhone app, I’m carrying a watermelon… like Baby from Dirty Dancing.

What’s the weirdest pregnancy symptom you’ve ever heard of or experienced?

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