There are some pregnancy symptoms that everyone knows about – whether you’ve been pregnant or you haven’t been. Morning sickness, nausea, irritability, mood swings, and so on.
I was expecting all those. But when I got pregnant for the first time, there were some symptoms I was having that I literally didn’t know was a thing and was pretty surprised when I was experiencing them.
Pregnancy Symptoms You Might Want To Know About Too
Which symptoms am I talking about? Here are the pregnancy symptoms I didn’t know about that took me by surprise. You may know some of these are a thing, and if so, kudos to you! But if you’re like me and had no idea, you’re welcome – you can prepare much better than I did!
1. Pregnancy Congestion Is A Thing
I was in my first trimester during the winter – so very much not allergy season. And yet, I felt like I was suffering from allergies the whole time! I was so congested; constantly blowing my nose.
I spoke to my doctor and he said congestion is so common. Then of course I consulted Google and learned all about pregnancy congestion. Yes, it’s a thing. And for me, it lasted my entire pregnancy.
It’s not something that went away. Thank goodness there are some medically safe pills and saline you can take (just be sure to consult with your doctor first!). But still, I keep tissues on my at all times.
2. The Nose Bleeds
I’m not going to lie to you – I was sitting at a work meeting towards the end of my first trimester and my nose just started bleeding. I am so grateful I had told my boss and my immediately colleagues I was pregnant just before 12 weeks… because otherwise, it would’ve been so much more embarrassing!
Nose bleeds are pretty common during pregnancy, thanks to all the blood your body’s pumping. Again, make sure you always have tissues on you. I didn’t know about this pregnancy symptom so hopefully sharing this will help you out if it happens to you!
3. The Exhaustion
I have never gotten 8-10 full hours of sober sleep and felt so tired the next day. The first trimester exhaustion is no joke. I am not a nap person – never have been and never will be. But I found myself needing to go and lay down in the afternoon.
I literally couldn’t keep my eyes open. My husband would come home from work circa 7 PM and find me asleep on the couch. Growing a baby is exhausting, especially in the first trimester when everything is developing.
4. Morning Sickness Isn’t Just For Mornings
I will admit – I am very grateful that I did not really have morning sickness. Nausea hit me for a few weeks at the beginning of my pregnancy, but I never actually threw up.
I will say though, that nausea did not just happen in the morning. It would show up throughout the day. I also have a friend who was pregnant around the same time I was and her morning sickness was all over the place.
She’d throw up five times a day, all throughout the day. Everyone’s body is different, but just know – the term morning sickness is totally misleading and it can strike whenever.
5. Carpal Tunnel (Pregnancy Symptom I Didn’t Know About)
I will preface this by saying I am in a mostly remote job where I am on my computer a lot. Anyway, did you know pregnancy carpal tunnel’s a thing? Because I didn’t.
One morning I woke up with my hands so numb it took a bit to shake them awake. I emailed my doctor, and of course did my own research, and bingo – I developed pregnancy carpal tunnel.
It’s real, it typically goes away after pregnancy, and yes, you are more inclined to it if you have a job where you are typing away all day like I am. For me, the numbness usually just happens in the morning, but it did come back a bit – including in just my fingers – during the day.
6. Even If You Think You’re Drinking Enough Water, Drink More
Another thing that helped me with swelling and even with my all-around energy? Drinking more water. I thought I was drinking enough water – I was drinking more water than I did pre-pregnancy.
But it still wasn’t enough. Water intake is so huge during pregnancy. My doctor told me to drink more water and also add in some electrolytes, too. My insurance also sent me a pregnancy box with a 64 oz water bottle in it to drink daily.
I will admit, having that water bottle really did help me drink even more water. I did see a difference once I upped my water intake.
7, I’ve Never Been More Hungry
I’m a foodie – I love food. But once I got pregnant, I couldn’t stop eating. I was always hungry. My body just couldn’t get enough.
I know some people can’t stomach food especially in their first trimester but that wasn’t me at all – I could never get full enough.
8. I Didn’t Know Food Aversions As A Pregnancy Symptom Can Come Out of Nowhere
Since I was so hungry all the time and didn’t have any morning sickness, I wasn’t even thinking about any potential food aversions. One night towards the end of my first trimester, I was out with my husband on vacation and we decided to order the surf and turf.
We both love lobster, and where better to get lobster than while on an island on vacation? Well… I took two bites and thought I was going to throw up! I asked my husband if it was bad lobster and he said it was delicious. It was definitely just me!
9. The Swelling
I will say I was warned that my feet would swell… but I didn’t think it would happen as much as it did or as soon as it did. But I had family tell me I should elevate my feet whenever I was sitting all the way from my first trimester.
I was feeling fine and energetic so I didn’t feel a need to. Well… I should have listened. By my second trimester – which wasn’t even during the summertime – my feet had started to swell.
You bet I started taking putting them up more seriously. And truthfully, it really did make a big difference.
Final Thoughts On What I Didn’t Know About Pregnancy Symptoms
Of course throughout life and even in movies you are given the impression of what pregnancy symptoms are like. However, until you are pregnant yourself, those symptoms are mostly a myth.
They’re different for everyone and for each pregnancy. On top of that, although they can be similar to what is portrayed by other people, the reality of the symptoms are in some ways far from that.
Are there any pregnancy symptoms that surprise you? Consider sharing your experience too, it might be helpful to someone who is going through something similar!
