Growing up, I have always heard wonderful stories about being pregnant. From the glowing of one’s skin, to the roundness of one’s belly, to the fullness of one’s breasts, and to the thickness of one’s hair. The perception of pregnancy was just as beautiful as the life growing inside.
It sounded so surreal and incredible. 9 months of awesomeness.
Sure, everyone talked about moodiness, frequent urination, back pain, fatigue, cravings, and morning sickness. However, that didn’t bother me at all. Plus, no period for 9 months…#winning.
But, whew chile.
The pregnancy symptoms can be more exhausting than exhilarating, for sure. Let’s talk about them.
16 Strange Pregnancy Symptoms
- Heightened sense of taste and smell – Certain foods can taste either extremely salty, spicy, or all of the above. Plus, you can be overly sensitive to certain fragrances or odors.
- Sore breasts – Your breast can feel very tender. Likewise, your nipples can get painfully hard and your areolas can look darker.
- Lightheadedness/dizziness – The room can feel like it is spinning and you may suddenly feel like you’re in a state of nearly fainting.
- Itchy skin – The more your body stretches, the itchier your skin can become. Not only can your stomach itch, but so can your thighs, back, butt, and breasts.
- Frequent headaches – The headaches can cause extreme discomfort and may occur at any point, during your pregnancy.
- Heart palpitations – You may suddenly start to feel like your heart is skipping a beat, fluttering, or beating abnormally fast.
- Pelvic pain – One word comes to mind, “Ouch!” As the name suggests, you can feel painful aches, where your pelvis is located. It can gradually feel worse as you get further along in your pregnancy.
- Heartburn – You can feel a painful burning sensation in your chest. Your doctor may likely recommend TUMS, but due to the amount you can take daily, as a pregnant woman, it may unfortunately not be enough to subside the pain.
- Shortness of breath – One flight of steps can become a challenge to walk up. It can feel like you ran a marathon, at times.
- Acne – The glowy, smooth skin that women praise, during pregnancy, may not apply to you. Your face could appear bumpy bumpy. So many bumps, I just had to say it twice. Not only could your acne be severe, but the spots themselves could also appear extremely dark.
- Swollen feet – You may not be able to fit your regular shoe size because your feet are too swollen.
- Pregnancy brain – Mentally, you can become forgetful.
- Frequent gas – Not only can you be susceptible to passing a lot of gas, but you may also feel bloating and/or pain from the gas as well.
- Pee in pants – Sometimes when you cough, laugh, or sneeze, you may accidentally pee in your pants.
- Stuffy nose – In spite of an increase in hormones, you can start to experience a stuffy nose.
- Weird discharge – You may need to wear panty liners because of the amount of thin, clear milky white discharge you may or may not have.
Most Important Takeaways
I know, I know…none of these symptoms are exactly “lady-like,” but it is what it is. They are “pregnancy-like.”
I had most of them. Not all at the same time, but at one point or another during my three pregnancies.
It is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
The feeling of a new life growing inside of you is like no other. Carrying a baby is invaluable, unforgettable, and worth enduring every symptom that was mentioned.
This article is just your heads up. That’s all.
People always tend to make pregnancy look like a walk in the park. But, the only park you’ll feel like you’re walking in, during pregnancy, is Jurassic Park.
Just saying.
But, on a serious note, everyone is different. One person may have one of these symptoms, while another person has them all. These symptoms can be absolutely normal for one individual, yet a sign of an underlying medical condition and/or complication for another.
Discuss any and all of your signs and symptoms with your doctor.
It’s always best to be on the safe side.