During the first trimester of pregnancy, many women consider morning sickness as an all-through-the-pregnancy-all-day-long sickness. But this is not the only pregnancy symptoms a woman needs to prepare for. According to moms and moms-to-be who’ve been through it, and a midwife who’s been through it with them, there are a few other lesser-known tales about what can be expected when you’re an expectant mother. In some instances, many pregnant women discover pains in parts of their bodies that they previously paid little attention to as the unborn child moves around inside the womb. It is also possible for a pregnant woman to wake up at night with Restless Leg Syndrome, a tingling, numb feeling and extreme restlessness in the legs. It may only occur at night and once you’re up and walking, everything is fine. Pregnancy can suddenly make you allergic to something. Or if you already have an allergy, it can aggravate it to an unbearable degree. According to Lynn Himmelreich, CNM, MPH, a midwife in the obstetrics and gynecology department at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, most of these symptoms are likely to be much more frustrating since you’re going to be exhausted most of the time. Many women are surprised by just how bad symptoms of pregnancy can get. However, not all surprising pregnancy symptoms are physical. Carrie Hutton, a new mom from Arlington, Virginia whose son is now four months old, describes what some call ‘pregnancy amnesia.’ Hutton said that, for some reason, no matter how competent you were in your pre-pregnancy life, you can no longer connect the dots. You’re lucky if you can still remember your name, address, and phone number. And what if you’re expecting the whole Pregnancy Platter of Symptoms such as morning sickness, swollen and tender breasts, allergies, restless leg syndrome, pregnancy amnesia, and the works but they fail to show up? When this happens, just consider yourself lucky and go about your business. Doctors get more questions from people who don’t get the symptoms that the books mention than those who do. They feel that when the symptoms are absent, then something is wrong. There are a lot of pregnancy cases in which the woman doesn’t have morning sickness or sore breasts and doctors find them normal and healthy. What you should be concerned about is when the pregnancy symptoms you have suddenly disappear. “It’s not usually a problem if you don’t have tender breasts, for example, but it’s more concerning if you had those symptoms at first and then suddenly at seven or eight weeks, they stopped,” said Himmelreich. And not all pregnancy surprises are negative. Some women even find their pregnant bodies lovely to look at. Although over time they became awkward, achy, and tired, they tend to love the shape of their bodies while pregnant. Their breasts and belly become more rounded and their hair and skin have become so full of life. Though some women felt beautiful with their bodies’ transformation, still others become insecure and very sensitive.

Continue reading →