Pregnancy is a huge blessing and life-changing experience for many moms.
It’s a beautiful thing and it does have its perks, but it also comes with its own set of challenges – like weird pregnancy symptoms!
Ever heard of the saying Not everything that glitters is gold?
The people on the outside see you in all your pregnant glory and all they can talk about is your cute bump.
But they don’t know that your super achy feet are a size larger and that’s why you’re wearing flip flops out in the middle of Autumn.
They also don’t know about all that toilet paper you’ve stuffed into your armpits because you keep sweating through all your shirts (been there done that!).
Pregnancy is a wonderful thing but it isn’t always pretty.
Today I’ll be sharing you this list of weird and gross pregnancy symptoms many pregnant moms experience.
10 Odd Pregnancy Symptoms To Watch Out For
1. Larger Feet
How about larger everything? Ugh.
The weight gain puts added pressure on your feet, and the relaxin hormone causes the ligaments in your feet to loosen and bones to spread.
This complex equation leads to larger feet.
It does help to wear supportive shoes during your pregnancy so that your bones aren’t encouraged to spread too much.
So mama, pack away those comfy flats, put away those red bottoms and get yourself a good pair of shoes.
Some women (lucky you!) don’t get to experience this but most mamas find that their feet are slightly larger after birth.
I’m still not quite ready to accept the fact that I just may be larger than a size 9. ?
2. Nosebleeds & Bleeding Gums
The extra amount of blood circulating through your body puts more pressure on your blood vessels.
Because of this, these tiny vessels are more prone to rupture.
You may never have had a bloody nose before but leave it to pregnancy to introduce you to these things *eye roll.*
You may also start seeing red when you brush your teeth. Pregnancy hormones may also cause your gums to become more sensitive and prone to inflammation and bleeding.
This is called pregnancy gingivitis, and it’s generally not a cause for concern as long as you follow a good dental hygiene routine.
It’s always wise to see a dentist just to ensure that your oral health is good.
I also suffered from this pregnancy symptom and what helped ease the pain of inflammation was swishing warm sea-salted water around my mouth.
3. Changes in Vision & Dry Eyes
Changes in hormones, as well as many other physiological changes that occur during pregnancy, may also affect your eyesight.
My eyes were always super dry during pregnancy, so much so that wearing my contact lenses became a pain in the you-know-what.
In case you are considering getting corrective surgery on your eyes or buying new eyewear, hold off until a couple of months after the baby is born. The good news about this is that your eyes will usually revert back to normal after your baby is born.
4. Extra Hairiness
I don’t know about you, but I can live with having a head full of thick luscious hair ON MY HEAD while I’m pregnant.
Unfortunately for me, as well as many other mamas, this blessing comes with a price to pay: excess hair everywhere else on the body (why am I now envisioning Chewbacca??).
Yes – a weird pregnancy symptom for sure!
During pregnancy, the hair on your body tends to grow a lot faster due to an increase of your androgen hormone. Believe me when I tell you that I always walked around with a pocket mirror and a pair of tweezers in my purse during pregnancy.
I was that hairy!
You can always pluck the extra hair, shave or get it waxed off but be careful and be gentle.
Your skin is also more sensitive when you are pregnant, the last thing you want is to be left with scars.
5. Extra Sweatiness
Can us mamas ever catch a break?
Not only do we waddle like geese and have all this extra hair in the wrong places on our bodies, now we sweat like crazy!
The increase in hormone levels as well as the extra blood flowing through your body both cause your body temperature to increase.
As a result, your body sweat in order to bring your body temperature down. If you ask my husband, the pregnant me is the worst person to sleep with (not in that way).
One minute I was so hot I cranked the window wide open and the next minute I was freezing cold so I double up on the comforters.
It isn’t fun but it is normal and will go away a couple of weeks after you have your baby.
6. Heart Palpitations
Studies show that rapid heart beating and palpitations are a result of the extra blood flowing through your body.
Your heart has to pump faster and work harder in order to get the blood to flow throughout your body.
This scary pregnancy symptom landed me in the hospital around the 3rd trimester of my 1st pregnancy.
For days I felt like my heart was fluttering and beating rapidly. I ended up wearing a heart monitor (fun fun fun) for an entire week!
Thankfully nothing was wrong, but any pains or “weird feelings” associated with the heart should be addressed with your healthcare provider.
7. Sore & Swollen Vagina
Again with the blood!
Not only does that mean that you will be extra sensitive down there you’ll also be really sore.
The soreness usually gets worse as your pregnancy progresses. This is when your baby will really start putting on weight and you will surely feel it.
If it gets too uncomfortable, get yourself a pillow and sleep with it between your legs.
8. Melasma or Chloasma
AKA: The Mask of Pregnancy.
Some women experience dark patches of skin on their faces, and necks during pregnancy. This is as a result of an increase in hormones which cause an increase in pigmentation.
Patches may fade on their own but many women find that they are left with an uneven skin tone after pregnancy.
If this is the case for you, fear not! This is a very common skin condition that a good dermatologist will be able to treat.
9. Other Skin Changes
Yes, there are others. From stretch marks to teenage-like acne, to dry itchy skin, those all come with the territory.
Though many of these various changes in your skin can be quite bothersome while pregnant, most will go away on their own after your baby is born.
Harsh skin treatments are almost always a no-no for pregnant mamas. However, there are usually natural alternative treatments available.
You can seek the help of a Naturopath or a Dermatologist who will be best able to advise you.
10. Joint Pain
During pregnancy, your ovaries and your placenta produce a hormone called relaxin and this hormone is responsible for loosening and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles, to facilitate the birth of your baby.
Relaxin doesn’t only affect your pelvic floor muscle, but it also affects other ligaments throughout your body.
You can also blame your lower back pain on relaxin.
This is why so many of us begin to waddle as we near the end of our pregnancies.
If you find that the pain hinders you from enjoying your everyday life, I would advise you to seek professional help.
A Chiropractor or a Physiotherapist will be able to assess your situation and come up with the best course of action to bring you relief ASAP.
Preparing your body for labor was a struggle for me because of the pelvic pain I had. That’s why it’s important to seek help early!
There You Have it Mamas!
As unpleasant as these odd pregnancy symptoms may sound, most of these symptoms are short-lived.
I hope you enjoyed this little rundown of some very common pregnancy woes.
Now it’s your turn – tell me what unusual, gross or weird pregnancy symptom you experienced. Let’s get personal!
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