I’ve been lied to.

(Things no one told me could happen during pregnancy)

I’ve been lied to! Yes I said it!

Well, maybe not completely lied to but theres a few things I didn’t know could happen during pregnancy. I am currently five months pregnant, and for some reason I always imagined my pregnancy very differently. I imagined myself running across the beach in a beautiful designer bathing suit. The sun hits and highlights my skin. My little delicate baby bump sticking out. Just so blissful, beautiful and peaceful. But boy was I wrong! Now before I move any further I want to say having a baby is such a blessing. Being able to carry a child is something I never want to take for granted… but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy task. So I’m here to let you know what I experienced to spread knowledge on things that took me by surprise.

First Trimester

I thought that my first trimester would be the easiest because my baby was so tiny. I figured it wouldn’t need much. I’m sorry to say but that is not true! My whole first trimester felt as though my baby was sucking the life out of me and I was literally dying. It was absolutely tortures. I thought I wouldn’t be able to survive the rest of my pregnancy if I had to continuously endure that pain. The main things were, my severe breast pain, not being able to keep food down and the daily headaches.

If I had to choose my worst symptom during my first trimester, I would say the headaches were the worst. They were the worst because they seem to come everyday like clockwork. They would come and go throughout the day but around 7 pm. they would start up at full force. It became unbearable. It felt like someone had hit me in the head with a brick. I would take Tylenol but they wouldn’t go away. My eyes would hurt, my head would hurt. I felt like I couldn’t think. My eyes would become sensitive to any type of light. So I established a daily routine that at 7 pm. I would turn out all of the lights, lay in the bed and force myself to sleep. This happened my entire first trimester. I honestly don’t know how I survived.

Acne Boobs

In my first trimester I noticed my boobs had acne! Like literal acne. Pimples, blemishes, black heads everything. My boobs just break out in pimples. This is still happening, but it has lessened now that I’m in my second trimester. Everyday I see a new one. I thought during pregnancy I would get acne on my face, not my boobs.

On top of acne riddled boobs, my breast boobs have gotten 3x darker than my actual skin tone. Not just my areola’s but my actual breast as well.

That brings me into my next point. Painful nipples and breast pain! My nipples were extremely sore in my first trimester. If I even bumped them they would hurt so bad. I wanted my husband to stay as far away from them as he could. To make matters worse I actually felt my breast stretching and swelling. People told me that my breast would feel sore but sore was not the correct word to describe that pain. It felt like someone had punched me in the chest. It hurt! At one point, I literally broke down and cried because I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore. It was absolutely horrible.

Growing Stomach

One of the main things I was so excited about was getting a baby bump! I wanted to wear clothes that really complimented me and my growing belly. At 8 weeks pregnant I thought I saw a little bump but the doctor crushed my dreams and told me it was just bloating. I was so shocked, hormonal and devastated. Turns out for a woman’s first pregnancy, she really doesn’t start showing until about four months. So it leaves you with a few months of not showing, which sucks especially if you’re impatient like me. The worst thing about it is before you start to show, you’ll go through a phase of just looking fat as if you ate 5 hamburgers. Eventually though your belly will pop and bam, It’ll definitely will be noticeable that you’re pregnant.

Pregnancy, pregnancy, pregnancy

My second trimester has been so much better than my first. I feel great, I’m working out, I’m able to eat, I’m happy and healthy and so is my baby. I understand everyone is different. Maybe nobody around me went through the things I went through. Maybe I’m a rare case scenario. You may not go through the same things as me. But these are the things I went through.

Pregnancy no matter how hard it is, is a beautiful thing. To be able to create another life still blows my mind. This human that I’ve created will have a brain, lungs, ears, eyes and even toes. It’s so shocking but amazing. Until next time…

Your wellness coach, friend and future mama,

-Alex