A list of things that went differently than I expected during my pregnancy.
Hi Friends!
Well, I’ve made it to the 33rd week of pregnancy. A while ago I started thinking about some of the things I’d heard about pregnancy vs. how things were actually going for me. I thought it might be fun to make a list of some of the things that have surprised me about my pregnancy journey. Since everyone’s journey is different, I’m sure that people will disagree with me on some of these. and agree with others. This is a recap of my experience so far and I think it’ll be interesting to look back on this list when it comes time for kid #2 and see how it changes!
So, here they are (in no particular order):
1. How “not tired” I was until about 30 weeks.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been tired. I’ve taken my fair share of naps. I get tired more quickly. However, before I got pregnant, I was prepared to be bone-crushingly, in bed at 8pm every night, kinda tired….and that hasn’t been the case. I did notice starting at about 30 weeks that I’ve been needing a few more naps and definitely have been more tired than I was earlier in the pregnancy.
2. How slowly my bump has grown.
This is probably the biggest one. When I think pregnancy, I always have the image of the hugely pregnant lady with the giant midsection. I was super surprised how long it took for me to actually “look pregnant”. I’d say it took until week 27 or 28 before I really looked clearly pregnant when wearing a non-form fitting shirt. Up until then I personally could tell my bump had grown a lot, but it wasn’t clearly evident to strangers/people who don’t see me everyday. Even now, at 33 weeks, I definitely feel pregnant and definitely have a bump, but it still doesn’t quite match up with this image I had in my head of how I thought I was just going to feel gigantic the whole time. I’m sure this will change in the last 6-7 weeks of pregnancy, but it’s been interesting to watch and wait for the first 3/4 of my journey.
In my opinion, unless you have been pregnant yourself, you will never truly understand what it feels like. It is almost impossible to find the words to describe some of the things you feel, why you’re so uncomfortable and what’s going on inside of you. Trying to describe baby kicks, this burning I feel when my ab muscles are stretching and ripping, the enormous amount of pressure on my bladder all the time, how yes- I felt sick yesterday, and the day before and still do today….when I try to explain these things, I feel like people look at me with no clue what I’m talking about.
I had a feeling that I would struggle with nausea when I got pregnant and I was correct. What I didn’t think was that it was possible to feel nauseous every.single.day. for so many days in a row. Certainly it improved from my earlier weeks to later, but there has still been at least one point in every day where I felt nauseous. Couple that with other pregnancy pains, heartburn, etc and there hasn’t really been a day since I got pregnant that I’ve felt what I would call “good”. Just bad or average. But I know it’s worth it.
I knew he would be excited to be a dad. I just didn’t have a clear picture of HOW excited. He got excited the first time he felt the baby kick…and he got excited every.single.time after that. The smile that lights up his face each time is absolutely priceless and I’ll never get tired of watching his reaction. He was excited to decorate the nursery, help me pick out the baby gear we needed and put together things like the carseat and stroller. He’s been to every single doctor’s appointment and paid attention in our classes so he’s ready to support me during labor and delivery. It’s a beautiful thing. Love him.
Before I got pregnant, I figured I would want to read and know every little detail about my pregnancy journey. But once I actually got pregnant, I found I had very little desire to do so, even though I bought a bunch of books. I read the basics but I found I wasn’t very interested in reading how things changed week to week with the baby and what I should/shouldn’t be doing. Maybe that’s weird, maybe it’s because there’s so much info out there that it can feel overwhelming, I don’t know. I just feel like this parenthood journey is different for all and I don’t want to have a huge number of expectations about how things should go, because then if they don’t go that way, I’ll just get all stressed and worried. I’d rather just tackle things as they come.
I know there are bloggers out there who write weekly updates while pregnant, but for me, I felt pretty similar each week. I didn’t have a ton of cravings that changed week to week or varying symptoms – I pretty much felt crappy every week from week 5 on 🙂
Trying to put together a baby registry was by far one of the most overwhelming things I’ve ever done. Everyone has their opinion about what you need, what products are best, etc. It’s exhausting to sort through and pick what’s best for you. And it’s super hard to resist buying baby clothes 🙂
I’ve had my fair share of body image issues and before I got pregnant, I was really worried about how I would react to gaining 25-35 pounds. I’ve been super proud of myself for a) staying motivated and eating as well as I could b) staying consistent with my workouts while pregnant and c) how accepting I was of each pound I gained. It think my motivation and commitment to a healthy pregnancy helped me gain weight slowly, which made the overall weight gain seem less overwhelming. I also didn’t spend a lot of time on the scale. I tried to only get on once every couple of weeks or so and I think that helped me not panic as much. Still, even though you know the weight gain is normal and necessary, it can be overwhelming…but I’m proud of myself for keeping my diet balanced and working out, but also enjoying treats and letting myself rest when necessary.
How far along: 33 weeks + 3 daysTotal weight gain: about 20 pounds I’d guess. I haven’t weighed myself in a couple of weeks but I was at 17 last time I did.
Maternity clothes: Pretty much all I wear now. I have one drawer full of the only clothes I can wear now and there’s not a ton in it so laundry every week becomes extra important! Mostly one pair of shorts, one pair of yoga pants and lots of maternity tank tops…plus a couple maternity shirts.
Stretch marks: Not yet. I’m prone to stretch marks and already have lots on my inner thighs and hips from before I was pregnant, so I won’t be surprised if I end up with some but for now I’m just putting on my cream and hoping for the best.
Sleep: Not too bad. I sleep sitting propped up with a bunch of pillows, which I’m used to since that’s how I slept when I got super bad coughs as a kid.
Best moment of this week: The ultrasound we had last friday. Always fun to see him on the screen.
Miss anything: I miss lifting heavy weights. And I miss workouts being hard just because they’re hard…not because I’m pregnant!
Movement: All the time. He moves around a ton but this past week it seems he’s slowed down during the day and then really picks it up at night after dinner.
Food cravings: We were just talking about how I haven’t really had any weird cravings. Although for the past week, I’ve been craving apples. I think that’s partly because I’m just ready for Fall!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Eating too much or not enough makes me feel sick. I still feel nauseous each day at some point but it’s not really tied to certain foods.
Have you started to show yet: Yep, you can definitely tell I’m pregnant.
Gender: Boy!
Labor signs: None yet.
Belly button in or out: Was just talking about this yesterday too! It’s in, but pretty much flat. I’m hoping it’ll stay that way and not pop out, but we’ll see.
Wedding rings on or off: I haven’t been wearing mine lately but that’s mostly because I have to take it on and off everyday to workout and I usually just forget.
Looking forward to: Him coming! It feels like we’re finally in the home stretch.
Latest Symptoms: I’ve been having a ton of pain in the muscles in my upper back, between my shoulder blades, which makes it uncomfortable to sit for a long time…but when I stand, I’ve been having some pain in my pelvis/pubic bone region…so there’s really no comfortable position. But as long as I don’t overdo it on my workouts and avoid certain things that seem to make it worse like lunges, it’s manageable. Plus of course nausea, heartburn, being tired, etc 🙂
Current Baby Prep: We don’t have much left to do. The nursery is done…we just need to wash the sheets and clothes. Last night we put together the stroller and carseat. Hubby has installing carseat bases in cars on his list of things to do.
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Let’s chat:
Moms, what was one thing that surprised you about your pregnancy?
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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Yes yes yes!! I was surprised how much I absolutely LOVED being pregnant!! Definitely indescribable!
i’m not sure i’d go so far to say love 😉 but definitely indescribable and something i’m so glad i got to experience!
I must admit, I haven’t really followed many bloggers going through a pregnancy, but I was surprised at how slow the bump showed for you- In fact, the first few months, it looked like an epic six pack ha! Big props for embracing the gain buddy!
haha hopefully i’ll get that epic 6pack back some day 🙂
You forgot the “Cravings” section! 😉
Haven’t really had any! it’s been weird.
I love this post! Although I have never been pregnant and don’t plan to be so for a long time its always nice to hear what its HONESTLY like! A few more weeks and you will have your baby boy in your arms!
Thanks Kim! I can’t wait 🙂
Interesting to read Lindsay. I actually really enjoyed these posts as you covered some of the things I have wondered about, and others I would have never thought to say out loud. It seems to be going well for you, but I can see why you would have the concerns you do. I found it funny about the pregnancy books, I always kind of felt like that would be the case with me. Love that hubby is so excited, that smile is ecstatic 🙂
glad you enjoyed it!! just trying to keep it real 🙂
That was summed up very well! Yes, nauseas all the time. With my second pregnancy I had accupuncture and they left the needles in all week with some tape over them. It really helped me.
I read NONE of the what to expect books. Mothering is way more biological that I ever could have realized and you somehow just know what to do even when you don’t.
Baby stuff – you will realize that you need almost none of it 🙂
You are so close to the end – *fist bump*
haven’t tried accupuncture yet, but i have been thinking about getting a prenatal massage 🙂
This was really interesting! It’s so cool how to drastically different pregnancies can be for each person 🙂
I was also very overwhelmed when registering. I went with my sister and best friend (both are moms) and their opinions were so different so I registered for basically everything and then went home (so tired from being on my feet) and took more than half of the items off the registry!!!
I was surprised at the heartburn. I have had some bad heartburn in the past but no one could’ve prepared me for that. From weeks 30-40 I would cringe and cry at my desk at work because of the pain!!!!
Sorry you felt/still feel so sick! So annoying to hear (at least I thought so) but i swear it is worth it 🙂
omg the heartburn. It’s almost worse than the nausea for me because it physically hurts!
I love reading these considering my “gestation period” was 20 days! LOL! I have loved following your journey friend, and I’m so stinking excited for you!!!
Yes to all, but especially to #6! I was reading a lot in the beginning and then certain things started to freak me out, so now I just stick to reading about their growth from week to week and that’s it.
I feel like that’s all you need. There’s too much other info out there. Too easy to get stressed or bogged down.
Loved hearing about your journey because you’ve been so upfront and honest about everything good and bad. It’s definitely an amazing process and I hope the next few weeks go smoothly. I can totally predict I’ll be the same way about the weight gain and books.
thanks jess! doing my best to keep it real and honest!
Hooray for 33 weeks!! OMG I was so tired the first few weeks and then OK the rest of the time. It is really hard to describe what it feels like, isn’t it?? And weird to think about having a baby growing inside you 🙂 There is SO much baby stuff but what I’ve learned is that you don’t need half of it. Keep it simple.
simple is good in my opinion!
Oh, so the sickness thing. I thought it’d be like the movies–throw up once in the morning and then feel fine. NOPE. The only time I felt decent was when I was sleeping. I had no idea it would be so debilitating. I was SO thankful that my queasiness went away the second I have birth. Literally, I could barely eat on the 20th and I was downing a big cheeseburger on the 21st!
glad to hear it 🙂 can’t wait for that lol!
i love this, and all the honesty. You are beautiful friend
I think these are all very valid points for many of us! It’s great you haven’t obsessed over every little detail…I think there’s so much info out there any more that we can drive ourselves crazy. So amazing that you’re so close now!
i agree. it’s one of those things where too much info is a bad thing in my opinion!
It IS funny how different it is for everyone! I’m at 37.5 weeks, and I can say I had a relatively uneventful pregnancy – but quickly, beginning with 36 weeks, some of the less desirable side effects are kicking in. 🙂 It’s more and more difficult to get comfortable to sleep, and, snoring has made my sleep less restful. It’s certainly a mind game at this point, so hopefully I am close. LOL
I love that I’ve been able to remain active, and still doing MOST of what I did before I was pregnant. The belly has grown substantially in the last few weeks, and I get more and more stares at the gym, or when I’m walking the dog, but if it still feels good – I’m doing it.
I was also blessed with a pregnancy that gave “intuitive eating” a whole new meaning. I’ve struggled with food in the past – what to eat, how much, etc. But for some reason, being pregnant put me on the straight and narrow. I knew EXACTLY what my body needed, and I ate it, and moved on. I was lucky this was predominately good, whole foods. Fruits, veggies, lean meats and whole grains. Very little ice cream/cake cravings. LOL I’ll actually be sad to see that level of connectedness with my body go when I deliver. Who knows – maybe it will stick around. 🙂
isn’t it crazy how our bodies just know?! good luck in these last few weeks!!
Thankfully I was never sick (which surprised me)… I also took a really long time to show with my first. The second was a bit faster to pop. It’s fun to read how different pregnancy is for everyone. And yes to the crazy amounts of baby gear out there!!
i keep hearing that about pregnancy #2!
OH ALL THESE THINGS.
I completely and utterly agree with you on so many of them. It’s definitely different when you’re pregnant with #2 too! I’ll be interested to see how #3 is for me when the time comes haha.
Loved #2 I felt the same, I always pictured me huge and waddling and that never happened! Then the baby came at 36 weeks so I always felt I got robbed of being huge and pregnant haha. However no stretch marks and easy to loose the weight was a big plus!
haha, definitely a bonus!
So far for me, I haven’t had any nausea or weird cravings. My first trimester I was exhausted all the time, and the second trimester I’m feeling fine. Still running and still CrossFit, but yes, I miss when workouts were hard because they were hard. There are times I lose my motivation, and that sucks. I haven’t noticed a bump (I’m 16+ weeks), but been disappointed at how I just look “fat” because of the weight gain. It’s been hard on me mentally with my body issues…very hard. And then I feel bad for feeling this way, so it’s a revolving cycle. I plan to do an update soon. I just fee like the “anti-mom mom” lately. :-\
hang in there girl. it can be tough mentally but you WILL start to show at some point.
Love hearing all the updates about your baby! I am so excited for you! I am 5’10” and wondering if whenever I have kids I’ll also be slow to show like you. Seems like the taller someone is the less you can tell they’re pregnant haha!
i think this is one of those times when being tall is definitely a plus 🙂
Thank you for sharing this!! I am not pregnant, but it is some things we are talking about in the not too distant future, so I am always interested to see how people’s experiences vary. So awesome to hear about yours!
you’re so welcome 🙂
I agree, you could never properly describe what it’s like to be pregnant (or labor for that matter!). Carrying another human around is pretty cool. Registering for the first baby is probably the most overwhelming experience EVER! So much stuff! I was surprised at how my body reacted to pregnancy with the exact same weight gain (in the same places) for 4 pregnancies!
that’s pretty crazy!
You go girl! One thing that really surprised me when I was pregnant was HOW MUCH I loved being pregnant! It’s such a special time. Enjoy these last weeks 🙂 And I agree – it’s something that happens to your body that you just can’t explain. I also couldn’t believe how my body changed, and then changed back! Amazing!
getting excited for the changing back part 🙂
Number 5 is my favorite – Matt is the same way and it is amazing to be able to share this with someone! And I also am starting to have a hard time finding comfortable positions… especially at the end of the day!
yay for hubbys!
I am so excited for you!!
I’m scared out of my mind to be pregnant. I have nearly a zero pain tolerance so I’m nervous for how I”m going to deal with it all! I guess it will just make me a tougher person in the process? Lol! Thanks for sharing your experiences with us 🙂
haha you’ll be fine. just remember it’s different for everyone. you could end up loving being pregnant 🙂
I love this post!
I’m surprised to hear that you didn’t really want to read much. Honestly, I always see myself as the lady reading like EVERY preggo book ever before a baby comes, but I can totally see how exhaustion and just “letting it happen” is more realistic. I doubt I will have the energy to read much at all!
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Great list! I’m TOTALLY with you on #4 and #6!
Can’t believe you’re so close to the finish line! Lots of these things surprised me too, but the biggest surprises for me were what came after the babies were born!! Good luck!
oh boy 🙂 can’t wait!
Fun post and love the pics of your hubby! I think the heartburn surprised me the most about both of my pregnancies (right at 5 months). I also gained almost the exact same amount of weight with each one-20 & 22 pounds. All in all, both were pretty similar, although I had a little more nausea (nothing bad) with my son, my daughter hiccuped a lot, and my son was a kicker. Enjoy these last few weeks 🙂
i haven’t felt hiccups yet. i think that’d be kinda fun!
This was so fun to read. 🙂 It totally took me back to my pregnancy days which in a lot of ways seems like an ETERNITY ago (except it really wasn’t that long ago – ha). I really loved being pregnant. I have to agree with you on #9. I was worried how I’d deal with the weight gain, but I was really proud of myself for how I handled it all. And YES to #8!! I was SO overwhelmed. I swear I spent wayyyy too many hours researching and trying to figure out what the heck we needed. Getting so excited for you!! Baby Bean will be here before you know it!
definitely a lot of unnecessary stuff out there!
I was surprised how much my gums bled when I brushed and flossed when I was pregnant. My nose also bled a lot when I was preggo. Weird!
i’ve noticed the gums bleeding too!
Thanks so much for not writing those minute to minute pregnancy accounts but this was such a great summary. You look fantastic (and did you say “him”). I had such belly envy pregnant with my first, never got the big huge belly, nobody got up for me on the subway. Be careful what you wish for baby #2 I showed when I was like 3 seconds pregnant.
haha so funny how that happens!
Hoping you both stay healthy and happy! It’s funny how different pregnancy is for every woman and I couldn’t believe how different my first was from my second. I thought I’d been through it and I wouldn’t be surprised, but I was so wrong! It wasn’t a bad thing, just different, and a reminder of how amazing it is to bring a new life into the world.
i’m looking forward to seeing how #1 and #2 differ!
Just about everything about the labor surprised me! haha Especially how well I dealt with the pain. I thought I was going to be a much bigger wimp. 😉
oh i’m so hoping that will be me too 🙂
I was surprised at how much I loved being pregnant – except for the very last few days when things got too crowded and uncomfortable!
that’s awesome! i wouldn’t say i love it…but it’s definitely been a unique experience that i’m glad i had!
I never got very big when I was pregnant either and that surprised me. (Though it probably shouldn’t have, my mom didn’t get big when she had me either.)
just goes to show it’s different for everyone!
Great post! I’m 37 weeks pregnant with a boy and cannot wait for him to arrive. It’s definitely crazy the amount of baby clothes that are out there and they are too cute to resist.
you’re getting so close! hope he comes soon!
Well I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I love following your journey! Can’t wait to see Baby Bean!
I was surprised how sensitive my sniffer was. And that scents were most often the cause of my nausea.
Enjoy the next few weeks! Baby Bean will be here before you know it!
You’re looking fabulous Lindsay!
I have to second you on the husband part. Seeing the person you love so much already embrace fatherhood is a pretty amazing thing to be apart of.
Enjoy these last few weeks! Once he’s out it’s like putting your heart on legs and letting it run out into the world, at least for now, he’s all yours 😉
Thanks so much Rita 🙂
Very interesting insights! I for one am happy that you’ve continued to work out and CrossFit during your pregnancy (just with modified movement and without high weight). And the way you’ve dealt with the weight gain is inspiring. Too many women, I think, get nervous over the weight gain, when it’s really a necessary part of carrying a child!
definitely necessary. thank you!
I like reading about you going through this. In my unexperienced mine I feel like being pregnant would be tolerable…but giving birth still scares me!
scares me too! eek 🙂
This was really interesting to read. It’s funny how everybody’s pregnancy journeys are so different. I think I would feel like you and although I usually love to read up before taking on something new, with pregnancy there is just so much information out there, it’s rather overwhelming and I like to think I’m pretty in tune with my own body enough now to know how I would change as the weeks went on.
Agreed. Sometimes you just gotta trust yourself 🙂
I’m trying to think about what surprised me…I will say that I agree with your list. Don’t worry if you get an outtie, by the way…I did, but it reverted within the first maybe 3 weeks or less? No big deal. As your stomach shrinks back down, it reverses in kind of a cool way. 😉 I also didn’t have any cravings.
I was so tired of answering questions from acquaintances about being pregnant. Day by day, not much changes. As you said, some days are better than others, but yeah…it gets old. 🙂
I’m not pregnant yet, but I can’t wait to experience this for myself. I’m planning on trying in a year or so and cannot wait. at all. Thanks for sharing! 🙂