What pregnant women won't tell you ever!

[Stevie]

ihad a good giggle...
they did miss some things i rekon...

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Wow. That's what being pregnant is like? And people don't tell you about this and labour?

Gosh.

I had people tell me all of this (and worse) and pregnancy was perfectly lovely, thank you very much (well, aside from the sciatica). Threw up four times, each time I was the first one cheering. Kicking was fun, and never had me in pain or weeing. I didn't swell - and was in pre-preg full outfits at 38w and 3 days post-partum. I peed and I used paper - WITH stitches and WITHOUT problems.

I did have a less fun time with the birth, but that's nothing to laugh at. And I will happily warn people about the troubles I had and ways to avoid them.

What is it with pretending motherhood is crappy from conception? Having another person growing inside of you is the most wonderful thing in the world. Yes, I had crazy woman hormones and sciatica, both of which I can laugh about now (in fact, even during the pregnany I could laugh between crazy woman attacks). But it was fun! And I learnt how to lock my husband out the house, a worthwhile skill IMHO.

[MummaSue]

Hehe, I loved that article too.

I feel they did miss out a few other things though!

The round ligament pain, the discharge that no-one seems to talk about, amongst other things.

Pregnancy is bloody wonderful though, despite all those things.

Sue xx

[HotI]

What is it with pretending motherhood is crappy from conception? Having another person growing inside of you is the most wonderful thing in the world. Yes, I had crazy woman hormones and sciatica, both of which I can laugh about now (in fact, even during the pregnany I could laugh between crazy woman attacks). But it was fun! And I learnt how to lock my husband out the house, a worthwhile skill IMHO.

For some people, pregnancy is pretty crappy for the whole 9 months. And because you are growing a new person, it is almost sacrelegious to talk about the bad bits, and how you might not feel so wonderful.

Yes, i think it is cool that i am growing a little person. Am i enjoying it? not really. Do i think its the most wonderful thing in the world? Not really, most of the time i think it's a flawed design - and it's good to be able to read someone else's story and find similarities.

[AliB]

What is it with pretending motherhood is crappy from conception? .

I'm a bit with you LZ because I've been blessed with a trouble free preg. When i first got UTD I was given/loaned several preg books that were 'funny', 'fun', 'honest' kind of books written by hip girls for the modern preggo (a bit like this article that's been posted). I couldn't believe that all of them really gave me the idea that I'd have a miserable pregnancy on the whole! Two even made statements near the beginning along the lines that "If anyone tells you that their pregnancy was easy or they loved being pregnant or it was the best time of their life, well they're lying / crazy / deluded / NOT SOMEBODY YOU WANT IN YOUR LIFE". Woah!!!

By far the best preg book I have, much to my surprise, is "What to expect when you're expecting". It is much more balanced, reassuring and never makes generalised, sensationalist claims!

BUT back to the OP's posted article... it was pretty funny and NO I didn't know about the cervix kicks...! Ad given that my bub was fully engaged at 24 weeks and kept bopping around I got so much cervix action it wasn't funny!

[Indadhanu]

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


LZ, hmmmm, I am one who didn't enjoy being pregnant. Not to say that I didn't enjoy growing another little life, but pregnancy itself was not a walk in the park. There were times when I enjoyed it, but in all honesty NO ONE told me about most of those things, and pregnancy was a whirlwind of experiences, and not necessarily positive. I guess in the same way that one person can say that labour and birth is an amazing process, and they can't wait to do it again, and others find it traumatic and feel sick at the thought of possibly going back for number two.

[Curly]

LZ - after my first pregnancy I would totally have agreed with you.

This pregnancy - I've had all that they describe and more. Nosebleeds, bleeding gums, migraines, heartburn, extra discharge, very uncomfortable swelling down below, painful varicose veins, insomnia, pelvic instability, extreme tiredness, nausea, tender breasts, blood clot in my leg, not to mention a serious scare with regard to the health of the baby.

This is my last pregnancy and I am trying my hardest to savour the experience but the ONLY thing I am enjoying is feeling the kicking and in my most honest moments I will admit I can't wait to not be pregnant anymore. I think the only thing I have been lucky with is that I still haven't gotten any stretch marks.

We were planning 4 children but have decided to stop at 3, and a lot of the reasoning behind that is because I physically do not want to experience another pregnancy like this one with 3 little kids to care for as well.

TeniBear - I personally thought the toilet paper thing was an exaggeration. I took my own extra soft toilet paper to hospital with me but I didn't really find it necessary. I had no problem with using toilet paper, even with (lots of) stitches. A lot of people talk about stingy urination so the squeezy bottle of water is to dilute the urine as it comes out (or you can go in the shower) but I never found that necessary.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I know that pregnancies aren't all walks in the park and I was VERY blessed with Liebling's.

BUT... the amount of people these articles "scare off having children" or the like (see the comments!) - I'm sick of people running down pregnancy. Then going back to have another child. Couldn't have been that bad then.

Other thing - it doesn't stop here. The women who think this is "so funny" and the like... they whinge their child's life away. "Oh, he doesn't sleep." "He's too active." How about - I get loads of cuddles 24-hours a day and all the exercise has helped me with any remaining baby weight. Yes, I know I would like more sleep than I get sometimes... but if getting a full night's sleep every night meant no Liebling... let me have 2 hours sleep a night every now and then! Even three years on, I'd rather no sleep than no child.

[Curly]

My pet peeves are scaremongering about labour and what your body will be like post-baby...and that nobody EVER talks about the love you have for your child and how wonderful and life-changing that is, and how that is what gets you through the bad times.

It's a fine line though - you have to balance between being honest about pregnancy or coming full circle to the point of the article in the first place - what people don't tell you about being pregnant.

This is far and away the "worst" pregnancy I have had out of all 3 of them but I find that I am still editing what I tell people. Partly TMI factor, especially for those who haven't been pregnant yet (I am anti-scaremongering, and I know from experience that my experience with pregnancy this time around is not a given, my pregnancy with DS was beautiful)...and partly because I can still appreciate the miracle of growing a child inside of me.

I've told DH a bit more about my discomfort because he is obviously a big part of the decision to stop at 3 children but even he doesn't know it all because I don't want to whinge. I want to bond with my new little baby and appreciate that despite a nasty fright she is healthy and thriving inside me and do my best not to think about the effect this is having on my body - I don't want to resent her at all.

But yes...for me, this pregnancy is "that bad" that I won't be coming back for more, despite our original plans. And no, I will never ever tell her that. It's not her fault.

[Persephone1]

I was searching the site for the thread that would tell me that getting kicked in the vee-jay-jay was normal, and look at that! I found the thread! So glad I'm not the only one. Had to read it to DH to prove that I'm not crazy!

[Vixstar]

That sometimes your DP /DF / DH or partner sometimes looks like a big hairy beast walkign through the front door and you wonder where HE / SHE is going to be sleeping...def not in your bed!

Poor DH.......I do love him.

[~TT40~]

good to see I knew about all that, and dont hid it from my women i look after...except the toilet paper thing...never heard of that! I do however suggest they buy one of those plastic shower head s you attach to the end of the tap to clean themselves, regularly like when having a shower but not inplace of loo paper..is it american?
anywho! brilliant list!!!! =)