The Stuff Nobody Tells You

So in my first 17 weeks of pregnancy, I've learned a LOT of things that nobody ever tells you about. I'm sure that I will continue to learn a lot, so I intend for this post to be an ongoing segment on my blog. Here are the top 5 things I've learned thus far (the good, the bad and the ugly):

1. Nobody ever prepares you for how bad the 1st trimester really is. I'm not sure if it is because it is such a short part of your pregnancy, or if the joys of the child make you completely forget what you went through those first few months, but I'm here to tell you that it is rough! I was even a "lucky" one who did not get physically sick, so I can only imagine how terrible it is for those who can't keep anything down. For me it was the constant feeling of a hangover day in and day out. Headache, nausea, exhausted, food aversions, mood swings, etc. Think of it as being terribly hungover and PMSing at the same time. Horrible!

2. Some where along the line, someone forgot to inform me that starting around 14 weeks, you begin to have frequent nosebleeds, and your gums bleed every time you floss. What the heck?! I guess the extra blood flowing through your veins is bound to come out somewhere but geez.

3. I've always known that sleeping on your back and stomach was a no no but no one ever said anything about needing to sleep on your left side only. Apparently sleeping on your left side positions the placenta in a way that it provides the most nutrients for your baby. Now, I've always been a back sleeper so that was hard enough, but when I wasn't on my back, I was on my right side facing away from my lovely snoring husband. So, needless to say, shifting to my left side was an adjustment. Thankfully I quickly realized that earplugs were my saving grace!

4. No deli meat! You already know where I stand on this so I won't go into any more detail.

5. This next one is a personal symptom that does not happen to everyone, but again, I had never heard anything about it prior to being pregnant. Around month 2 I started sneezing excessively and now I sneeze a minimum of 20 - 30 times a day!! Apparently it is pretty common and it is due to a condition called Pregnancy Rhinitis. Sounds made up right? Wrong! According to Pregnancyinfo.net, "Pregnancy rhinitis is actually one of the most common discomforts associated with pregnancy. Like morning sickness and backaches, thousands of pregnant women experience pregnancy rhinitis every year. In fact, it is believed that between 20% and 30% of all pregnant women will suffer from pregnancy rhinitis to some degree."