04 Aug 19 Surprising Things About Pregnancy

Our lovely Facebook community shares what they personally discovered while expecting. So what surprised you most about pregnancy?

1. The intensity of feelings – I felt a connectedness to my body and an overwhelming need to protect my unborn child. Now I understand how mothers don’t give a second thought to standing between their children and harm’s way. – Kristy 

2. I explained to my 14-month old that there’s a baby in mummy’s tummy and since then he pulls up my shirt to talk to the ‘bab-y’ and gives it kisses, raspberries and pats. He loves books and points to pictures of babies saying ‘bab-y’, so he has made the connection. It makes me realise an innate instinct and awareness of nature is already ingrained in these little humans we grow, and we need to give them credit for that. – Sharni 

3. I had a HUGE overwhelming nesting urge that lasted pretty much the whole of my three pregnancies. I just wanted everything so perfect, clean, ready and in place. Not sure who I thought was coming, a new baby or the Queen! – Sarenity

4. Every month I was really surprised by the development of the baby. I was really fascinated and crying every time I had my ultrasound. Every movement made me feel excited. – Angie 

5. My skin could stretch without leaving stretch marks on my tummy! I measured 114cm around at full-term and afterwards I only had one small mark near my naval. – Hayley

6. I loved the amazing feeling of my baby moving inside and how I could only experience that when pregnant and it made me really sad. – Rita 

7. That everyone thought they could rub my pregnant belly as they pleased. I found it very uncomfortable. I surprised myself with how very protective I was of the little baby growing inside me! – Theoni 

8. Pregnancy is just nine months of random discharges, pain in the bum (literally) and pillows. Totally worth it though! – Alma 

9. My second pregnancy, which was twins, was an absolute breeze compared to my first, single pregnancy. Gone was the endless fatigue and headaches. I spent my twin pregnancy working, running around after my toddler and going for long walks on the beach!  – Marie 

10. Pregnancy somehow meant there weren’t limits with conversations…I had strangers asking about my bowels, distant relatives asking about my boobs and friends telling me more than what I wanted to know! – Lyn

11. The way my body handled changes and the way it made me and the people around me feel. Especially my sense of smell. I was so sensitive to everything around me, bad smells initiated nausea while good smells initiated cravings. – Bella 

12. When my waters broke, they literally kept flowing. I thought once they broke that was it; a small amount of liquid would come out, not a giant puddle! – Nat 

13. Morning sickness isn’t just ‘morning sickness’, it can be all day and night sickness! – Jennalee

14. Being so healthy with pregnancy one, then so ill for eight months with the second. – Adrienne 

15. I would get vivid dreams revealing how my kids would look and their gender before I found out from the ultrasound! – Maryan 

16. I grew a shoe size, I had no idea that could happen. – Teena 

17. Mad leg cramps almost every day and constipation. – Karina 

18. How dark my love line got (linea nigra). I didn’t even know women got one until I became pregnant. – Angeleah 

19. I LOVED my belly…the look and feel was so comfortable and I went through almost a grieving process after my son was born – especially when I saw other pregnant bellies. – Jodee 

Thanks to our Facebook community for sharing their pregnancy experiences with us – motherhood is amazing.

Compiled by Jenna Templeton / Image by Bedford Photography