FIVE THINGS THEY DIDN'T TELL ME ABOUT PREGNANCY (THE NOT SO LOVELY BITS)

When I got pregnant with Indie, it wasn't until I was pretty far into my pregnancy that I found out about some of the eye-watering effects that carrying a child for 40 weeks would entail. Some I experienced, and others I was lucky enough to avoid but nonetheless I am currently bracing myself for the rocky road ahead that is pregnancy.

MORNING SICKNESS

Morning Sickness should never ever, ever have been called something so misleading. All day everyday sickness sounds a bit more like it! You can eat all the ginger biscuits, flat coke or salty crackers that you like but there is no escaping the nausea and sickness that hits a lot of pregnant women. The good news is that for most it generally subsides at around 12 weeks and you do tend to regain some sense of normality when it comes to nausea, appetite and diet.

HORMONES

Whether it be sobbing over dropping the last Rolo or the metallic taste caused by extra Estrogen in your body, hormones is not something I was prepared for. One minute I'm your best friend and the next I'm one big Preggozilla! Nothing can really control this but trying to keep a positive mind set and hoping for the best will probably help. Easier said then done when an advert about Tea Bags can set you off crying hysterically.

SWOLLEN BOOBS

Starting from the early weeks your boobs become a no-go-zone whilst your adjusting to the rate they grow and how sore they become. Bras become a torture device and hubby only has to look at them in the wrong way and he's destined to sleep in the garden! Sports bras are the only thing that gave me the slightest bit of relief although they do do specialist maternity/nursing bras that offer the right amount of support aswell. 

PILES

Onto something that I've been ever so lucky to avoid during pregnancy is Piles, Yes I said it, Piles. Its something that 50% of the population suffer with at some point in their lives and ⅔ of pregnant women get during their first pregnancy! One in ten women will get them in their 3rd trimester; that's an awful lot of pregnant ladies not sitting comfortably. Keeping hydrated, maintaining a high fibre diet and regular gentle exercise can help avoid getting Piles. Luckily products such as Germoloids offer effective pain relief and are available from most pharmacies and supermarkets costing as little as £3.69. Not going to lie, I've got my fingers crossed that I will be lucky enough not to suffer during this pregnancy too!

Click here for more information on why women get piles during pregnancy and click here to read about the signs and symptoms to look out for.

UNWANTED BELLY TOUCHING

When you get pregnant it seems that many people including total strangers feel like they have the right to 'and without warning might I add' touch your belly to feel baby. This is something that I tried to avoid in my first pregnancy by wearing a maternity top that read 'Hands Off My Bump' but as it turns out the two hand prints that were part of the design were just considered the perfect template for said people to touch! I often wondered how they would feel if I returned the gesture?

So there it is, five things that nobody told me about pregnancy (the not so lovely bits). Luckily enough, the miracle of life that's waiting at the end of it seemingly makes everything irrelevant. Pregnancy is a very beautiful time that I really do treasure and feel so very blessed to be able to experience again. Sometimes it takes the bad and the ugly to really appreciate the good.

What didn't they tell you about pregnancy?

*I was not paid to write this post