30 Pregnant Women Share Things They Wish They Knew Before They Got Pregnant

21.

“That not all gynecologists are competent. And if you have a feeling yours isn’t, find a new one. Mine was very personable, did my d&c for my miscarriage before my first born, didn’t really give me any red flags until after I was pregnant again. Long story short, he forgot (I guess?) to have me tested for gestational diabetes, and I had it. There were OBVIOUS signs that he didn’t catch, that I didn’t even know were signs until my new doctor told me. My son ended up having to be in NICU for 3 days after he was born because he couldn’t regulate his own blood sugar. Every doctor and nurse I talked to along the way was appalled I hadn’t gotten tested. He also didn’t catch that I was anemic the whole pregnancy either. Thank God we’re all healthy and happy now but looking back I should’ve changed doctors.” –Ghostseverywhere

22.

“That no matter how much you planned and wanted your baby – postpartum depression can happen to you and it is very, very real. It is not something you can control. Hormones are liars. Partners of new moms please pay close attention. Get help. Do not try to tough it out. Get. Help.” –Drumwife91

23.

“Baby kicks don’t feel like butterflies . They feel like something crawled across your skin quickly; but from the inside.” –chrisP__bacon

24.

“No one ever told me about the “3rd delivery” aka your first poop. I was struggling for so long.” –MomOfRPM31

25.

“Bread causes heartburn. During the later stages I lived off boiled potatoes and fruit only.” –chrisP__bacon

26.

“Lochia, it’s basically the biggest “period” ever as your body expels the leftovers from carrying a baby, and it can go on for weeks. I will never forget being told that I might pass clots as big as a tennis ball and that was normal. So gross. Also, babies in the womb can have hiccups. Hiccups are weird enough when they’re your own, it’s bizarre to feel someone else’s.” –Obi-rice-a-roni

27.

“This is mostly a 3rd trimester thing, but that when you are active and moving, it kinda rocks the baby to sleep. But as soon as you lay down to go to sleep, baby wakes up and starts kicking and spinning.” –GingerMau

28.

“You can “do everything right” and have an “easy” pregnancy but baby is born prematurely. The kicker is you may never get a reason as to why.” –yogihomecook

29.

“Pregnancy brain is REAL.

It’s not a joke. It’s not exaggerated. When you start forgetting, misplacing, and outright losing things, you can start feeling like you’re also losing your mind. Finding your missing remote in the deli drawer of your refrigerator is disconcerting. Finding the ice cream you just bought melted in the bathroom closet is enough to bring you to tears. Then you start screwing up or even completely forgetting words and even names, and the concern deepens.This. Is. All. Normal.

A combination of hormones, other changes in your body, changes in your eating and sleeping habits, and generally big life changes are doing a number on your noggin.
It’s okay. It’s normal. You’ll get through it and eventually the brain fog will clear.” –TheWritingNeverEnds

30.

“Not currently pregnant, but I wish I was told about the constant swelling of my ankles & feet. I swelled to the point of needing to buy shoes a size & a half bigger.” –FadedRin