After the initial "congratulations" and "oh my Gods," the first thing people want to do when you tell them you're pregnant is give you advice. Solicited advice. Unsolicited advice. Obvious advice. TMI advice. Doesn't matter. They just want to drop the knowledge. It's kind of like an initiation into a secret society, and while some of it is terribly annoying, some of it is actually really helpful.
But things have happened during my pregnancy -- weird things -- that no person, book, or website ever warned me of. I mean, I know every pregnancy is different, but what the heck, guys? Somebody could have given me a heads up. Here are five (strange) things about pregnancy I wish I was warned about.
The gross taste in my mouth. I've written about the weird, metallic-y taste in my mouth before, but I cannot concoct such a list and leave this off. During my first trimester, it was constant. Everything I ate tasted ... off. And when I was done eating -- whether I had just chowed down on a salad or a piece of cake -- I always had the same, odd taste in my mouth. It sort of went away in the second trimester, but every now and again in the third, it returns. And, friends, it's disgusting.
My taste in music/TV/movies changed. It sounds crazy, but I swear, it's true. I'm just not into some of the stuff I was into before. Again, the first trimester was the worst with this. Seriously, if I caught a glimpse of Jersey Shore on TV, I wanted to put my fist through the television. Same went for House Hunters and House Hunters International -- shows I can normally watch for days. And don't even think about putting on a horror movie when I'm in the room. It's not that I'm scared of them now, they just seem extra stupid.
The dreams. I've always been an avid dreamer, but dude, some of the stuff playing out in my mind while I sleep (which, admittedly, is rare) is full-on cray-cray. They're like Stanley Kubrick adaptations of Hunter S. Thompson novels. With lots of cameos by random, often scary, babies.
The fact that most people don't give a f**k that you're pregnant. Granted, I live in the rudest city in the world (New York), but man, have I been surprised at some of the reactions (or non-reactions) I've gotten since becoming visibly pregnant. Men have literally shoved me to get a seat on the subway. I've been laughed at when I fell. And a single person is yet to let me cut the line to go to the bathroom. Look, I don't expect the world to stop because I'm having a baby, but Jesus, some common courtesy would be nice. I didn't think it would be like this.
I get fuller easier now. People, myself included, always think of pregnant women being able to eat twice as much as they did before. So not the case. I probably eat more often now, but I honestly feel kind of full after a handful of grapes. I attribute this to the fact that my insides are scrunched up and everything just feels kind of swollen. I'm already full with baby.
Like I said, every pregnancy is different, so these side effects may seem completely nuts to some. But for me, they're all too real. And I think I would have been better prepared if I knew to expect them.
What weird side effects did you/do you have during pregnancy?
Image via David Boyle/Flickr
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Comments 45
I still think its hilarious you expect anyone but you and your circle of people to care you are pregnant.
Being pregnant is not being disabled, you dont deserve special treatment from anyone, you are the one who needs to give your own body special treatment. When you're walking around with a newborn, no one will care then either, in fact people may even treat you worse. I am speaking from experience, not trying to be mean.
I too was surprised at how people seemed to be going out of their way to be even more rude to me when I was pregnant. I didn't expect special treatment but to be treated worse was a surprise. See, when you're pregnant or you have young children you become the enemy to certain group of people. You're a breeder now. You are the cause of small inconveniences to selfish people. You know the ones, the people who treat a crying baby like a cancer diagnosis. Your baby officially ruined their life by crying for a few minutes while they were trying to eat.
I do think it's funny that anyone would think people would care more if you are pregnant. Those people that laugh when you fall would have laughed either way. The man on the subway probably wasn't looking at you as a pregnant woman but a person in the way of a seat. Bathroom lines? Come on. Because those waiting don't have to go as badly as you. I'm 7 1/2 months pregnant with my third. I go about my day and don't care what others think or do.
One really weird side effect I noticed when I was pregnant was my moles and freckles became darker and grew larger.