For some women, pregnancy is one of the greatest experiences of their lives. But as great as it can be, there are a lot of lesser-known aspects that don't get the attention they deserve.
For some, it can come as a shock. So in an effort to help better prepare mothers-to-be, women are now sharing the things that they wish they knew before they got pregnant. Have a look!
I'm sure that Redditor darlin133 would never think of her children as a mistake, but by gosh that must have come as quite a shock.
I probably would have fainted after seeing the ultrasound.
Reddit user chrisP__bacon wants women to know that "Baby kicks don’t feel like butterflies. They feel like something crawled across your skin quickly; but from the inside."
That sounds absolutely horrifying.
Redditor cat_romance was pretty sure that her breasts would get larger during pregnancy, but nothing could have prepared her for how sensitive they'd become.
She accidentally rolled the wrong way during sleep and woke up in excruciating pain.
Reddit user hello-fellow-kids- was constantly dealing with various ailments, aches, and pains during pregnancy.
She said, "I have insane heart burn[sic], restless leg syndrome, have to pee constantly and find it impossible to get comfortable.
It can happen at all hours of the day and night, sometimes for the entire duration of the pregnancy.
It's been 33 years since my mother brought me into this world, and she still talks about how sick I made her.
When raisinghellwithtrees was pregnant, she lost total vision in her one eye. Her doctor said that the condition isn't altogether uncommon and that plenty of women experience temporary blindness.
Only in her case, it never returned.
Reddit user black_lilies says that whether you want it or not, people are going to try to tell you what to do while pregnant, and how to raise your children after they're born.
"The sickest joke of all: you stop being able to sleep way before the baby gets here. Everyone loves to tell me to “sleep now while I can” but pregnancy leads to unexplained insomnia and I’m a total wreck already." - Reddit u/tibbymoon
"Finding your missing remote in the deli drawer of your refrigerator is disconcerting," says Redditor TheWritingNeverEnds.
"Finding the ice cream you just bought melted in the bathroom closet is enough to bring you to tears."
Redditor DoxieBalls said that when she was pregnant — she craved dirt. Not just any dirt, particularly beach sand.
It took all the self-control she had to stop herself from shoveling handfuls of sand into her mouth.
Redditor Davis1511 wants moms to give themselves a break and understand that it is going to take serious time and self-care in order for your body to heal properly.
No matter how much you've planned, no matter how long you've yearned — it's perfectly normal to experience feelings of depression after giving birth.
We need to work harder to create a safe space for new moms to be able to vocalize these feelings without fear of judgment.
According to Shakenbake1811, she developed severe allergies after the birth of her second child. Not only that, but her feet never returned to their original shape or size.
Hormones aren't anything to be taken lightly.
Most people are under the assumption that when a woman's water breaks, it's over and done in one big rush.
The truth of the matter is that water breaking is continuous. It's incredibly messy and can be horrible to deal with.
The first poop after pregnancy isn't going to be pretty. More than likely, you'll still be stitched up and in an incredible amount of pain.
It will be one of the few times in your life that you'll be glad to have a custodial staff on hand.
