60 things nobody told me about being pregnant

What didn’t you expect when you were expecting? Every pregnancy is different, and our discoveries, symptoms and feelings will be totally unique to each of us. But by opening up the dialogue of our experiences in pregnancy, we can make those surprises feel a little more normal!

We asked our community to submit what took them by surprise when they fell pregnant, and here’s what they said.

1. How attached I would get to my bump

2. Feeling confident and proud of my body after years of not loving it

3. How difficult it became to put my socks on

4. When your waters break… they keep on breaking!

5. How unbearably poorly it can make you

6. How unrealistic TV and film make it out to be

7. Not feeling excited about it all the time

8. How HEAVY my body felt those last few weeks

9. How much sex I wanted to have

10. How hard it was

11. I felt invincible. I wish I could bottle that feeling

12. The heartburn

13. How quickly 9 months can go by

14. How much I actually enjoyed it, when I had been told how awful it was

15. How different each pregnancy was

16. How much I disliked my body and the fact I didn’t have control over how it changed

17. People wanting to touch your belly or commenting on it

18. Noticing the UK has a serious lack of public toilets

19. Getting lots of skin tags which then disappeared postpartum

20. The fact morning sickness doesn’t just happen in the morning

21. Cholestasis

22. How weird everything smelt!

23. Being pregnant made me feel superhuman for a bit

24. How unglamourous it was – smelly pee, swollen boobs, sore pelvis

25. How much my body was pushed to its limit

26. Middle of the night leg cramps

27. Telling friends and family and watching their tears of joy

28. Lightning crotch

29. How much I’d miss it

30. Uncontrollable cravings for chicken nuggets

31. How excited people were for a new little one to join the world

32. That my feet changed size

33. Gingivitis (bleeding gums)

34. How differently people treated me

35. Insomnia

36. Feeling a really special bond with my baby and like they were all mine

37. The nosebleeds

38. Unpopular opinion – I loved when strangers would comment on my bump

39. How my hair never got greasy

40. How guilty I felt at the time for not enjoying being pregnant

41. How I could never find maternity clothes in the shops

42. People I barely knew asking if the pregnancy was planned

43. Worrying about every little pain, particularly after loss

44. How physically vulnerable I felt – like I wouldn’t be able to defend myself or run away from danger if needed

45. My baby moving inside me felt weird and not always comforting

46. The metallic taste in your mouth

47. How much better my mental health and mood was

48. The boob pain

49. Turning the toilet seat purple!

50. How bad restless legs can be

51. The hot flushes

52. How thick my hair got – but then started falling out postpartum

53. Feeling my heartbeat in my bump

54. How breathless I get.. even talking

55. The audacity of other people

56. Getting piles

57. How lonely it can feel

58. The sheer amount of Rennies I went through

59. How calm I was about giving birth

60. How much space people give you to pass on the pavement