10 Secrets About Being Pregnant That No One Tells You

This post is all about the 10 secrets about being pregnant that no one tells you.

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Oh, pregnancy. The precious time when your body changes more than you could ever imagine.

Now that I’m well into my third trimester there are things that I expected, but there are definitely things that have happened that I did NOT expect throughout this pregnancy.

So today I want to let you in on my 10 secrets about pregnancy that no one tells you about but SHOULD.

10 Sectrets About Being Pregnant That No One Tells You

There are plenty of things about pregnancy that you’ve probably heard a million times. You’ll be tired, your back might hurt, and weird cravings. Does any of these sound familiar?

Oddly enough, a lot more goes on in the 9 months that lead up to birth.

Your body changes A LOT and every single pregnancy is different. Each pregnancy can be filled with surprises and so I’m sharing with you 10 secrets about being pregnant that I wish someone had told me before having my first!

1. You May Smell Bad A Little Extra

Changing hormones can cause your body to sweat more than normal.

There’s no way around this one. Bottom line you’ll smell a little extra bad throughout the day. I find myself reapplying deodorant AT LEAST 3 to 4 times per day.

My tip to you is to purchase a travel-size deodorant that you can put in your purse so you’ll be able to reapply when you’re out and about.

2. You Can’t Sleep On Your Back

This one threw me for a loop! I obviously knew eventually you won’t be about to sleep on your belly anymore. I had no clue you couldn’t sleep on your back either!

I’m the type that tosses throughout the night, trying to find that comfortable position to fall back asleep. And my favorite positions to sleep are my stomach, and back.

Turns out that after a few months of being pregnant, we can’t sleep on our backs any longer. The weight of the baby and the placenta bear down too much, causing pressure on our backs, and overall just not good blood flow for yourself, and the baby.

Instead, the ideal sleeping position is to sleep on your left side, which is the optimal way to get blood and oxygen to the baby and placenta.

I thought sleep deprivation only happens after the baby is born. While restless sleep isn’t the same as waking up to a crying baby, I was still surprised to learn sleep issues started long before the baby even arrives.

I highly recommend getting a pregnancy pillow if you don’t already have one.

3. You Don’t Actually Eat For Two

This is probably one of the biggest myths out there about pregnancy.

You will hear all the time throughout your pregnancy “It’s okay! Eat that extra donut, you’re eating for 2” and technically yes, you are feeding the growing baby inside you. However, that baby doesn’t equal an additional diet of a grown human being.

On average most doctors will tell you to consume an additional 200-300 calories per day in the beginning, and then maybe up it to 400-500 calories towards the end, but all in all, you should be good with your normal intake.

Of course, you might be hungrier than normal and of course, if you’re hungry you never want to deprive yourself. You should listen to your body at the end of the day.

In terms of eating extra calories just for the sake of eating extra calories, it’s really not necessary.

Everyone is different, and you should just have a conversation with your Dr. about your weight, and diet.

4. Thicker And Darker Hair

This I started noticing right off the bat in the first trimester.

Yes, it’s true that you’ll have the best head of hair you’ve ever had in your life! If only that was it. You also may experience thicker and darker hair in other places.

I started noticing darker hair right under my belly button…so weird right? But I learned that it’s completely normal. It’s just from the prenatal vitamins and hormones.

You’ll find yourself shaving more often as well. Which obviously gets harder the bigger the belly grows.

I suggest getting a waxing kit if you don’t already have one. It’ll make life so much easier for you.

5. Round Ligament Pain

This is truly NOT a fun experience.

Round ligament pain is a sharp pain in the groin area that you usually start to feel in your second trimester.

As you and your baby grow your round ligament stretches leading to shooting pains. Usually, quick motions make them more noticeable such as sneezing, coughing, and standing up quickly.

This started at the beginning of the second trimester for me but started to fade.

6. Weird Skin Changes

Two things that I have experienced so far are dark spots and a red rash, both on my face.

The dark spots are called melasma and are completely normal. If you start to notice a darkening of the skin on your face and/or patches that’s likely what you’re looking at. It’s easily covered by makeup and simple solutions like using sunscreen can help keep it from getting worse.

Thankfully I have a lot of freckles on my face so it really wasn’t too noticeable.

The other skin change I had was a slight red rash on both sides of my cheeks. It came and went within a couple of hours or so. I’ve done a ton of research and honestly couldn’t really find anything that exactly matched what I had.

Some things about pregnancy are just unexplained.

7. You CAN drink coffee

YES, you read that right! You can still have your morning coffee!

It’s completely safe to still consume caffeine while you’re pregnant. Current guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and other experts say that it’s safe for pregnant women to consume up to 200 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day (the equivalent of one 12-ounce cup of coffee).

I would still highly suggest speaking with your Dr. before though just to make sure. Every pregnancy is different and it’s just better safe than sorry.

8. You Can Still Run While Being Pregnant

For all the running lovers, this one is for you!

Most people seem to think that because you’re pregnant working out is no longer a good idea, but it’s quite the opposite. Working out while you’re pregnant is beneficial for you!

Whatever you were doing before you became pregnant it’s typically safe to continue doing so throughout your pregnancy. In fact, your Dr. will most likely encourage you to continue to do whatever you were doing before.

Again make sure to talk to your Dr before just to make sure.

9. Morning Sickness All Day

Morning Sickness? More like ALL DAY SICKNESS.

Whoever came up with the term morning sickness must have been pretty lucky with their nausea. For me, and many women sickness can last all day long. I’m sure some people feel sicker in the morning than at night but still, there is no such thing as “morning” sickness. It’s nausea. Plain and simple.

10. First Trimester Symptoms Come Back

This one is a bit unfortunate and I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. This doesn’t happen to every woman, but quite a few.

Speaking from experience, not all but most of my first trimester came back. They didn’t stay for long and they weren’t as intense, but it was still enough to be annoying lol.

First-trimester recap & must-haves

Xoxo, Jess