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As if the hyper simulation called life wasn’t hard already, if you’re a woman, Mother Nature throws you a real party to check how high your threshold is, and it lasts 9 months straight: with no breaks, no excuses, no emergency exit.
Yep, we’re talking pregnancy. While most people see only the happy side of this miracle, excitement, and anticipation that comes with expecting a baby, moms who’ve been there have experienced the other side of the coin, too.
From swelling up to the point that you no longer recognize your reflection to craving some genuinely weird food combinations, welcome to the mad land of pregnancy brain. Let’s take a look at all the crazy and unfortunate stuff that moms have been going through while pregnant, which surely makes them legit superwomen. Because if they survived this, nothing’s impossible for them.
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To find out more about pregnancy challenges, Bored Panda reached out to Amy Morrison, author, mom of two, and founder of Pregnant Chicken. Amy explained that pregnancy comes with a ton of treats that aren’t so pretty, like “swollen feet, heartburn, constipation, and weird hair growth, just to name a few.”
“Unfortunately, they rarely make for great dinner conversation so people stick to topics like picking names and getting the nursery ready over pregnancy ailments.”
But such an impression makes people mistakenly think the majority of pregnancies are easy, and as a result, “pregnant people think their pregnancy isn’t normal when often, it is.”
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#2
While Pregnant With My Second Daughter, I Could Rest My Pregnant Belly On My Countertop. People Thought This Photo Was Fake. It’s Real, And My Back Still Isn’t Right
Wanda Cardenas 4 years ago
I saw this poor mother to be when I went to the hospital for my checkup. She was pregnant with quadruplets and was wheelchair bound. I have never seen a more miserable looking person in my life. Her belly was destroyed with stretch marks. Her husband kept rubbing her shoulders; she was beyond any comfort. She was a true champ.
Amy said that when she herself was pregnant, her feet grew half a size. “It happened during my first pregnancy and never went back. I had no idea how common this was.”
To all the pregnant moms to be out there, Amy says that “building a person from scratch with your body is difficult, but some roads are definitely tougher than others. It’s not fair and my heart goes out to anyone who is having a challenging pregnancy.”
#3
Hormones
As we are now living in unprecedented times of worldwide pandemic, being pregnant and delivering a baby now cause so many more challenges than they used to. In addition to all the other unpleasant (to say the least) pregnancy symptoms, women are dealing with even more stress.
In order to find out whether the risks that worry so many pregnant women currently are justified, the University of Florida College of Medicine’s department of obstetrics and gynecology chair Dr. John Smulian answers a couple of frequently asked questions.
Dr. Smulian said that even if there’s limited information regarding the link between Covid-19 and pregnancy, reports suggest that pregnant women are not more likely to become infected. Moreover, he confirmed that there’s no evidence that pregnant women who get infected with the virus are more likely to endure a severe course of illness than others.
#4
The Major Swelling, Even Your Nose Can Swell Up
Biljana Malesevic 4 years ago
I had this too. Worst part is it swells inside too, so I couldn't breathe through my nose most of the pregnancy. And breathing was additionally compromised by enormous stomach which pushed into diaphragm. No one ever told me I will be gasping for air most of the pregnancy months. You never expect it.
#5
My Daughter Was Always Over To The Right Side Of My Body (Which You Can See In This Pic). For The Entire Third Trimester, I Felt Like I Was Tipping Over
#6
Weird Vaginal Discharge Can Happen As Your Body Changes, And So Does Your Discharge
When it comes to worrying whether Covid-19 can be passed on to one's baby, Dr. Smulian explained that from several scientific studies that looked at pregnancies affected by the coronavirus, “none of the babies appeared to have been infected, based either on the absence of symptoms or negative tests for the virus.”
However, Dr. Smulian also said that there has been one case reported in the media of a possible mother-to-baby transmission of coronavirus, but there’s not enough information to draw conclusions.
And as for visiting moms and their newborns in hospitals, Dr. Smulian believes it’s crucial to limit visitors to one single designated person that bears no symptoms or risks for having and transmitting Covid-19.
#7
My Pregnancy Feet Versus My Normal Feet
#8
Pretty Disgusting Food Cravings Can Happen
#9
Experiencing Heartburn Is Also Very Common
#10
The Veins In Your Legs Can Start To Protrude, It's Called Varicose Veins
#11
My Face Broke Out With Hormonal Cystic Acne That Was So Bad. I Also Had Cravings For All The Worst Food...but I Got An Awesome Table I Got To Carry Around With Me For A Few Months!
#12
This Is What Happened When I Wore Mid-Calf Socks!
#13
Spent My Entire Last Trimester In Old Navy Flip-Flops Because My Feet Didn't Fit Into Anything Else. I Also Got Pregnancy-Induced Carpal Tunnel To The Point Where I Couldn’t Move My Right Thumb And Had To Wear A Brace. My Feet Also Went Up An Entire Size, So I Now Wear A Size 11. Totally Worth It, Though
#14
Rash Life. Wanna Know The Kicker? I Can’t Take Anything To Prevent The Itchiness. I’m Surprised My Partner Stayed By My Side After All Of My Complaining Lol
#15
You Need To Pee All The Time
Clearly sunny 4 years ago
My experience was severe vomiting 🤢 from 5am till 1 pm. Horrendous.😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😕
#16
Stretch Marks Within Stretch Marks, From My Ribs And All The Way Down. It Was Incredibly Itchy And Painful
#17
Eight Months Pregnant = Motorized Cart At The Store. Note My Swollen Ankles!
#18
I Had To Cut The Ring Off Because My Fingers Were So Swollen
The Cute Cat 4 years ago
This happen alot.. Please save your ring start on 3rd month of pregnancy
#19
Pregnancy And Puppp Rash. The Unglamorous Side Of Pregnancy
#20
Your Hips Actually Get Looser And That's Why We See Pregnant Women Waddling
#21
Your Boobs Can Grow Unevenly
#22
Feeling Exhausted Can Hit A New Level
Memento Mori 4 years ago
Bruh that's literally me every day lol.. no matter how much I sleep (and I sleep A LOT. my high score is 18 hours!) I feel like I'm running on 4 hours of sleep ;-;
#23
You Become More Forgetful, It's Called Pregnancy Brain
Colin Mochrie At Its Finest 4 years ago
She left out where they were found, in an area like in her purse or pocket, otherwise this story falls flat.
#24
No One Tells You About The Road Map You Turn Into When Pregnant. This Was Me At 24 Weeks, And It Just Got Worse And Worse As It Went On
Bama Belle 4 years ago
This is actually a relief to me. I'm not pregnant but I am overweight. I thought this was just how my breasts were supposed to look. It made me feel self-conscious. If I could get this excess weight off, these veins might not be as noticeable.
#25
Many Women Face Constipation, Which Can Lead To Hemorrhoids
Happy in AL 4 years ago
A brilliant midwife helped me with this one. Eat a handful of gummy bears and a banana. Wait 30 minutes and drink a cup of coffee. The gummy bears have glycerine to slick everything up, the banana has fiber and makes a nice mush and the caffeine in the coffee makes everything move along. Worked every time.
#26
Gaping Shirt Because Of My Pregnancy Boobs, And No Good Place To Put The Napkin Because Something Will Be Left Uncovered
Luisa Vasconcelos 4 years ago
I remember to be full after 1 cookie but feel like I can die if I don't eat immediately.
#27
Having Swollen Af Pregnancy Feet
#28
This Is My Sister At 8 Months. She Woke Up With Her Feet Very Swollen, So We Propped Her Legs Up To See If It Would Help
#29
More Than 50% Of Women Experience Morning Sickness
#30
Wanted To Trim My Bangs Really Quickly Over The Sink Before My Sister-In-Law Came To Visit. This Was The Result
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What do you think ?
Sprinkled Donut 4 years ago
Thank you Bored Panda for further helping me decide if I would really want a child in the future.
Janelle Madison 4 years ago (edited)
That is what I was thinking the whole time I was reading this Me and by brother both decided that when we grow up and marry people we will try to convince our partners to adopt
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pansexualandproud 4 years ago
and this is all yet another bunch of reasons why I don't want to ever get pregnant. i will stick to adopting in the future thank you very much
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
It's a good thing that women point out how stressful and uncomfortable pregnancy is . A lot of men can't even begin to imagine what it's like. Educating us without any belegering, but with a sense of humor, will make men more receptive. No, we don't feel your pain and discomfort, but at least we can be more understanding and supportive, knowing what we've learned here.
Helen Haley 4 years ago
This is why forced birthers annoy me. They're always asking why can't you just have it and give it up for adoption? Completely ignoring the toll it will take on a body and some women don't survive a pregnancy.
Load More Replies... Sprinkled Donut 4 years ago
Thank you Bored Panda for further helping me decide if I would really want a child in the future.
Janelle Madison 4 years ago (edited)
That is what I was thinking the whole time I was reading this Me and by brother both decided that when we grow up and marry people we will try to convince our partners to adopt
Load More Replies... pansexualandproud 4 years ago
and this is all yet another bunch of reasons why I don't want to ever get pregnant. i will stick to adopting in the future thank you very much
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
It's a good thing that women point out how stressful and uncomfortable pregnancy is . A lot of men can't even begin to imagine what it's like. Educating us without any belegering, but with a sense of humor, will make men more receptive. No, we don't feel your pain and discomfort, but at least we can be more understanding and supportive, knowing what we've learned here.
Helen Haley 4 years ago
This is why forced birthers annoy me. They're always asking why can't you just have it and give it up for adoption? Completely ignoring the toll it will take on a body and some women don't survive a pregnancy.
Load More Replies...
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