106 Unexpected Things That Happened During & After Pregnancy

We asked our Instagram friends- what was something unexpected about pregnancy and giving birth that was totally unexpected . Read the comments below for all of the answers. Please share your answers as well!

1. The shakes you get after
2. Omg always hungry!!! Like where was this hunger when I was pregnant?
3. Postpartum OCD!!! I’ve never heard of it. Also, my skin is wayyyyyy more sensitive after baby.
4. And your feet grow!!
5. Night sweats. Shaking during a c-section delivery. Breast engorgment when your milk comes in!
6. I wasn’t prepared for the postpartum anxiety after struggling with my baby’s 4 month sleep regression that lasted 1.5 months. It’s still a huge trigger for me whenever he randomly wakes up at night even when he puts himself back to sleep 😖
7. I didn’t know breastfeeding was going to be so painful 😖
8. LEG SWELLING after my CS! My legs were so huge and they HURT SO BAD
9. That pregnancy hunger has NOTHING on breastfeeding/postpartum hunger. I was not expecting a primal hunger that I had never experienced before
10. That pregnancy hunger has NOTHING on breastfeeding/postpartum hunger. I was not expecting a primal hunger that I had never experienced before
11. The restless leg syndrome during pregnancy 😩😩
12. Feeling like every internal organ was going to fall out of me the first time I got out of bed after delivery 🥴
13. Yes! So I would add to the myth of pregnancy cravings. I only had repulsion towards food. Breastfeeding however- my god how everything tastes SO delicious. I crave everything.
14. Nobody told me that we (baby and I) would both be leaving the hospital in diapers. Also, my feet grew
15. Skin tags! Oh and ZERO bladder control afterwards. I’d get out of bed, no sensation of having to go to the bathroom, then I’m peeing myself trying to waddle over to the toilet.
16. Breast feeding is not easy and does not just come naturally to baby sometimes. But we stick with it!
17. The uterine contractions with my first were never noticeable but holy cow I wanted to stab something with my second while I was beast feeding. I now have six kids and my uterus reacted differently each time.
18. Freakin carpal tunnal sooooo bad still have it 7 months later can’t hold anything for more than a couple minutes without my hands going numb and tingly like when your leg falls asleep. It suckssss
19. That first time you sneeze postpartum and your soul leaves your body 😱
20. The painful void(extra space) your insides feel when baby has vacated the premises. I felt like I couldn’t stand up strait.
21. The painful shaking on the OR table. And terrible night sweats postpartum, for a second I was nervous I had a post op fever!
22. Placenta push out? What..you mean I’m not done pushing after baby’s out?
23. Sitting very still through heavy contractions during Epidural because I wouldn’t fully dilate.
24. How to put on a diaper 🤦‍♀️. Seriously… I didn’t know. I never diapered a baby.
25. My feet grew, my joints grew so now my wedding ring doesn’t fit. Didn’t know that was even possible!
26. The deep deep deep circles under my eyes and how pale I am. Finding it hard to look in the mirror sometimes. 😕
27. Also the BO- I was grossing myself out doo much at the hospital. Like I was smuggling onions.
28. I didn’t know how messed up my face would get after labor. It was so swollen and I broke many blood vessels from pushing. No one ever mentioned that.’
29. Hyperpigmentation 
30. My hair changed consistency
31. The night sweats
32. Contractions after having the baby, I never knew about a mucus plug, swollen face during third trimester, phantom kicks and cries, postpartum care for me
33. I have permanent acid reflux
34. For my it was that I’d have to have my baby during a pandemic 🙁. I found out I was expecting in November 2019. By March 2020 everything changed
35. Uhhh extremely vivid scary dreams. That sometimes literally woke me in a panic and a pool of sweat
36. Chronic congestion during pregnancy is common. I had a bubble in my ear from day 1 until literally the second baby came out of me. My doctor said it was all because of inflammation during pregnancy. F***ing annoying for 9 months.
37. Only 17 weeks but no one told how tired I was going to be first trimester. Literally a zombie
38. My voice deepened and stayed that way. Now I’m called sir over the phone and in Drive thrus
39. Black armpits, nose grew, feet great & never went back to original size.
40. How about over production of milk…….. nothing like racing to Menards to buy a freezer…….and then another…..
41. My hands and feet were two sizes bigger and never went back! RIP shoe collection and my wedding ring set. 😢
42. I needed to go to physical therapy (external AND internal) and chiropractor in order to somewhat get back to my pre baby self (I’m at like 75%)
43. My process popped out! and the first 💩after labor is the worst
44. My moles and freckles darkened and grew!
45. The congestion and gas! It wasn’t like this the first time.
46. My mom knew i was pregnant just by my nose. Hers did the same thing.
47. That your epidural may not work 😏
48. Nobody tells you about postpartum. By nobody I meant people in close circle.
49. Nausea while pumping/breastfeeding
50. Night sweats, shaking during and after delivery and how messed up my pelvic floor muscles were going to be and still are 😅
51. I didn’t realize how early on we need to start doing the pregnancy squat to pick up things off the floor.
52. My inner ears itched constantly and they would need to pop. It’d drive me crazy. Went away immediately after birth
53. The feeling of being freezing and uncontrollable shaking/tremors in transition to pushing. I also didn’t realize you could tear in the front.
54. Feeling hollow and not being able to stand with any type of posture 😅
55. Pregnancy mask! Wtf….I thought my face was dirty at first
56. Loss of core muscles! I can barely hold myself up straight without headaches and back pain
57. Tearing down there with 6 stitches and the 6 hemorrhoids that took me about a month and a half to walk and sit down comfortably.
58. Also my feet have definitely increased in size
59. After giving birth and started to shake uncontrollably! And getting really cold.
60. How about contractions while the first couple of times I breastfed?! No one told me of the really intense, terrible contractions of my uterus! “Could you just calm down uterus! I thought your job here was done!!!”
61. My swollen legs and feet after birth! My feet were so swollen they looked like someone had blown up gloves like a balloon, my toes didn’t touch the floor 🥴
62. Ribs flaring out
63. I was prepared for my feet to get bigger and never return to their original size. I was NOT prepared for my fingers to go up more than 2 rings sizes and never go back down, even once I lost all my baby weight after each pregnancy. I have giant man hands now!!!
64. Intense appetite with breastfeeding and also brain fog from breastfeeding. Wow!
65. My linea nigra line was barely visible while I was pregnant, but it became darker and more noticeable AFTER I had my baby. And the inside of my belly button turned the same dark color as the linea nigra, again this happened AFTER I gave birth. So strange!
66. Oh, I forgot that apple cider vinegar is amazing and the only thing that helped my leg cramps. They now have flavored acv specifically for sipping!
67. And spider veins all over my lower legs now. 1m 28😒 also screwed up my back big time I oughtta get that checked out. When I was pregnant restless leg syndrome was so damn bad I couldn’t sleep had to move my legs like I was running anytime I laid down at night 😂 pregnancy is just so weird
68. Restless leg syndrome, heartburn!! Migraines. Baby #2 is not playing around. 1 more month to go, I’m scared ! 😬😭😫
69. How sick I would be my first trimester, I’m 13 weeks and still only able to eat toast.
70. My shoulder blade hurts permanently from carrying the one year old!
71. my nose is so big now😂😂
72. The stabbing hip pain, cramping in your 1st trimester is normal, how sick you really get, so while you are starving you’re also scared that every meal you eat you’re gonna purge, how your Ph changes
73. My eyelashes, during the shed cycle all grew in half the length they normally were!! This happened in the third trimester to me. Oh, and the leg swelling post C-section!! It was so uncomfortable, felt like my feet and legs were going to burst!
74. In the very early stage of my pregnancy (before I had my doctor’s appt but after the positive at home pregnancy test) for about 2 weeks I would get these intense stomach pains around the same time each night. I would put a hot water bottle on my stomach and just pray that it wasn’t a miscarriage. I mentioned it to my doctor the day of my first doc appointment. Turns out it was my uterus expanding.
75. Engorgement is painful 😖 and so is mastitis.
76. Vaginal year recovery and that the epidural is going to wear off and you’re going to feel it.
77. Your body smell changes so much when you’re pregnant and even more postpartum!
78. Constant nipple itch. I find myself standing there double hand scratching without even realizing it
79. My armpits got dark and my nipples got dark too.
80. The swelling after c-section. I definitely was not ready for that
81. My hands and feet were two sizes bigger and never went back! RIP shoe collection and my wedding ring set. 😢
82. My mom knew i was pregnant just by my nose. Hers did the same thing.
83. Feeling hollow and not being able to stand with any type of posture 😅
84. After giving birth and started to shake uncontrollably! And getting really cold.
85. One of my feet grew. Only one
86. Contractions during breastfeeding for the first few days!
87. Mommy thumbs! Had no clue I would have such intense wrist pain- but steroid shot took care of it thankfully! Also night sweats, phantom cries, BO, and the CRAZY amount (and force) of Breastmilk.
88. I didn’t know it was common to puke while pushing. I had awful heartburn/acid reflux from the second trimester on, and it was the worst ever while pushing. It was so bad – I puked three times. My midwife told me that it helped push baby out… but I wasn’t laughing. It was the worst part of my labor and delivery experience. Haha
89. That you throw up during labor 😷
90. I wasn’t prepared for my feet to grow half a size, the breastfeeding hunger, stretch marks that are 1/4″ wide and go down a few layers of skin
91. Night AND day sweats, getting unbearably hot even though it was winter. My rings are too tight now? The constant breastfeeding hunger. The sore joints?
92. No one ever tells you about the insane gas you get after a c section…farts for daaaaaaaays 😂
93. Terrible carpal tunnel! I couldn’t hold pens. The doctors said it was normal but I’d NEVER heard of it happen.
94. It’s rare post partum but had PUPPPS after giving birth. Not only have to recover from tearing but PUPPPs. And the initial nurse that I told I was itchy dismissed me and told me I had diaper rash. 😢
95. Now have moles
96. Bleeding gums during pregnancy 👀
97. Don’t sneeze after a c-section, worst pain ever. Any time you feel a sneeze coming hold your nose until it passes 🙌🏼
98. The night sweats! Omg they were horrible – I woke up drenched! Had to sleep on a towel
99. My pelvis almost separating due to pelvic girdle dysfunction. I nearly ended up in a wheelchair. Excruciating pain!!
100. “Morning sickness” can strike at any time
101. The shakes. No one told me about the shakes that happen immediately after giving birth. I thought I was dying.
102. C section shelfie and how crazy and v v hormonal I’d feel for weeks afterwards
103. Pushing down on my uterus for 3 days while I recovered from my c- section
104. That if you have a c section they tie your arms down to the table. It made me terrified and I still don’t know why. Night sweats in postpartum were the worst, I would wake up drenched! Also, idk if this is common but when my milk came in a few days later I was so cold I could barely move. I took a hot shower and just cried as my baby cried and husband bounced back and forth between us. Poor guy. That was the hardest moment of new parenting for me. My mother-in-law said it was the same for her when her milk came in, almost like an internal cold.
105. How about vertigo!? Totally didn’t experience with my first! Oh and retained placenta! That is not a nice thing to happen. I’m glad I only had a little.
106. Night sweats, my nose changed, stretch marks on my tummy came after I gave birth… not before. Also, after birth it didn’t matter how much I showered and how much deodorant I put in I still smelled!!
     
     Photo credit: finally.baby.goldman