As you anticipate your bundle of joy, you may not have considered all the potential side effects you may encounter along your journey, I know I didn’t!! We have a list of a few for you here so you can know you’re not alone in these!! If you are experiencing these, they’re annoying for sure, but they are completely normal!!
Nausea
This is one of the early signs of pregnancy, but it doesn’t exactly make us feel like celebrating. I experienced morning sickness for most of my pregnancy. It was really uncomfortable and made it hard to work or do anything else. Thankfully, it went away eventually, but it was really rough while it lasted.
Here are a few ways to help minimize nausea.
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Stay rested: Fatigue increases the likelihood of morning sickness.
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Eat low-acid foods: Foods that are acidic will increase indigestion and nausea.
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Eat small, frequent meals: Heavy meals put pressure on the digestive system and can cause acid reflux.
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Drink lots of water: Hydration helps to remove toxins and keep our bodies alkaline
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Take Ginger and B vitamins: These have helped moms to be for years.
Fatigue
I was so tired all the time during my pregnancy. I would take naps every chance I could get, and I went to bed early every night. It was hard to keep up with my usual routine, but I just had to listen to my body and rest when I needed to.
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Take a nap: Yep, makes sense, right? Your body requires more sleep when carrying a baby.
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Choose healthy meals: Cravings may make us feel good in the moment, but they crash our energy.
Vomiting
There are several reasons a pregnant woman may vomit. One common cause is morning sickness, which is nausea and vomiting that can occur during the day. Hormonal changes during pregnancy can also lead to vomiting, as can food poisoning or stomach viruses.
Like nausea, if vomiting during your pregnancy, there are a few things that you can do to help ease the symptoms.
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Drink Fluids: Staying hydrated may seem hard to do when vomiting, but you are dehydrating yourself further every time it happens.
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Take Ginger: Drinking ginger ail helps ease nausea, which is what may cause your morning sickness.
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Graze on foods: Yep, eating small, frequent meals throughout the day helps.
If you are experiencing vomiting for any other reason, consult with your doctor to find out what else you can do to help.
Constipation
When you’re pregnant, you may become constipated for a few reasons. Hormonal changes can slow down your digestive system, and your growing baby takes up space in your abdomen and presses on your bowel, which can make it harder to have a bowel movement. You may also not be drinking enough fluids or eating enough fiber, which can lead to constipation.
If you’re constipated when pregnant, there are a few things you can do to help:
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Drink plenty of fluids: Focus on water but add electrolytes to help replenish the minerals you are losing.
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Eat high-fiber foods: choose foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to keep things moving alone.
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Exercise regularly: Exercise helps increase the metabolism, which can increase the need to “go.” We know exercising is tough during pregnancy, but it will help!
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Get help: Use over-the-counter remedies such as laxatives or stool softeners if necessary.
Heart Burn
Heartburn was one of the most unpleasant side effects of pregnancy for me. I would get it after eating, and it would be really painful. Heartburn is a common pregnancy symptom. It occurs when stomach acids flow back up into the esophagus, and it can be very painful.
There are a few things that you can do to help ease heartburn while pregnant:
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Drink plenty of fluids: Have we said this enough yet? It really is the most important.
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Eat low-acid foods: Again, the foods you choose will help you feel better when pregnant.
Headaches
Headaches are a common symptom during pregnancy. Several factors, including hormones, stress, and dehydration, can cause them.
If you are experiencing headaches during your pregnancy, there are a few things that you can do to help ease the symptoms.
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Drink More Water: dehydration causes most headaches, and this may include pregnancy.
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Go for a walk: Elevated blood pressure is often a cause for headaches. Getting out and walking around will help increase circulation and blood flow, which can help with headaches.
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Get help: Ask your doctor what you can take to help relieve the headaches.
Back Pain
Almost every pregnant woman experiences back pain. Having weight increase in the front of the body makes it tough to keep good posture and stresses the lower back. Having a strong lower back and glutes before being pregnant is the best idea, but maybe it’s too late for that!
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Sleep in a proper position: Use pillows around your body to support you and make sure you are on a comfortable mattress.
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Use pain relieving creams: Make sure you find ones that are safe for the baby.
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Keep it hot and cold: Use heating pads to reduce muscle tension and ice to reduce inflammation.
Itchy Skin
Many pregnant women experience itchy skin during their pregnancy. This can be caused by a number of factors, including hormonal changes, dry skin, and the increased blood flow to the skin. There are a few things that you can do to help relieve itchy skin when pregnant.
Drink Fluids: Hydration is a natural moisturizer, so drink up.
moisturizing creams: You already do this but here but you may need a specific lotion while pregnant.
Here’s a look at the best selling maternity creams on amazon.
If the itching is severe, talk to your doctor about taking an over-the-counter medication such as Benadryl.
Blurred Vision
You can thank hormone changes for your foggy vision. This might scare you, but it happens to a lot of pregnant women. I know it’s tough to wait, but your vision should return to normal after having your little one.
Leg Cramps
Typically happen in the middle of the night when you are TRYING to sleep between your frequent bathroom trips! Although these hurt a lot and make sleeping very difficult, they typically arise around the middle of the second trimester! Although you may drink an exceptional amount of water, it may not be enough, which can cause these bad boys flaring up! Another form of treatment I found helped the best, was taking Magnesium pills!! Pregnant women need a LOT of Magnesium in a day and rarely get enough just from a regular diet! Make sure you choose one that gets absorbed quickly to help you better!! Yay, another thing to add to your daily vitamin list!
Acne
This is definitely one side effect that shocked me! I’m not a hormonal teenager. I won’t get a bunch of acne... WRONG! Around my second trimester, I broke out. I probably had worse acne while I was pregnant compared to when I was a teenager! It is a hormone-driven issue, so I guess it’s no surprise you can experience this during pregnancy, as your hormones are like a crazy roller coaster!
Congestion
Pregnancy Rhinitis.. oh the joys... yet another thing your hormones are to thank for. While pregnant, your nasal passage can swell, which makes you feel congested due to increased mucus production. I truly felt like I had a cold throughout most of my pregnancy because of this pesky side effect...
Food Aversions
Remember when bacon used to be your favourite food? And now the thought of it makes you want to hurl..? Well..blame pregnancy. These are definitely temporary but can throw you for a loop when you go to eat something that was your favourite yesterday and now today is the worst thing on the planet!! Some of these aversions are because of morning sickness and the link that your brain makes between them and the last time you ate that food. However, most of the time it’s just thanks to… yup, you guessed it, HORMONES!
Swelling
Swelling, swelling, and more swelling... Your body has more fluid in it now than before, add to that your inability to move around like before and you have the perfect recipe for swelling!! Keep in mind that usually swelling in pregnancy is completely harmless, something it can be slightly more serious. If you think you may have pre-eclampsia, please talk to your doctor.
Pregnancy really swelled my ankles and feet during the last few weeks. It was uncomfortable to walk around, and I had to buy bigger shoes. But it was all worth it in the end!
Being Hot
At least for me, saying “I feel hot” was the biggest understatement of the year! I felt like I was melting all the time and constantly sweating! Even when it was clearly the time of year to put the heat on, I was so happy to be outside without a jacket enjoying the cool breeze!! Everywhere I went was too hot for me, and sleeping hot is next to impossible... Increased blood in your body is a large contributing factor to this. And the fact you have a little personal heater built right into you!
Bad Oral Health
Because you probably had time before to floss your teeth, right...?? Well, now is the time to start because experiencing increased gingivitis and bleeding gums are common in about half of pregnant women! Thank-you hormones for this change, which cause your gums to be much for sensitive and prone to plaque build-up.
Rib Pain
This one is the most annoying for me personally because it massively added to my discomfort. Starting in my third trimester, my ribs felt like they were constantly bruised. Your body is creating the hormone, Relaxin during pregnancy. Which aids in your ligaments and bones to relax to prep for labour.
This is great in the lower half of your body, but it’s just really annoying everywhere else... To make room for the baby your rib cage actually expands and gets bigger!! My experience with this was ribs that truly felt like I had been sucker-punched! However.. those swift kicks from my tiny human from the inside directly to my ribs didn’t help either...
Don’t get me wrong… pregnancy is great and I am so excited to meet my baby, however, some of these side effects I could have probably done without! Just know, if you are experiencing any of these things on this list, you are not alone! There are so many more out there! Make sure you do some research so you know what’s safe and normal, and what you should see a doctor for!
Not While Pregnant But STILL Annoying
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