When I became pregnant in late 2016, I started reading so much that I could have been well on my way to a degree in Obstetrics by the time I entered the second trimester.
I read all the books, watched all the YouTube channels, followed all the pregnancy pages on Instagram, and subscribed to all the newsletters.
If anyone knew What to Expect when Expecting, it was me. (Trust me, the doctors were shocked when I calmly checked myself into the hospital for delivery and told them I was four centimetres dilated).
I thought I knew everything.
The hard truth
But as it turned out, this know-it-all did not really know it all (shocker). Even with all my research, there were still some things that I didn’t read about until after they happened to me, and even others that still mystify me to this day.
Here are some of them:
- Fixed my blood pressure: Yep. Somehow it did. I’m about six feet tall and I weigh between 120 and 130 pounds (picture it this way: my Jamaican street name is ‘Tallest’). Before pregnancy, whenever I went for a check up, my blood pressure was always too low. I suffered from dizziness, fainting spells and chronic fatigue, and my doctors kept me on iron tablets and supplements. But it never improved… until pregnancy. By the 14th week my blood pressure was in the normal range, and that continued right up until my last check-in before delivery. I expected it to dip again after I gave birth, but girl, it’s been five years and it’s still normal. I don’t know how, but I won’t question my blessings.
- Increased my shoe size: And let me tell you, my feet weren’t small to begin with! I think I had read about this one during pregnancy, but I didn’t believe it would happen to me! The truth is that compared to most women I know, my pregnancy was a walk in the park. I was spared the worst of the physical effects of the journey, and I didn’t get as much as a stretch mark on my tummy. I was that annoying mom at the clinic whose pregnancy was going exactly as it should, so naturally I thought I was God’s favourite. Since my feet weren’t visibly swollen, I assumed I didn’t have to worry about my size 10's becoming 11's. Safe to say there are no favourites!
- Cured my peanut allergy: Since an incident in my childhood where I ate a large amount of peanut butter and then became terribly ill, I avoided peanuts like a plague. I would become nauseous if I so much as smelled them near me, and on the few occasions where I tried them over the years, my stomach always made sure I regretted it later. But sure enough, along came those second trimester pregnancy cravings, and guess what suddenly didn’t make me want to puke after all? Those darn nuts. In fact, they now smelled kind of good. By the time my due date came around, I was eating at least one peanut butter sandwich per day. Now I’m not really a fan of it anymore, but I‘ll have the occasional Jamaican peanut cake, and pb&j sandwiches are among the few things that my picky five-year-old son will consume.
- Gave me more PMS symptoms: Essentially, pre-pregnancy I would try to avoid my periods at all costs mainly because of the cramps and heavy bleeding. These days I try to avoid my periods at all costs because of the cramps, heavy bleeding, fatigue, acne, backache, bloating, headaches and nausea. Oh, I also avoid people at all costs too, because apparently I now spontaneously burst into tears when people hug me?!? This kind of feels like when you sign up for a basic service package, and then suddenly your subscription is upgraded to include throw-ins without your consent and you’re not being allowed to cancel.
