Everyone hears about all the “usual” pregnancy side-effects - morning sickness, tiredness, backache, etc. But there are some pretty strange ones too.

I was lucky enough to not have morning sickness - thank goodness - but I have been afflicted with some other, rather strange things that I never expected. Suffice it to say, that your entire body changes when you’re pregnant. It’s not just a matter of your belly getting bigger.

Here are some of the stranger things I’ve noticed:

Skin sensitivity - My skin seems much more sensitive to little annoyances. Things that didn’t bother me before are now very uncomfortable. For example, I used to use an epilator instead of shaving - you know, one of those things that pulls the hair out from the roots instead of shaving it off? But, since about the third month of pregnancy, I can’t seem to tolerate it. My skin is way too sensitive. Fortunately, in the third trimester I’ve noticed a…

Change in hair growth - the hair on my head has been growing like mad since the beginning, but the hair on my legs has stopped dead. Now, if only it would stay that way…..

Strength - I’ve never been a wimpy person, but I’m having trouble opening jars. Plus, I have to have O pull the car out of the garage now because I have trouble opening the garage door - of course that may be mainly because it’s hard to bend down to reach the handle. In order to do that I have to put myself in a strange position which doesn’t lead to easy door opening.

Stuffy nose - since about month 2 I have had a continual stuffy nose. Fortunately, I’ve avoided any colds or flu, but the nose is constantly stuffed. Which may in turn lead to…

Snoring - since about month 5 I’ve been snoring or making very strange noises in my sleep. My research shows that this happens to a lot of women and it’s a combination of the stuffy nose along with the level of progesterone. All I know is that I put another pillow under my head and it seems to help. Of course, if my head falls off the pillow we’re in trouble. As I said, it’s not just snoring, but strange noises as well. One night I made this strange growling noise deep in my throat. It was so loud it woke me up and I opened my eyes to see O looking at me in alarm, at which point we both burst out laughing.

Carpal tunnel syndrome - or, at least, I think that’s what it is. My wrists alternately hurt and the skin even itches. I can deal with the itching, but it’s the pain inside that drives me crazy. No matter how I move it, it hurts. So, I put some ice on it and try not to type for a while since that makes it worse. Who would have thought it would be a side-effect of pregnancy? Strange….

I’ve found that the best way to deal with these things is to find a way to laugh at them (it’s easy with the snoring). Of course O helps a lot of that. Especially when he tells me that when I’m getting up off the couch I look like a turtle that’s stuck on its back and trying to turn over.

But, none of this takes away from the joy of expecting a child. And, of course, these things just make me more aware of how incredible nature is.

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