To be frank, most women hide their pregnancies for the first trimester, so I feel like it’s not talked about a lot. I’m here to talk about it. Also, maybe you’re like me and don’t have a lot of family or close friends with kids so it’s not a world you’ve been very in tune to. That being said, my pregnancy experience so far has come with a lot of surprises! Nothing out of the ordinary, but being a first time momma means there’s so much to learn with every stage of pregnancy and beyond.

Please note that this is my personal experience. Yours could certainly vary because everyone is different!

6 Things That I Didn’t Expect About Pregnancy

Peeing. So much peeing.

From week 6 to about week 13, I said to myself many times: “I’ve never used so many public restrooms in my life.” I had to pee all the time!!! I had no idea this was a first trimester thing. I thought it only happened when the baby got pretty big and pushed on your bladder. Nope. Apparently the pregnancy hormone hCG increases blood flow to the pelvic area and kidneys, making you have to pee more. Personally, I got relief around 13 weeks and it was glorious. I was able to sleep through the night again and could avoid public restrooms!

Then, around week 19, the frequent urination came back with a vengeance. Thankfully I had an appointment with my OBGYN a couple days after it kicked in again so I could talk to her about it. I was afraid something was wrong! Again, I thought it wouldn’t happen until the baby is bigger. Like third trimester bigger. Apparently s/he is already big enough now (about 13 ounces) to be pushing on my bladder.

The only thing I can do about it is not drink a sip of water past 9pm. Most nights this helps. For the moment, at least.

“Morning sickness” isn’t as simple as, you throw up, or you don’t.

Once I reached about 7 weeks and hadn’t thrown up yet, I thought I was in the clear for morning sickness. My appetite wasn’t quite right but it wasn’t too bad so I was feeling grateful that I had escaped morning sickness. WRONG-O. From 5-7 weeks my appetite was off, and then around 8 weeks it changed and I started feeling “gag-y”. That’s the way I’ve explained it. Yes, I’d also say nauseous is also an appropriate word, but “gag-y” felt like the perfect way to explain it. After a couple weeks I knew it wouldn’t actually result in vomiting, thankfully. But just about every day I would literally just gag out of no where. I also gagged brushing my teeth. It was so bizarre! It lasted all day, too. I felt a little better around dinner time but it never totally went away, until I reached about 13 weeks. I’m certainly grateful I was one of the “lucky” ones who wasn’t running to the bathroom even more frequently in the first trimester.

So much worrying.

I don’t know whether to blame society or science, but the first trimester is kind of a scary time. The odds of miscarriage are higher before 14 weeks, so we are encouraged not to tell anyone except maybe very close friends and family until we reach the second trimester. On top of that, pregnancy symptoms may not kick in for a few weeks, or they may come and go, and we’re left wondering if everything is still OK? Plus the waiting game on bloodwork for genetic testing, etc. I’m well into the second trimester and the worrying certainly hasn’t gone away and it’s for different reasons now, but thankfully it’s not nearly as constant. Day by day I just feel more excited!

Please don’t take this as saying there is so much to worry about, it’s just how I felt and I was surprised by it.

The difference between first and second trimester.

Night and day! The first trimester I had just about every symptom in the books: exhaustion, hemorrhoids, sciatica pain, morning sickness, headaches almost every day, tender breasts, frequent urination, you name it. At about 13 weeks in a matter of a couple days I felt completely normal! Not a pregnancy symptom in sight. I felt so much more energized, motivated, and my appetite was back to normal. It felt so good to feel like myself again! I was not expecting such a night and day difference, but I was grateful for it.

The confusing measurement of pregnancy.

Did you know the “clock starts” 2 weeks before conception? So by the time you find out you’re pregnant (assuming you find out right away), you’re already considered 4 weeks pregnant. I never knew that! Also, it’s a mystery when the second trimester actually starts. Some say it starts at 13 weeks, some say it starts at 14 weeks. The jury is still out.

It’s all so trippy.

UMMM, I’m growing a human INSIDE MY BODY?! S/he is about 13 ounces right now, fully looking like a human already, and it started from a teeny tiny speck?!

We had an ultrasound at 11 weeks and we could see on the screen that the baby was bouncing around, but I couldn’t feel it, which was mind blowing to me. S/he was of course still way too small to feel, but it was still so trippy seeing on the screen that there’s a human inside me moving around, and I otherwise would have no idea. Since about 19 weeks, I’ve felt the baby move pretty consistently now and it’s only getting more crazy and incredible to me. Sometimes I still can’t even believe it. The female body is a miracle in itself. I don’t take any of it for granted for a second.

So that is my experience so far. It seems there are surprises around every corner. Not that I expected myself to be an expert in something I had never done before, of course. But it is an exciting learning experience being a part of the miracle of life and becoming a momma. <3