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When someone talks about pregnancy symptoms, the most common things that come to mind are morning sickness, food cravings, missed period (duh), and food aversion. While these topics are the most talked about during pregnancy, tons of pregnancy-related symptoms are not discussed. You know what happens to your body when you get pregnant, and you also know how your baby grows in your belly throughout those nine months of magic (read as hell). It happens in stages, and you are probably well aware of that. If you aren’t, you can consult your doctor or read tons of books to know. But what about the pregnancy symptoms that are a secret? Today, we list out ten pregnancy secrets that every woman goes through in her third trimester:
1. Everything Starts To Swell
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No, we aren’t only talking about the belly and feet. Your wedding ring doesn’t fit you anymore because even your fingers are swollen. Your hands that were once so sleek and dainty now look like mini sausages. Your nose, butt, and ankles swell up too!
2. You Have A Lot In Common With Your Grandmother
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Apart from sitting and standing slowly, you also walk super slowly because your belly is enormous by the third trimester. You and your grandmother probably walk at the same speed, and like her, you have issues with your bladder control. It’s okay; it happens to every pregnant woman, and it doesn’t have to be a secret anymore.
3. Being Breathless Is Oh-So-Common
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You might have been running 10k marathons before your pregnancy, but in your third trimester, you sound like you ran 20k kilometers when you walk ten steps. You’re always breathless, and stairs are your worst enemy. Relatable?
4. Your Trips To The Bathroom
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You always have to pee! As your baby grows bigger and bigger, it becomes super inconvenient for your bladder to take all the pressure. Your belly widens, and your bladder faces the brunt of it. So, every half an hour or so, you’ll have the urge to pee because you just cannot handle your baby pressing up against your bladder.
5. You Walk Like A Duck
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You cannot help it, but when your baby pushes down on your hips, you waddle around instead of walking. How else can you handle your baby pushing against you like a bowling ball? Don’t worry, because you might walk like a duck, but you’re still a cute duck.
6. All The Extra Liquid
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The human body produces a lot of liquid — sweat, blood, tears, urine, saliva, to name a few. When you’re pregnant, your body’s fluid production increases. For example, the placenta in which the baby rests. So, all that extra fluid is bound to make you heavy, and you probably feel like a walking-talking water balloon.
7. Sleep Patterns Go For A Toss
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You either sleep way too much or sleep too little. Your sleeping patterns mirror that of a seven-year-old, and your regular sleep is constantly interrupted because you have to pee. Could it be any more annoying? But here’s a small but valuable tip for you: get all the sleep you possibly can during pregnancy because once your baby arrives, you’re in for one hell of a (sleepless) ride!
8. Snoring Is The New Normal
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If you thought you were a cute sleeper who made no noise and slept like a baby, pregnancy could change that. The weight gain, discomfort, and your baby constantly moving inside you may lead to some snoring, and that’s okay. If someone makes fun of you, grunt at them (we are just kidding, scream at them *wink wink*).
9. Will You Grow More?
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A question that every pregnant woman probably asks herself at every stage of pregnancy, more so in the third trimester. “Am I going to get bigger?”, “Will I be able to lose all the weight?”, “Is my stomach going to explode?”. You feel like you’ve become as big as you can possibly be, but these questions linger on your mind until your baby comes out of you.
10. Your Aim Might Be Tricky
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During pregnancy, you make multiple visits to your doctor. You have regularly scheduled visits to your doc, and it’s only natural that you have to get tests done to check if you and your baby are in optimal health. Sometimes, your doctor might require a urine sample during those tests, and trying to get one might seem like an impossible task. Your belly blocks out your view to aim right, so you hope to aim right into the cup, or it could lead to a very messy situation. Helpless? Yes. Embarrassing? Also, yes.
You might think that you know everything there is to know about pregnancy from reading books, mommy blogs, and speaking to fellow mothers. But there are some things (like the ones on our list) that people do not share. Maybe because it’s embarrassing, or it’s just too real. What are some of the most hush-hush moments you experienced during your third trimester of pregnancy? Let us know in the comments below!
