24 Vital Things About Pregnancy Women Wished They Knew Before Being Pregnant

We asked the members of the BuzzFeed Community what they wish they knew about pregnancy before getting pregnant. Here are some of their eye-opening responses.

1."After my third son was born, I had wild night sweats for about a month. It was terrible. I couldn't even wear pajamas. I slept naked with a towel on the bed and then wrapped myself in another towel, and the bed would still be wet the next morning. It never happened with my first two and was a total (unpleasant) surprise!"

—rhiannonb42b0f7888

2."My nose would just randomly start pouring blood during my second pregnancy. I never had a nosebleed before or after. It was SO BIZARRE."

—katelynf

3."I had a stuffy nose during pregnancy. No one told me that could happen, but it bothered me so much."

—trendytable80

4."I had deep vein thrombosis 10 years before I got pregnant, and I had no symptoms ever since, but I had to do the anti-blood clot shot every single day for nine months. I wasn't ready to do it by myself, so my husband did it for me. Some nights were more painful than others. And the doctor wouldn't give me an epidural because there are some risks, though very, very low. Nobody told me that."

—plearnn

5."My teeth. It's like the pregnancy sapped my calcium. I had great checkups for years! Then suddenly, I had weak teeth and cavities."

—mjfantastic

6."After a C-section is complete, they administer Pitocin to start contractions. Your body still has to go through contractions to bring down the size of your uterus!"

"Contractions when you’ve just had major surgery on THOSE muscles is incredibly painful. No one, not even my OB-GYN who did the cesarean, told me ahead of time!"

—andbritt

7."I wish I knew that hyperemesis gravidarum is a thing and that it can kill you. Hyperemesis gravidarum is severe morning sickness and vomiting that can lead to dehydration and weight loss."

"I wish I knew that people wouldn't take it seriously until I was literally bleeding out from organ failure. Doctors and society seriously treat pregnant women so badly."

—zombiedolllizkah

8."Around month seven, I developed 'pregnancy-induced asthma,' which is a thing, and I was told it would disappear immediately after birth, but it stuck around for almost 10 years."

—kelmeister1013

9."My second pregnancy messed with my vision. It caused such dry eyes that things were blurry. I went to the eye doctor and was told it's an uncommon pregnancy issue and would clear up eventually."

"It started to clear up when I started nursing less. It started about halfway through the pregnancy but didn’t fully clear up until after my baby’s first birthday."

—barbaras4cf94437c

10."Epidurals don't always work as intended. My skin was numb, but I felt absolutely everything else."

—gracieappelt

11."I wish I knew about postpartum hair loss. I had my first baby three months ago, and the hair loss is horrible! That and I have horrible allergies now."

—tawanab

12."Water breaking being the first sign of labor (like in EVERY movie) only happens, like, sometimes. My water didn't break until I was about 15 hours into my labor with my first child. Then, with my second, it only broke when I was ready to push."

—Nameless

13."When you go in for an emergency C-section, they are going to tie your hands and feet to the operating table with no explanation to you as to what is happening."

—gracieappelt

14."Back labor (severe back pain while giving birth) was much more painful than giving birth."

—gemmadeanquested

15."I legit Exorcist-style vomited a few times during labor when I was 9 centimeters dilated. I wish someone had warned me the epidural could make you do that."

—boomcginty

16."I didn’t know what a mucus plug was till the end of my first pregnancy. It's a collection of mucus that forms in the cervical canal during pregnancy and comes out when the cervix gets ready for labor. It’s gross."

—Featherrrrrrrr

17."I wish I had known that babies go for long periods of time without moving while in the womb."

"When a pregnant mother stops feeling the movement for several hours at a time, she becomes scared that the baby is no longer alive. I have made so many trips to the emergency room, just to find out that my little darling had been sleeping for 12 hours."

—aMOM3xs

18."Good aversions play a way bigger part than cravings, and they change over the course of the pregnancy."

—gemmadeanquested

19."No one ever tells you about not being able to properly wipe your butt during the third trimester, and also the HEARTBURN!!!"

—aurora920803

20."I wish someone had warned me that I wouldn't be able to control my bladder after birth!!!"

"I knew sneezing and laughing could be an issue, but for about four days after labor, I'd wake up in the morning and think, I have to pee! and I'd be walking to the bathroom and it would just run out. I initially didn't even realize it was pee."

—boomcginty

21."I wish someone told me it was possible my milk wouldn't come in. I was fully prepared to breastfeed and pump. I had some leakage, thought I was good to go, but then I'd pump and get half an ounce....all day."

"I tried everything. The most I would get from my daily pumping combined was at most half an ounce. Thankfully, the lactation consultant set me up with formula 'until my milk came in,' so my baby was fully fed, but it just never happened. I never went through any of the pre- or post-breastfeeding symptoms. At the time, I was grateful and I still am, but I also feel weirdly as if I missed out on a motherhood experience."

—alylynn

22."There are post-birth blood clots that feel as if you are delivering more babies. They literally PLOP out. They are so big."

—kcordry76

23."Acid reflux does not always go away after giving birth. My daughter is a year and a half old, and I still have to have a few antacid pills before bed. Before I was pregnant, I never had reflux even once in my life."

—dellarock

24.And finally, "I wish I knew about the swelling in your legs after you give birth. Your legs get soooo big that you can barely move them at first, even after the epidural is out of your system."

—karlac47ac0fc34

What are some other things about pregnancy you wish you'd known beforehand? Let us know in the comments!