We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what surprised them most about pregnancy, and their answers were candid and real:
1. "I was surprised by the places I got stretch marks, like my vulva!"
2. "How when they say your hair grows during pregnancy, they mean ALL of your hair! My armpit hair is at least an inch longer than before, my legs look almost identical to my husband's, and don't even get me started on pubes!"
3. "I had no clue that 'morning sickness' wasn't just in the morning, but could be anytime, anywhere all the way up until delivery."
"I felt so lied to!"
4. "My feet grew TWO SIZES! No, they didn't swell — they grew! I went from a size 6 to a size 8."
5. "I'm pregnant with my third child, and I just learned about 'the purple line.' It's not the line that goes down your stomach, it's the one that goes up your buttcrack!"
"Supposedly, the length of the line corresponds to how dilated you are. Some midwives even use it to check dilation instead of doing physical cervical checks."
6. "I was surprised at how tired I was during the first trimester. I was falling asleep at work, on the tram, at 7:30 p.m... I think I could have fallen asleep at a rave!"
7. "People were always talking about peeing a lot, but I had no clue it was THAT much! I slept so much better after my baby was born because I wasn't getting up every five minutes to pee."
8. "Fire nipples. Sometimes your nipples burn! I know it's hormones, but when it's happening, it's awful!"
9. "I wasn't prepared for how bad the first trimester is. It feels like you're hungover without the fun story from the night before!"
"For two months, even just moving my eyes too quickly would make me puke. People always told me the third trimester was the worst, but no."
10. "I went from a 36B cup to a 38DD."
11. "I was surprised about the food aversions I experienced, like pasta! I couldn't eat anything with pasta during the first trimester."
12. "My armpits itched so badly! I would get home from work, take my bra off, and scratch them for a solid five minutes every day!"
13. "I was surprised that I vomited all nine months — even during labor!"
14. "It surprised me how different people can look at the same stage of pregnancy. I didn't start showing until about six months along, and I had a hard time not comparing myself to others who were just as far along but had cute baby bumps."
"But I've learned every pregnancy progresses differently, and it can take a while to show, especially with your first pregnancy."
15. "My craving for ice — I ate so much damn ice! I'm surprised I didn't ruin my teeth!"
"Then I had my daughter at 9:30 at night, and the craving was gone forever by the next day."
16. "How everyone seems to be an expert in all things pregnancy, in particular those who have never actually been pregnant before!"
17. "The nosebleeds!"
18. "How hilarious everything was. I have never laughed more or harder in my life! Multiple times a day, I'd break into fits of laughter that had me in tears!"
—ehch
19. "The fact that the baby kicking isn't always adorable — some days, it felt like my baby was trying to punch its way out through my butt!"
20. "I had no idea the constipation would be so bad through all three trimesters. I cried multiple times from how miserable it made me."
21. "I was surprised that I never had any morning sickness. I didn't even know I was pregnant with my daughter until I was 15 weeks along!"
22. "My mouth felt gross ALL THE TIME. No matter how many times I brushed my teeth or how much gum I chewed, I had that 'morning breath' taste in my mouth until my babies were born."
23. "How the second pregnancy hit harder, faster, and was more draining."
24. "That it wasn't as beautiful as the Instagram model moms make it look, and I didn't love every minute of it. It wasn't flower crowns and wheat fields for me — and I definitely didn't get that glow I'd heard every mother talk about."
25. "I was surprised that I had a super rough time brushing my teeth without the constant need to throw up...during the entire pregnancy."
And lastly...
26. "I was fully prepared for all of the horrible parts of pregnancy, but no one prepared me that I could have a lovely pregnancy. I had minor discomforts and aches, but all in all, I was lucky to have loved being pregnant."
What about you? What surprised you the most (good or bad) about being pregnant? Tell us — or show us! — in the comments section, and you could be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post!
Some submissions were edited for length and clarity.