Pregnancy ailments – the ones that nobody talks about

There is a romantic image of pregnancy that you will be pampered for nine months and live on a pink cloud all the time. Forget about it! You can suffer quite a bit from pregnancy ailments. Whether you suffer from pregnancy ailments varies per woman and per pregnancy. There are the ailments everybody knows about like nausea, stretch marks and fatigue.

But you may also have to deal with inconveniences that (almost) no one tells you about… You find yourself on your knees in front of the toilet bowl almost every day. Getting in and out of bed is also quite a challenge. Suddenly you get the feeling that aliens have taken control of your body. Girlfriends, mothers, doctors, midwives, they all know about being pregnant. But the life of a pregnant woman is certainly not always a bed of roses.

Pregnancy ailment: wet pants from laughing

Laughing and sneezing, it’s completely normal. Until you notice that you are literally peeing your pants laughing. Not surprising when you consider that as your baby grows, there is less and less space left for your bladder. Because you drink a little more, your bladder also has to process up to 2 liters of fluid per day. Then imagine that you place a 10-pound bag of potatoes on your bladder and someone starts tickling you; the consequences are obvious! Just go to the toilet more often, use sanitary towels against small leaks and train your pelvic floor muscles.

Pregnancy ailment: discharge

Due to an increase in hormones, you will lose some fluid through your vagina every day. A few drops of sticky white or pale yellow liquid are part of it. Clean it regularly and use a light sanitary towel. If the color or composition changes, for example from yellow to greenish, or if there is an unpleasant odor, it is wise to consult your midwife or doctor as this may indicate an infection.

Pregnancy ailment: Snoring, sweating and farting

Thanks to an abundance of progesterone in your body, you start to lose control of your body, or so it seems. You were raised decently, but now you lose wind at the most inopportune moments, your deodorant seems to have stopped working, you feel uncomfortable at the table when you burp in company, and in the middle of the night your partner imagines himself in a sawmill instead of next to you in bed. Don’t worry, it’s all part of it, thanks to the hormones: your metabolism changes, your intestines become slower and the blood circulation in your body changes. You can try to do something about it by paying attention to your diet to limit gas formation.

You cannot stop perspiration, at most you can combat the consequences by changing clothes more often and washing thoroughly. You can use a saline solution or nose drops to combat snoring. Placing a humidifier in the bedroom usually produces results. A small investment to keep your neighbors as friends!

Pregnancy ailment: Skin spots

There are moments when you are surprised by your own body: suddenly there are freckles on your face, speckles on your arms, a highway across your stomach, a blue delta of veins on your legs, and so on. The spots and freckles are the work of hormones that produce extra melamine (pigment). You can easily mask it with make-up, but it will usually gradually disappear after giving birth. Make sure that you place your legs relaxed next to each other and do not sit with your legs crossed.

Pregnancy ailment: Drooling

Another story is waking up in the morning to a pillow that is soaking wet from drool. During pregnancy you may also experience bleeding gums when brushing your teeth; sometimes small blisters are visible. Don’t worry, this is also part of it, brush your teeth with a softer toothbrush. To combat excessive saliva, you can try eating less starchy foods. Drinking lemon juice also makes an active contribution to limiting salivation.

Pregnancy ailment: massive boobs

Your breasts seem to take on a life of their own and the usual lingerie can be stored in the closet until quieter times. In addition to an increase in overall size, the areola (the space around your nipple) also grows extensively. This becomes darker in color and begins to dominate the appearance of your breasts.

Be careful when sunbathing topless or when using a sunbed. Some time after childbirth, breast size and excessive pigmentation will decrease again, but under the influence of the sun (UV) the discoloration of the areola can become permanent.

Don’t worry: despite this series of pregnancy ailments, your pregnancy can be a fantastic period. If you have one or more of these ailments: it’s part of it, embrace it!