Being pregnant for the first time and preparing to be a first time mum is not as simple as it seems. Most women i know or at least read about are tremendously happy about getting pregnant. They get excited, they do they research, they take the utmost care of themselves and are all “glowing with happiness”. Me?? Being the logical and realist that i am, i start thinking about the costs of having this baby, the time that i’ll have to sacrifice with friends, my yearly travels and everything it takes to bring up a human being in this world. Sounds cruel? Sounds selfish? Well let’s be real ladies. Of course i’m happy! But all happiness comes at a cost right? 😀 I can foresee a change in my life which i’m not exactly sure what to feel yet. I’m not your typical/ average pregnant woman- i go to festivals, i go to events, i’ll be travelling to Thailand soon and i don’t crave things (not that much, but i do take advantage at times to bully hubs into bringing me places.. Shh!! He doesn’t read my blog..Bahahaa!!)

Anyways! The purpose of this article is to share some of the “not so glowy, dewy side” of pregnancy. Why? Because i feel that 1st time mums need to know this too! Heck! i wished i knew all these things before hand!! It’s not all about the pregnancy glow, shopping for new cute clothes, and getting all the attention/ perks of being pregnant. So this is me just sharing my experience and what i’ve been through so far for the past 6 months.

ONE

Morning Sickness

Sure, morning sickness is a common symptom in your first trimester but did they tell you that it can happen at ANY TIME, ANY WHERE?!?! You would think that morning sickness is called what it is because it only happens in the morning right? WRONG!!! It happened once to me in the middle of a Ramadhan bazaar! God bless my child! So be prepared at any time!

TWO

Bleeding gums

So apparently your gums are super sensitive throughout your pregnancy due to all the hormones. Luckily for you guys, only 50% of women get this. But unfortunately for me.. I’m in the other 50%. So i had to step up my oral care regime and pray that my teeth don’t fall out n the mean time. Huhu!

THREE

Falling teeth

Speaking about oral care, YES your teeth may fall out if you’re not taking enough calcium on a daily basis. In my mum’s case, this sh*t is real coz she lost a tooth while she was carrying me (or maybe my bro). Ain’t want that happening to me, so Dr. prescribed calcium pills to take daily.

FOUR
Swollen feet

Say bye bye to your favourite pair of heels/shoes! In my case swollen feet only started around my 5th month. I was so confident that i wasn’t going to have this problem when people kept asking me if my feet has swollen up  and at the time i didn’t have them, but boy was i wrong…. Just a late bloomer i guess.. Haha!

FIVE

Hairfall

Hairfall for me at the beginning was a problem, and i’ve heard some really horror stories from friends too. But thank god for me, it’s not that bad… i guess everyone is different in my case the bleeding gums is the worst!

SIX
Stretch-marks

Hello red wormy lines that creep up your tummy! They’ve just arrived/appeared very recently, just a few days a go infact. But my sister in law has already warned me wayyy earlier to put on BioOil every night no matter when they start to appear, so i’ve got that all covered! Hopefully post pregnancy won’t be too bad.. Huhu

 

HOLD UP! We’re not done yet!

That’s just the changes to your physical self… There’s other things that you need to be prepared for.

SEVEN

Baby’s Stuff

Baby cot, stroller, car seat, newborn clothes (long jumpers la, side snap tshirts la, snap-crotch t shirts la, bootiesla, hatla, etc) then theres things for inside the cot- mattress la, mattress coversla, blanketsla, then theres the whole milk and bottle stuff, and breast pumps.. Nevermind you get what i mean.. (here’s a link to a list of stuff needed) And all this COST MONEY!!! So…. before you get yourself pregnant save up a whole lot of money coz there are tons to buy! Or better yet, get whatever handy downs you can get your hands on and save up!

EIGHT

Who’s going to take care of your baby?!?!

Will all the horror stories going around with nurseries and maids, it’s only natural to worry on who will take care of your little one when you go back to work. Alhamdullillah, my mother will be staying with me one the little one is born, so i’ve got that all covered. But if you’re looking for a place i suggest you really research and ask around, get recommendations from other mums too!

Okay, i think i better stop here, i can go on and on but you’ll probably be bored reading the whole post and i don’t want to scare anyone. Plus, the little one is already kicking me a few times as if he instinctively knows that i’m talking about him! LOL

Feel free to add on the list too! Fun to have little discussions on this! Add them comments in the comment section below…