When attending a recent mummy fair at Singapore Expo, I overheard a young (likely single) lady telling her pregnant mummy friend that it must be great being pregnant because it means there’s no mensus. *snigger* Yeah, that was what I’d thought too! So naive! Sure, there ARE some perks such as getting more attention from your partner, people buying you good food to eat, getting lighter/easier duties at work, not having to suck in your tummy at the pool/beach/anywhere, etc. Yet there’s so much more that’s not said, and even if it’s told to you upfront, there’s nothing quite like experiencing it yourself. Here’s some of what went down during my pregnancy…
(I’m writing all these perhaps to remind myself NOT to have a second child. Hahaha! The post-delivery amnesia is real. Some days I think it’d actually be a great idea to have another kid. Choy choy choy!)
Vivid dreams
I was not expecting this one. I remember that night I woke up absolutely inconsolable because I had dreamt that I was pregnant during the Japanese Occupation and some soldiers were sadistically kicking me, especially at my abdomen. I was crying, begging, protecting my belly for all I was worth. I even pleaded with one of the Japanese sympathizers to please take pity on me and my unborn child and I’d let him be the baby’s father if it meant we’d be protected.
Another time, I dreamt that I’d slept on my back, and killed the baby in my womb as I’d cut off its supply of blood and nutrients as I’d been negligent and had not slept on my side. (@_@) Let’s just say no one wants to have these kinds of dreams during pregnancy. It’s an absolute nightmare. (*And yes, starting from the first trimester, I slept only on my left side – it was so tough initially, but I eventually got quite used to it)
Lack of sleep from frequent urination
Waking up a minimum of 5 times per night just to pee is par for the course. Interestingly, for me, it started right from the first trimester and what was most memorable was visiting the polyclinic nearby in order to get a referral to KKH. I took another pregnancy test at the polyclinic just to ‘confirm’ the pregnancy, and the doctor (a tall, young lady whose initials were – I kid you not – Dr L.K.Y) asked what symptoms I was experiencing. My darling helpfully said “frequent urination at night” and the good doctor was quick in saying “no such thing!” And I kept quiet but I was thinking… OK… this is medical gaslighting at its finest. You ask me what symptoms I have, and we tell you, and you say there’s no such thing. Then you ask for what sial? And I IMAGINED I was peeing so much, is it? In any case, do not argue with the doctors. If they say don’t have, then don’t have lor.
Heightened sense of smell
I guess this is useful in early pregnancy as having a better sense of smell means you can quickly identify (and avoid) foods which have gone bad. HOWEVER, it also means that when someone farts in the same room you’re in, it smells AS IF THE PERSON FARTED RIGHT INTO YOUR NOSTRILS! Lol. I’ve woken up in the middle of the night before feeling as if I’m being suffocated. All because SOMEONE had farted. It got so bad that I had to implement the ‘fart fund’ system – anyone who farts in the same room I’m in will have to put $2 into a special designated ‘fart fund’ box. Yup, even if yours is a silent fart, I’ll be able to sniff it out. So just have your money at the ready.
Smell and food aversions
During the first trimester, I could not even entertain the thought of eating chicken, much less put chicken meat into my mouth. Ordinarily, I really love chicken drumsticks and chicken wings but when I found myself pregnant, chicken ranks among the most disgusting things one can possibly eat. Haha! But late-second trimester or so, I was able to enjoy chicken again. Funny huh?!
And certain smells became off-putting. Such as certain brands of hand sanitiser (like the one a doctor was using at KKH!) and even my darling’s toiletries. Stay away from me after you shower!~
Cannot eat many types of food
There will be many food items you have to avoid. For one, raw fish. So say goodbye to sashimi and raw sushi items for ten months. When you pop into Don Don Donki, there will be a section of the supermarket that you’ll just feel sad walking past because you absolutely cannot buy any of your favorites. *sob*
And people around you will try and add to the list of food+drink items that you must stay away from. My darling actually stopped me from getting Rum&Raisin ice cream early on in my pregnancy. I was flabbergasted. Like… have you seen students stopped from ordering R&R ice cream as they are underage? How much alcohol content do you think is in that (cheap) ice cream?! Anyway… after checking with a doctor at KKH, we went back to Creamier for R&R ice cream. *I have to say that Udders’ Rum Rum Raisin is better though. 
Even my in-laws’ Indonesian helper felt it necessary to chime in and say I should not be drinking cold water. With raised body temperature during one’s pregnancy, and no air-conditioning at home, if I cannot even have cold water, I’ll have to walk around stark naked! And I’ll probably get arrested when neighbours call the police.
Conclusion: Do what makes you (and baby) happy. That’s all that matters. And yes, you can drink cold water and eat pineapple too. I did. No harm done.
Feeling emotional for no good reason -> hormones
When my darling bought me a cup of bubble tea from R&B as a surprise, I became teary. When he came back with chicken rice that did NOT feature chicken drumstick, I burst into tears. When he got my Subway salad order wrong, and there were so many missing ingredients even though I’d listed down every single one I wanted in my WhatsApp message, I was crying into my salad. LOL. Now that I’m looking back at what had transpired… it’s hilarious!
Bleeding gums
This was new to me. And my gums could bleed for no good reason. I could be brushing my lower teeth and the upper gum bleeds and I’m thinking “I haven’t even gotten to you yet!”
Nausea / Morning sickness
Thankfully, I did not experience severe morning sickness. I think I had nausea perhaps twice only, and threw up the tiniest bit of vomit. No ‘merlions’. There’s that general feeling of not being so well though, and cold 100Plus, Himalaya salt candies and essential oils became my best friends.
Lethargy / Fatigue
Also how I found out I was pregnant. It all started with feeling oh-so-tired. I suspected I was either pregnant or I had some terminal illness. So, thankfully, a home pregnancy test kit revealed that it was the former and not the latter.
Breast tenderness
This one occurs in the first trimester. Should someone or something brush against your breasts, you’ll jump. It’s really annoying.
Belly stretched taut / stretch marks
Often, I had the feeling that there was NO WAY my belly could get any bigger without exploding. But get bigger it did. After a full meal, one really feels like dying because the belly’s all stretched taut and you’re sure that this is it – you did it this time, your tummy’s gonna explode and expel the baby.
And stretch marks… ahh don’t we all hate them? Apparently, they are hereditary so if your mom had them when pregnant, you’ll get them too even if you constantly rub oil or cocoa butter or whatever onto your growing tummy. But to me, it’s OK, as it’s not like I enjoy wearing crop tops or bikinis. I’ll keep my belly and my stretch marks under wraps most of the time.
Getting kicked in the ribs
At first, it’s so cute when you first feel baby moving. There’s a term for this: quickening. It’s like bubbles and fluttering inside you. Then baby gets bigger… and before long, you feel something akin to an angry fish thrashing about. Sleep does get affected at this point. Only when baby’s gotten so large that there’s little space for big movements does that thrashing kind of stop. However, a well-aimed kick at your ribs will still hurt, and it’s so unexpected that you might find yourself letting out a GASP.
Weight gain – bra with 2 extenders, new underwear
I’ve never had to use bra extenders before. But at some point, I found myself using two of them at the same time. LOL. And underwear won’t fit anymore. So just buy new ones in larger sizes.
Constant fear
This one is probably something few share about. There’s always this fear of losing your baby. Especially now that ladies are more open to talking about the miscarriage they’ve just gone through. And then you get worried when you read about their stories. It’s just one fear after another. What if I miscarry? What if baby has Down Syndrome? What if it’s stillborn? What if there’s a medical condition e.g. hole in the heart?
And even when I’d safely gotten to the ‘final lap’, my darling’s grandma got admitted to hospital. I was SO afraid she’d pass away just as my baby was born. I believe the family’s kind of traditional so I wouldn’t be surprised if tongues got wagging and fingers started pointing… Thankfully, Grandma’s still alive.
Skin changes (legs) + pigmentation (dark pits)
The good news is the redness went away about 2 weeks after baby was delivered. Bad news: pits still dark. Oh well. Some pregnant ladies get darker patches ON THEIR FACE. So I’m quite lucky in that mine’s at my armpits so… who cares, right?
Leg cramps in the middle of the night
The first time it happened, I cried out in pain and had my darling get up to help me stretch. Thereafter, I knew what to do: point toes toward knee and stretch it out. This doesn’t happen when I’m not pregnant… so… best not to get pregnant again. No fun.
*UNSOLICITED ADVICE / COMMENTS on bump size / Having every decision scrutinised and criticised.
Oh my goodness! I think it’s possible to dedicate an ENTIRE blogpost to unsolicited comments received during pregnancy. If, like me, you detest it when people tell you what to do, then keep your pregnancy a secret, if you can.
Particularly memorable is that day (during my third trimester) when I had ordered KOI bubble tea from the outlet in Thomson Plaza. There was a man seated across from the counter – I was later told he had been waiting for his girlfriend to show up, and not that he’d ordered a drink and was waiting for it to be prepared.
But apparently, he had been eavesdropping on me as I placed my order for a cup of KOI with golden bubble, aloe vera and konjac. After I had gotten my receipt and gone off to the washroom (always needing to pee, remember?), the man had the audacity to tell my darling that I should NOT be having aloe vera in my drink because I’m pregnant!
Eh hello?! Who asked you? I’ve been taking aloe vera in my bubble tea throughout my pregnancy. Have you been pregnant before? Are you a doctor?
He was gone by the time I returned from the loo. And I still got my bubble tea with aloe vera. So that’s that. 
And yes, you CAN drink bubble tea with aloe vera lah! You think they use fresh aloe vera is it?
Now I wish I was wearing a shirt which said “I’M NOT PREGNANT! I’M JUST FAT!” then perhaps people will still ‘judge’ but not feel obliged to give so many unsolicited pieces of advice.
*I also received comments about my bump size (so small / so big / “boy or girl? Oh wait, don’t tell me, let me guess. So round should be girl!”) (@_@) I never even wanted to tell the person / let her guess. WLE. Just go away and let me eat my lunch in peace.
~
All these are just some of what went done during my pregnancy. Don’t get me started on the post-pregnancy period. Oh wait… I’ll probably do a blogpost about it anyway. 
Reminder to not get pregnant again, ya? Hahaha!
And by the way… 10 months of no mensus?! HA HA HA! After delivery… the bleeding will continue for up to 8 weeks. It’s payback time. The term for this is ‘lochia’ or postpartum bleeding. It’s a real pain in the ass. (Whether you’ve had a c-section or vaginal delivery… say HELLO to lochia!)