So you've read the entire series of What to expect books, Googled "pregnancy side effects" and have probably heard a cautionary tale or two from your mom. Nothing can surprise you while you're expecting!

Not so fast. Every woman handles pregnancy differently, and the side effects are often as varied as the women who experience them. A pregnant friend of mine often blames "baby brain" for her lack of memory while carrying her first-born. Another claims chocolate milk is the only magical elixir that could settle her tumultuous pregnant tummy.

This assortment of advice for pregnant women is offered up by women who've been already been there. Take a look at what women wished they knew before they were pregnant and learn what ten unexpected side effects in our collection of articles below.


Photo gallery: What pregnant women wished they knew before they got pregnant

Get the most out of your prenatal period and the early stages of your pregnancy with these easy tips.

Pregnancy is one of those few situations in life that will fill you with a fluctuating hormonal stew of dread, happiness, anxiety, bliss and – to top it off – a heaping helping of physical discomfort as the nine months wear on.

So, before all of that happens, try to get the most out of the prenatal period and early stages of pregnancy with tips from moms like me who have been there before.

10 things to know about your pregnancy

Some things your best friend might forget to tell you, but that you definitely need to know.

1. If you wait for every possible labour symptom to kick in before heading off to labour and delivery, you'll end up giving birth on your bathroom floor.
While you may be afraid of embarrassing yourself by showing up at the hospital in false labour, you'll look even more foolish if you end up giving birth on the side of the highway in the middle of rush hour.

Top 10 pregnancy-related aches and pains

How to manage the complaint department

While there's bound to be at least one woman in your prenatal class who manages to sail through her entire pregnancy without being troubled by so much as a single ache or pain, such mothers-to-be tend to be the exception rather than the rule. The rest of us mere mortals end up experiencing a smorgasbord of different complaints along the way. Here's what you need to know about coping with the 10 most common pregnancy-related aches and pains.

Uncommon pregnancy problems

Pregnancy aches and pains that you don't hear about.

Just think of them as the Rodney Dangerfields of the pregnancy world: pregnancy-related aches and pains that quite simply "don't get no respect." While complaints like morning sickness and Braxton-Hicks contractions manage to attract the lion's share of attention, you could make more than a few trips to labour and delivery before ever hearing as much as a whisper about palmar erythema or restless legs syndrome.


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