You hear about the morning sickness, the wacky cravings, and even the swollen ankles before you get pregnant. But there are lots of other things that women don’t talk about! So here are 8 things that you probably didn’t know about pregnancy (and might not want to know.)
 
1. Primary School won't be the last time you wet yourself.
 
An uncontrollable bladder is an embarrassing and inconvenient side-effect of pregnancy. A the baby gets bigger it rests on the internal organs, including your bladder, which is why your body can’t help but leak a little. But don’t worry, you won’t need to throw on a nappy any time soon. A mini-pad or even a pantiliner should do the trick for now. A good sense of humor about it could do no harm also.
 
2. You'll have terrible gas.
 
It happens to the best of us, however it’s likely that you will fart a lot more regularly while pregnant. With your body working double-time making hormones like progesterone and relaxing muscle tissue, your body will start to relax – especially around your GI tract. This causes the food you eat to move through your system more slowly, thereby causing you to bloat. Together these things can cause you to become very gassy, but there are changes you can make to your pregnancy diet to lessen this, such as laying off gassy foods, like beans, since they’ll just add to your troubles. But for the most part, all you can do is grin and bear it – and hope that your partner’s a good sport.
 
3. You could grow a beard.
 
Okay, so you’re not going to be giving Wolverine a run for his money, but you will probably find you have a few more whiskers on your face than you’re used to. Facial hair growth in general is a very common pregnancy symptom – so have the Veet ready. Your raging hormones can be blamed for this one, since they’re what’s causing your hair to grow at super-fast speeds and maybe even in some new (and embarrassing) places.
 
4. A good poop will feel like a distant memory.
 
Sadly, constipation plagues many mums to be throughout their pregnancies, since the flow of hormones can make your belly muscles relax, and turn pooping into a rough process. Your uterus is also growing and putting added pressure on your bowels, which is another reason why things aren’t quite in working order.  Try adding in more fiber to your diet, drinking more water, keeping active, staying on top of your prenatals, and remember...if you gotta go, then go!
 
5. You may suffer from uncontrollable drooling.
 
Nighttime drooling certainly isn’t sexy, but sometimes you just can’t avoid it. It’s pretty common for your hormones to cause your body to produce way more saliva than normal when you’re pregnant, although no one is sure why. This can lead to some pretty yucky situations on your pillow, but can also be embarrassing during the daytime, too – because yes, the drooling isn’t just a problem at night. So what can you do? Brush your teeth more often, use some minty mouthwash, and pop in some sugar-free gum to try and try and dry out your mouth. 
 
6. Grooming your lady bits could become the bane of your existence.
 
Sad but true: With your belly growing by the minute, it’s inevitable that there will come a time when you won’t be able to see what’s going on down there - which means it's going to be pretty difficult to tend to it. And this presents problems when it comes to personal grooming, since (as we’ve already established), your body kicks things up a notch in the hair growth department when you’re pregnant. If you’re going into panic mode about what someone might encounter down there, you’re not alone. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t hope - it’s time to start shopping around town for a good waxer.
 
7. There will be discharge. And lots of it.
 
Gross, yes but it's another lovely side effect of pregnancy. Your body is making way more estrogen now and causing more blood to flow down to your lady bits, which means excess discharge is bound to happen. And while it’s totally normal, it isn’t pretty. So if you haven’t already been introduced, it’s time to meet your new best friend: the pantiliner.
 
8. Your vagina will grow.
 
It’s a scary thought, but yes, your vagina’s lips could get bigger - even swell a bit - as you near that nine-month mark. It doesn’t happen to everyone and it shouldn’t last too long. Your body’s producing more blood now that you’re pregnant, and trying to re-route most of it to your uterus, so baby can get enough nourishment. Unfortunately, your vagina may bear the brunt of the increased blood-flow you’re getting down there, which is what’s leaving you feeling tender or sore.

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