7 Moms Share Little Known Side-effects Every Newly-pregnant Woman Should Know

Pregnancy news is often a pleasant surprise, with some women creatively sharing it with their significant other, but some side-effects almost mar the blissful pregnancy experiences many women had hoped for. Although there are some common pregnancy effects like swollen legs, back pain, constant spitting, and morning sickness, many women are familiar with, there are many other less known effects that make the nine-month journey not so blissful for many women.

Seven Nigerian mothers share some uncommon side effects of their pregnancy with 234Star’s Simbiat Bakare.

Lolade, an entrepreneur and new mom in her late 20s who resides in Lagos, says: “My hair stopped growing. My poo also became very strong and painful. People said it was because I was eating bread, but even when I stopped eating bread, the pain continued.”

Halimat, a mother of three in her late 20s, has had three pregnancies, but lost one of her children a month after birth.
From her experience, she said: “I usually have ear pain whenever I am pregnant with a boy. I also have heavy dizziness. However, when I am pregnant with a girl, I have back pain, loss of hair, and dizziness. After childbirth, everything went back to normal except I can’t stand for too long now.”

Fisayo in her 30s is a Lagos-based entrepreneur who sells African prints.
The mother of one said: “I often experience loss of appetite. I also had a change in my diet. The food I used to love eating, became something I couldn’t stand. My sleeping pattern also changed. I used to wake up early but while I was pregnant I found it difficult to do so. I also had mood swings. One minute I’m chatty and the next minute I’m cranky. Heavy blood clot during my period is another thing I experienced while pregnant but the doctor explained that it was due to stress from work and I should just rest.”

For Ganiyat, a mother of two and Lagos-based entrepreneur operating in the beauty industry, the taste of toothpaste makes her vomit whenever she’s pregnant.
“I always have weak teeth anytime I am pregnant. The taste of toothpaste also makes me throw up, so anytime I am brushing my teeth I vomit. Before pregnancy, I wash clothes fine, but during pregnancy, I have a blood clot in my hands, so anytime I wash clothes, it is always painful.”

Abiola, a mother of a set of twins who is in her 30s and working in the media industry said: “In my third trimester, I couldn’t sleep at night. I am literally awake till 6:00 am or 7:00 am before I can get some sleep.”

Yetunde is a mother of two in her late twenties. She is an entrepreneur who lives in Lagos.
She shares: “I didn’t have many rare symptoms, except that my mouth is always bitter and I frequently have headaches.”

Fidel is a mother of two and a woman in her thirties. She is an entrepreneur who majors in selling lingeries.
She said: “The side effect of pregnancy I feel people don’t really emphasise is the pain of the labour itself. You see that labour pain, it is too much. It is out of this world, I don’t think if I break a leg, I will be in that much pain. It is even a different situation from leg pain because in a situation like that you can be expecting a doctor to give you some drugs to lessen the pain or to do something to make you feel better but with labour pain, you are just there by yourself, there is nothing anybody can do, you can’t go back, and you can’t go forward until you go through that pain. I remember blacking out at some point during my labour because of the pain. I ended up having to opt for a CS.”

While some pregnancy symptoms might be weird but manageable, if you are feeling worried about any situation during pregnancy, see your doctor immediately.