We asked a number of our awesome Emamaco wearing mums (and mums to be soon!) what was the hardest thing about their pregnancies. Here's the answers. Long ones, short ones and everything in between:
I had a very good/easy pregnancy but the hardest thing for me was being late and everyone hounding me about when my baby was coming. As a first time mum, I knew I would likely go over 40 weeks but I wish I had lied to everyone about my due date or just said something obscure like “winter baby”. I ended up being induced at 42w + 1 and I still wonder when she would have made her own arrival. I could have kept going but I was over the questioning and it made me feel like I wasn’t doing the right thing for my baby.
- Kat
Although pregnancy was not a breeze I really wanted to highlight some of the most wonderful things about pregnancy. How fantastic and amazing the human body is.
That aside the answer to your question is I found sleeping tricky, and with my first pregnancy being a little worried every time something new happened and not being sure if it was normal or not.
- Cass
The number one thing that was the most difficult was people commenting on my body. I had bad food and scent aversion, nausea, vomiting all the way through, plus reflux and pelvic pain from the second trimester. And it was all nothing compared to being called "big", or "massive" or being asked when the twin's were due (it was a singleton pregnancy). This was on top of aiming for a VBAC. so not the biggest confidence boost.
- Pip
Hardest thing was all the uncertainty. The constant worry if everything you're experiencing is normal. Plus your body changing and not feeling like yours anymore.
- Lara
Hardest thing about pregnancy was the bleeding, really scary, the possibility of losing baby. 2nd would be the unexpected symptoms and becoming completely vulnerable and almost dependent.
- Davie
Well I knew pregnancy/birth would be hard so I mentally prepared myself before I got pregnant. The actual pregnancy and birth when it was really really hard it didn't take me off guard.
What took me off guard was after birth, the recovery process.
Yes looking after a newborn is something but I never really imagined I would have to put so much effort into looking after myself.
I thought after few months I would be back to my 'normal self'.
Well I was wrong.
Very wrong.
That 'normal' me does not exist anymore.
Since I lost all the pregnancy weight in the first two weeks after birth and my stomach shrunk very very quickly, everyone would comment that they never imagined me as a person who just gave birth and told me my body must be recovering extremely well.
On the outside I looked okay but the inside of me, mentally and physically I was so fragile, in so much pain.
I was spending all my attention and energy on my baby when I should have also taken care of myself.
Six months since my beautiful baby has arrived into the world, I am still going through the painful recovery process and it is still hard to get my head around the fact that maybe I might never get the old me back.
I am very grateful at the fact that I had the chance to go through pregnancy and give birth to a healthy baby but I can't help but feel sad at the same time knowing the process has broken me.
I pray that there is light at the end of this tunnel and I am going to come out as a stronger person. Maybe I might start to like this new me.
It is very hard to tell people how I feel now because they might take it as I am only thinking about myself and taking pregnancy for granted.
I hope other new mums don't feel and experience what I am going through. And if they are, know that they are not alone
- Anon
Trying to take care work/home/children when you’re so tired and sick
- El
Oh definitely the unwanted opinions 
- Kris
The pain in your hips and back
- Michelle
I think I am finding the hardest part of pregnancy different in each trimester.
Trimester 1 was the morning sickness.
Trimester 2 was the emotions, everything was just *more* and the swings were huge.
Trimester 3 is the kidney kicks and heartburn.
- Alix
in my experience the emotional changes were the most shocking for me, and the anxiety I felt on a daily basis. I cried a lot worrying about my baby even though I had no reason to worry in retrospect.
Most days were balanced though with a good amount of positive emotions, and I know that I wasn’t depressed, possibly just a bit anxious. It was definitely a roller coaster of emotions throughout the whole pregnancy for me.
Physically, later in my pregnancy I had trouble with teeth sensitivity that was quite severe and I really had to pick what I ate because sweet and cold were out
- Shannon
The hardest thing about my pregnancy was the sickness all the time and the struggle with having to restrict my diet due to gestational diabetes
- Candice
I had severe hyperemesis gravidarum for the first four months of my pregnancy before symptoms started to gradually ease with the help of the strongest drugs available. During this time, it felt more like a terminal illness rather than a pregnancy. The closest analogy I can think of is dying very slowly of starvation and dehydration coupled with constantly throwing up blood and bile. The emotional and physical struggle to keep myself and my baby alive was very real.
- Shalinie
For me it was depression during my third trimester. Seeking help is extremely important to get a clear understanding of what you’re feeling, why you’re feeling and have someone to tell you that it’s just a stage and that it all gets better. It’s also important to have loved ones around you to let you know that you’ll be okay, someone to make you feel better, someone to help you distract you from these strong feelings that you get unexpectedly.
I spoke to my midwife about these feelings and we worked on a solution of whatever was stressing me out; whether it was pregnancy, labour related , recovery time, not getting enough support, or not mentally or emotionally being there for my other two kids.
You need to find someone you trust who can help you cope through these feelings and work together to come up with a solution or some kind of a plan to avoid these feelings. And that really helps.
- Hani
One of the hardest things about pregnancy, is the amount of comments you get from family, friends and strangers. They (usually) come from a place of love and care, but unfortunately can cause a pregnant woman to feel uncomfortable or self conscious or anxious even, especially in an already stressful and anxious time.
Comments like:
“Oh you’re so big”
“You’re carrying small”
“Oh you’ve plateaued”
“Are you going to breastfeed?”
“Is everything ok with the baby?”
“Get your sleep now”
“Have you felt the baby kick yet?”
All of these can cause unnecessary concern for mum.
That is what I found hardest about pregnancy-that MY body and body shape/parts were up for public conversation.
- Kasia
I found when being pregnant the constant hip & back pain
- anon
My experience was that getting pregnant was the hardest thing. The 5 year journey was brutal, with very little support and understanding from the general community. So many comments around 'don't leave it too late' and then a lack of understanding when I start to tell our fertility story. What felt like hundreds of birth announcements while we kept chugging through the intrusive and expensive process, finding ways to be genuinely happy for friends and family, while our private heartbreak continued. I heard that a third of couples will need fertility support, and yet it is left out of the conversation so often, causing further pain and isolation.
I am incredibly happy (and relieved!) to share that I am in my 3rd trimester of a very easy, healthy and happy pregnancy! After all that work, growing a human has been a breeze!
I'm sharing my story with you so that any readers who may be going through a similar experience can feel less alone. Please feel free to include it anonymously.
On another note entirely, thank you for the fabulous pregnancy support shorts and leggings! They have made a massive difference to my pregnancy experience, as the support has stopped pain and enabled me to stay active every day.
Best wishes,
- Anon
