- Morning Sickness (or night for some)
- Heartburn
- Food Cravings
- Mood Swings
- Swelling
- Sleeplessness
- Need to Avoid Certain Foods (due to gas, etc.)
- Pregnancy Brain (despite what tests may say, this is real!)
These are just to name a few.
I didn't have nausea or cravings. I didn't really have mood swings, or sleeplessness. I had a bit of swelling and one bad bout of heartburn. But other than that, I had symptoms that I had never heard of: Congestion & Foot Tenderness.
I discovered I was pregnant before I hit 1 month. The congestion started right around then. When I told my Mom, she didn't think it could be related to my pregnancy, she had never heard of it. When I asked my Doctor, they had never heard of it either.
So, I went to Google. Turns out, I wasn't the only one! I won't get into why it happens. Frankly, that didn't matter to me. I just wanted to know how to stop it or decrease it. I am not a Doctor but this is what I found worked for me.
CONGESTION:
I was congested 24/4! During the day, my breathing was different than before. It was normal but I felt like I had less space to breathe through. The night was where I had the most trouble. I breathe through my nose, so congestion was really difficult for me. When I implemented these two things, I slept much better.
What I Did:
- To help me sleep, and to help me get deeper breaths, I slept on my back propped up by many pillows.
- I also bought an oil diffuser. This was extremely helpful! I would add a mix of essential oils to help with sleep and easier breathing.
Together these two things helped me get through the night. I would still be congested during the day, but breathing was normalish/manageable.
Details:
FOOT TENDERNESS:
This started around the end of my 7th month.
I hate to say this, but this was very painful! It wasn't my feet swelling, it was extreme pain on the bottoms of my feet. I walked and my feet ached with each step. Thankfully, it would only last about thirty minutes or so before it stopped. In total, it only went on for a few weeks and for a few days at a time. And contrary to what you would think, I found that being on my feet helped. The days I was on my feet more, I was fine.
What I Did:
- At night, I would massage Tiger Balm on the bottoms of my feet right before bed. This seemed to help a lot.
- In those weeks, I slept on my feet propped up above my heart. Together with sleeping propped up, it took a bit to get set-up for bed and I must have looked ridiculous! It didn't help every time but I think that's more because my feet didn't always stay elevated. I was fine sleeping propped up on my back but I found it harder keeping my feet up.
- My midwife recommended compression socks. I was pregnant over the summer, so my plan was to wear them at night. I was unable to find them at a local drug store in my size. By the time I looked online, the pain stopped.
- I recently learned that there is compression hosiery which would have been extremely helpful in the summer months! Comment if you try either and they work, I'd like to know!
- Not related, but I found regular pedicures (in a well ventilated spa) was great while I was pregnant. There was no way I could reach to paint my toes and I got a foot massage. Win-win.
Like I said, I am not a professional, but it seemed to work for me. I hope it helps you too!
Details:
- Tiger Balm (great for sore shoulders and muscles as well. My midwife said it was safe to use)
- Compression Socks:
- Drugstores, or
- Amazon.ca
- Compression Hosiery
When I was looking into these two rare pregnancy symptoms, I didn't really find anything helpful to walk me through these rare pregnancy symptoms. I hope that my experiences can and will help you in yours.
You may look silly with all your pillows, but at least you'll be able to breathe and walk!
Until next time,
Canadian Country Mama
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