10 Pregnancy symptoms I was *not* prepared for!

I thought I knew everything about pregnancy...I've seen movies... I have four sisters and 14 nieces and nephews and heard all their horror stories... I thought I knew everything about pregnancy and its joys and pains. WRONG! Here are some things I did and did not know to expect...

I DID know that pregnancy causes hormonal changes which can result in mood swings.  Even though I knew about that, I was still unprepared for the surges of emotions and the random urges to cry for no reason.

I did NOT know that pregnancy can cause major skin issues. For the first trimester my skin got extremely oily (I'm usually super dry) and I had major breakouts. I've never had breakouts or acne before, so that was an unpleasant surprise. For the second trimester my skin got extremely dry and sensitive. Any contact to my skin whatsoever would cause it to be red and irritated. And no amount of lotion could quench the dryness.

basically the state of my skin right now

I DID know about food cravings. I did NOT know about food aversions. I couldn't eat meat for 4 months. Just the thought of chicken made me want to barf.

I DID know about morning sickness. I DID NOT know about all-day nausea. All. Day. Nausea...

I DID know that many pregnant women experience breast sensitivity. I did NOT know how painful it would be. Especially during sleeping.  Luckily the pain went away after the first trimester!

I did NOT know about the panic-inducing hunger. I would be completely fine and then within seconds I would be so hungry I would get a panic attack, feeling like I would die if I didn't eat something right that second!

I did NOT know about nosebleeds! I actually had to ask my doctor about this. She said it's completely normal. I've always been prone to nosebleeds anyway, but apparently when you're pregnant, the changes in estrogen and progesterone can cause your blood vessels to become more sensitive, which can result in more frequent nosebleeds. One day while I was teaching choir, I was sitting at the piano playing for the kids while they were singing, and my nose just started dripping blood. Blood just started dripping down my face. My students were a little traumatized!!!

I did NOT know about round ligament pain. I started experiencing round ligament pain around week 12 and it has been constant ever since. It feels like a knife is slicing through my groin and pelvic muscles. It's more painful when I first wake up in the morning and at night after a long day of work. It makes it difficult to change position (standing to sitting, laying to standing), and it is extremely painful. My friends were making fun of me because I was waddling so early in my pregnancy. They were joking that I would be in a wheelchair by the third trimester. And honestly, I'm hoping I can be. Because it is so painful!

I did NOT know about the change in smells.  I did know that pregnant women have a more sensitive sense of smell, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the smell that I give off... the way I smell to other people. I suppose it makes sense - hormonal changes can affect your body odor. But now I have to be very careful to wash myself both morning and night, always wear clean underwear, always wear a fresh pantyliner, and make sure I don't skip out on the deodorant! (TMI? Sorry!)

Let's just say I do not smell like these roses!

Were any of these a surprise to you?  Did you experience any of these with your pregnancies?  And if you've never been pregnant before, you have now been warned! :)