Not Enjoying Your Pregnancy? That's Okay

From physical symptoms to psychological struggles to downright nasty strangers, here's why you might not like being pregnant, and why that's totally normal. 1. Gender disappointment. Maybe you desperately wanted a girl and learned you're carrying a boy, or vice versa. Gender disappointment can be a source of sadness and anxiety for some moms, even when they know deep down that the most important thing is incubating a healthy baby. 2. People can be mean. What is it about a pregnant woman that makes people forget their manners? It's never okay to gawk at a woman's size or shame her for it, but pregnant women know from experience it happens all the time. And it can be demoralizing, humiliating, or just plain maddening. 3. Maddening mood swings. Pregnancy hormones can trigger a wide range of emotions. The good news is that emotional distress is a totally normal response to what can be an uncomfortable time in life. Of course, if you truly feel bombed about your pregnancy, be sure to mention your feelings to your healthcare practitioner. You may be suffering from prenatal depression. For most women though, it's okay to simply admit that there are bad days. Complicating your emotions even further may be a general sense of pressure from society to love every moment of the experience. Give yourself a break. Surround yourself with people who allow you to feel all of your emotions, and people who know just what you're going through. 4. Pregnancy side effects. It's hard to enjoy being pregnant if you feel nauseous all the time. Beyond that, pregnancy comes with a zillion aches, pains, and unfamiliar symptoms. Gas, constipation, back pain, swollen ankles, growing feet, acid reflux, the constant need to pee, and on and on. The baby is totally worth it, of course, but that doesn't make the day-to-day experience any less difficult. 5. You have nothing to wear. It's expensive and exhausting to buy a whole new wardrobe for a new body, especially when your closet is full of pretty things that express your personality, but which no longer fit. 6. You miss all the off-limits stuff. When you're pregnant, there are a lot of things you're not supposed to do, from consuming alcohol to taking a hot bath. And for some people, that can limit the thrill of the experience, and even cause resentment to build up. That's totally logical and normal. 7. You're super anxious. Anxiety can take over big time during pregnancy, especially if you're expecting for the first time or are in a high-risk category. 8. Multiple babies. You were excited to find out you were expecting, but soon learned you were carrying not one but two or more babies. Many families who don't have a long history of twins are often shocked by that second heartbeat during that very first sonogram. Beyond the initial shock, there can be more physical challenges and discomforts when you're carrying multiples, and huge financial, logistical, and health concerns too. With a multiple-birth pregnancy, parents often have their new life flash before their eyes, double the diapers, double the crayons, and double the college tuition.