– Expect any or all of these to happen to you: Nausea, vomiting, constipation, fatigue, back ache, sleeplessness, too much sleep, moodiness, depression, anxiety, discomfort, hemorrhoids, swollen feet, swollen hands, heartburn, heartburn, heartburn, low blood pressure, high blood pressure, peeing yourself when you sneeze, cough, jump and others. In no particular order, for no specific duration, any of these could happen to you, or not, but if they do, it’s okay.

– Your second trimester really is your best time; You are not too heavy, not so miserable or tired yet. You have energy, are half way there and are getting the pregnant treatment because you are showing, so enjoy.

– You will gain weight. You can eat healthy and work out and gain an ideal 12 kilos, or you can be too tired to leave the couch and have the appetite of a little town and gain 35 kilos. Obsess about it or not, you will gain weight, and you should. I gained 22 kilos that I only lost half of in the ten weeks post delivery.

– Pregnancy is an individualistic experience. You could have an easy one or a very difficult one. As long as you and your baby are in good health as per your OB, suck it up and carry one. Keep your eye on the end line; it is well worth it in the end. Well worth it.

– You will meet new moms who, if you complain, will tell you that after you have your baby you will wish he stayed inside you forever. You will hear this so often and it is annoying as hell. It isn’t true. It just isn’t.  And you have a right to complain that you can’t fit into anything anymore and that even an apple gives you heartburn.

– If you have a medical condition, chances are it will act up when you are pregnant. What’s worse, is that you probably won’t be able to take medication. Try to treat anything you can before getting pregnant. It will spare you a lot of grief.

– Medication: Consult your OB on any medication you need to have, and research it. Medications are graded, my rule at first was no meds at all, then only grade A meds, then only grade A and B meds, then grade C meds if I am truly desperate. Do your research and make your decisions, but anything after grade C could possibly harm your baby, you should know that. Tell your doctor what medications you’re on when you start trying, you need to cut the dangerous ones out before you are even pregnant.

– Drinking and smoking: You simply shouldn’t. It’s bad for your baby. An OB who tells you that you can has either been bullied by you or is incompetent. In both cases you should change your OB.

– Call your OB if you are having any cramps or bleeding, if you need to take medication, if your blood pressure is way off either way and whenever you want if you have a high risk pregnancy. I must warn you that OB’s are used to frantic calls that have no urgency at all, so if it is urgent you have to get that urgency across. I was in labor for three days before I got to a hospital because I made it sound like it was nothing.

– Subscribe to weekly emails from www.babycentre.com or www.whattoexpect.com. They will have all you need to know between your monthly visits.

– Note down your questions for your monthly visits to spare your doctor the useless phone calls.

– Don’t buy too many maternity clothes, take all the hand me downs you can get. People will think you look adorable even if you wear the same shirt every day. You need a pair of jeans, a pair of black pants, a swimsuit, two new bras, preferably nursing ones to avoid buying another two if you’re planning to breastfeed, a black dress for any fancy occasion and about five shirts, tops and t-shirts. If you are going on vacation you will need a pair of shorts and a few tank tops. Other than that all your loose clothes will fit you for a while and some jackets as well. You may need a pair of shoes and boots if you cross winter, but try to get one size bigger than your regular size so you can wear them later on with heavy socks. H&M has a great affordable selection for almost everything, Premaman and Mother Care (only the City Stars branch) also have good clothes at reasonable prices if you catch a sale.

– Take it easy. Stress is bad, try not to stress about weight, money, bringing a baby into this world or overcompensating at work because you are pregnant. Try not to work long hours, drive for long in traffic or stress yourself out. I tell you this because I did all of the above and as tough as you think you are, you’re not; you’re pregnant.

– Visit the hospital you will deliver in to make sure you are comfortable with the entire set-up. It should be equipped with an emergency room, intensive care unit and incubator room. There is a very slim chance you and your baby might need these but better safe. They should also have a female lactation consultant and a pediatrician for your post delivery questions; and you will have many. I got a male lactation consultant an hour after I gave birth telling me how to nurse from two meters afar — are you kidding me?

– Get ready: buy stuff for your baby, but that’s a whole other post, so watch this space for more. 

Other than the above, just put your feet up and enjoy the spare time you have, the only thing you will miss when the little one arrives is time. Take trips with your partner, long massages and manicures. Your hair and nails are at their most beautiful and you are waiting for a little one that will come fill your life with joy and change it forever.