How to know if you're pregnant (additional symptoms)

This topic suddenly came to mind today (actually two days ago but I couldn't find time to finish this post, so ... play along). I can't remember what initiated the thought but it is something that interests many people (many of them young, some probably too young) and is interesting to write.

So, here goes.

The usual symptoms of pregnancy: nausea, unexplainable weight gain or weight loss, a change in appetite, an increased sense of smell, getting emotional very quickly, pain at the breasts. I get some of them, and a few other Internet-unlisted symptoms as well.

The usual suspects:
Nausea
I had nausea after I found out I was pregnant but not before. It lasted until the 4th month. My grandma, a lady of about 70 plus and mother of 6, said that pregnant women get nausea for either 4 weeks, 4 months or the whole pregnancy. So if by the 4th month your nausea has not alleviate... I feel so sorry for you. Take more assam or dried orange peel.

Change in appetite
This particular part for most women was not forced. For me, a person who dislike and at all costs avoid bread, and cannot naturally take milk without running to the toilet, I had to depend on bread and milk for the in-between meals (I had like 6 meals in a day, big, small, etc) and I'd just like to say that the amount of bread and milk I took during my pregnancy was more than the total amount of bread and milk I've had in my whole life. I've gone off bread. But milk, milk I'm keeping.

Canine-level smelling abilities.
Okay maybe I can't sniff out narcotics at the airport yet but yes, my sense of smell had strengthened during my pregnancy, which lead to me eating more or sometimes less of certain foods, depending on my level of acceptance of the smell of those foodstuff.

etcetera, other boring usual symptoms you can find on the Internet, etcetera...

...and then there was...

Wow, I didn't see that coming:
Fatigue
The most evident symptom is that I find it hard to get up in the mornings to get to work. Other words for it would be lethargy, exhaustion, fatigue. Big words but they all mean one thing, I am tired and unexplainably so. I can get 10 hours of sleep and still can't lift an eyelid the next morning. I didn't think much of it at the time but later on I found out that a colleague of mine found it hard to even go up and down a flight of steps at the office. I go up 3 flights every day to get to work and to go home and numerous more while at work but I didn't feel as tired as she did. So, this particular symptom is different for every individual.

The sweet smell of.. what?
Urine. Yes, my urine smelt sweet. It wasn't the nice honey kind of smell. It was the oh my god am I diabetic kind of, worrying type of, smell. I didn't take a sample and put it up close to my nose. I just smelt it after every time I'm in the toilet. It is that evident. I've not heard anyone else talked about this particular symptom, so it's kinda subtle. Or maybe I'm just paranoid.

Hard to lose weight
I also found that I've been gaining weight around the hip area before my pregnancy, and the weight is getting hard to come off. I would reduce my calorie intake but the weight does not come off as easily as it used to. It was as if my body was prepping me for pregnancy. This particular symptom is evident for all mothers after they gave birth so either I'm weird or I'm paranoid.

Abdominal pain
This, I found out later on, was due to me having a intestinal gas problem which was aggravated by my pregnancy. It was the nailing point of my suspicions of being pregnant, and it was the reason I got myself to clinic to get myself checked. I was worried it was going to be an ectopic pregnancy, something my husband didn't know and so grudgingly followed me to the clinic to get my woman problem checked. You can be sure we had different reactions to the results of the pregnancy test conducted by the clinic.

Forgetfulness
I don't know how, I don't know why... but I forget things during my pregnancy. Things that should not have been in the Just forget it list. Some of my colleagues share this symptom and attributed it to losing body mass to the baby growing inside the womb but I think just taking it easy due to the pregnancy was the main culprit.

But all this.. is just me.

The best way to know for sure if you are pregnant is to take a pregnancy test or go see a doctor. A pregnancy is a very important event in a person's life and I don't know about those who deliver the baby themselves then throw their newborn in a ditch or a dumpster or God knows where, but once you have held that 9-month creation of yours in your arms, you feel things inside of you that you never thought you'd feel.. and a lot of things that other people have told you before will start to make sense. Yes, it is a life changing experience partially in that sense. Apart from that, you have someone you can call your own. Just be prepared for the sleepless nights and the sacrifices you have to make. And if you aren't ready to take responsibilities as heavy as a child in your name, don't have unprotected sex.