Everyone knows about morning sickness and food cravings, but pregnancy can come with plenty of unexpected side effects that no one warns you about. From losing teeth to blurry vision and pregnancy brain, the Nigerian women in this article share the surprising symptoms they experienced while pregnant. 

1. “I Began to Have Awful Bad Breath” — Marie*, 35 

It pisses me off when I see women talk about pregnancy being an easy and stress-free experience, because it’s absolutely not. My pregnancy was the worst thing to happen to me, and I know everyone might say it’s an exaggeration, but it’s not. I had bad problems with my teeth while I was pregnant with my daughter. No one told me that one day, you could sleep with two of your molars intact and then wake up without them because they decided to fall out without your permission. And when I thought that was it, because surely, my baby won’t want me to suffer more? My wisdom tooth, which I never thought I had, suddenly made an appearance. I even began to have awful, bad breath, even though I was taking my dental hygiene seriously.  I’m so glad I had my husband with me; otherwise, I would have really done something harmful to myself. I don’t see myself having a child again because of the side effects I faced with my daughter. God forbid I do that to myself again. 

2. “My Brain Had a Hard Time Adding 2 Plus 2” — Amina*, 28 

I thought the term ‘Pregnancy Brain’ was a myth until I got pregnant, and my brain suddenly had a hard time adding two plus two. Before my pregnancy, I was known for being someone who thinks quickly on her feet and is ready to solve any problem presented to her. No one ever had any hard time explaining things to me because I always understood immediately. 

So, imagine my surprise when I got pregnant, and my words barely started making sense. Stringing words together became a chore, and I had to start taking time before saying anything because there were countless times I said things that didn’t make sense. It was so embarrassing because I kept having people correct me at least 3 times during conversations. 

I was so scared that I would get sacked at my place of work, but thankfully, my boss is a woman who commiserated with me over it because she’d also been a victim of pregnancy brain. It was because of her that I tried not to feel so ashamed about what was happening to me. 

3. “Having Random Bald Patches Really Made Me Angry” — Banke*, 25

A major reason why I went from someone who wanted three kids to someone satisfied with just one is that I experienced severe hair loss while I was pregnant with my son. When I was a child, my mum always joked that I was the reason she didn’t have hair anymore, and I didn’t fully understand it until my hair started falling out. At first, I was even panicking because I thought that maybe I had a serious health condition, only for me to find out, after digging through every corner of the internet, that it was just the baby that was the cause. 

I’m quite a vain person, so going from a full natural hair that I spent years treating with all oils and leave-in conditioners under the sun to having weird bald patches really made me angry. I love being a mother, but I don’t think I can do pregnancy again. I just don’t see it happening in my future again. 

4. “I Got Diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes” — Shukura*, 45 

I have three children, and I won’t advise anyone to get pregnant unless they really know the risks and still want to do it. With my first and second child, I had low calcium, and it felt like I was going to die because of the countless side effects, like extreme tiredness, that came with it. When I became pregnant with my third child, I really thought it would be the usual low calcium, but then I got diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and then I had to start watching what I ate, and how I ate, and everything became so stressful for me. I was so surprised that I actually gave birth to my third child because the stress that came from having diabetes really had me convinced that I was going to miscarry. 

5. “My Legs Have Suddenly Become Restless in an Annoying Way” — Lolu*, 24

I am currently 32 weeks pregnant, and while I have been having it easier than some of my friends, my legs have suddenly become restless in a completely annoying way. I could want to sleep at night, and my legs would get this itchy feeling because they want to walk around the house. When I try to ignore it so I can get some actual sleep, I just keep obsessing over it. Before you know it, I’m walking around the house, and in the end, I barely get any sleep. It’s quite frustrating because I didn’t know about this before. I knew I would have to make some sacrifices when I decided to have a child, but walking around the house in the middle of the night because my legs are suddenly restless is not much fun. 

6. “My Nose Grew so Much, I Couldn’t Recognise Myself” — Fiyin*, 32 

I am a light-skinned woman, and after I got pregnant, my skin darkened. I didn’t know that was a thing. I was completely caught off guard, and I couldn’t comprehend why my body would turn on me like that. Coupled with my dark skin, my nose also grew massively, so people always had a hard time recognising me. Even I couldn’t recognise myself in the mirror. I hated myself completely, and even though everyone kept assuring me that my body would go back to normal after having my child, I was still so depressed. Throughout my pregnancy, I had at most four pictures of my face. I really hated the woman I’d turned into because of pregnancy. 

7. “I Grew Hair in Places That I Had Never Grown Hair Before” — Atinuke*, 31 

I was aware that excess hair growth is something that happens to women during pregnancy, but I was still so unprepared when it happened to me. I began to grow hair in places that I had never grown hair before. I grew hair on my face, my belly, and even my nipples, of all places. I didn’t know that we could actually grow hair on nipples until that happened to me, and I had to thoroughly educate myself, and I felt so validated when I read other women’s experiences with excess hair growth. 

8. “I Had a Hard Time Reading Because of My Eyes” — Dora*, 45

During my pregnancy, I began to have problems with my eyesight. Before my pregnancy, I didn’t know what an optician’s clinic looked like. Then I got pregnant with my second child, and suddenly, I had a hard time reading. I would have to squint a lot to see anything. I was so scared because I didn’t know what was happening. 

Then I met my doctor, and she was the one who let me know that bad eyesight is common in pregnant women. She assured me that it would go away after I gave birth, and it was just one of the many side effects that came with being pregnant. Throughout my pregnancy, I had to use prescription glasses, and even a month post-partum. I no longer have bad eyesight, but that was a scary time.

9. “My Hands Became Completely Useless” — Kemi*, 33 

I didn’t know what carpal tunnel syndrome was until I got pregnant. I didn’t realise how extremely important my hands were until carpal tunnel syndrome happened to me. As if the swelling and the pain that keep me up at night were not enough, my hands became completely useless. I could barely use it to carry anything with weight. Basic things I used to do with my hands, like holding my phone, became so difficult. I had to get my hands braced, and honestly, I’m so glad this went away after I had my child. If it became a permanent side effect, I don’t know how I would have handled it. 

10. “I Went From a Size 39 to 42” — Quineth*, 30 

During my pregnancy, my feet basically expanded, and I went from size 39 to 42, and although I was aware that it was a possible side effect, I was still quite annoyed by it. I even thought that once I gave birth to my daughter, my feet would go back to their normal size, but a year after my child, and I am still a size 42, and finding the right pair of shoes in my current size has not been very smooth sailing.