By Tamekia Reece

The moment you revealed your pregnancy, it’s likely every mother you know—and even some strangers—began telling you what to expect: sore breasts, nausea, outrageous cravings. But there are things about pregnancy that no one seems to mention. It could be that they’re too embarrassing. Or maybe these ladies don’t want to scare you any more than they already have. But we’re ready to give you the real deal on what might change.

More hair, everywhere. “Increased hair is not just relegated to that new beautiful head of hair that you have,” says Erika Lenkert, author of The Real Deal Guide to Pregnancy. In some women, more hair will grow on the face, arms, armpits, legs, and genitals. A shocker for many is hair sprouting on their breasts—or existing fine breast hairs growing more noticeable or greater in number.

You might feel a bit bushy, but this side effect is nothing to worry about. If the hairs must go and your breasts aren’t too tender, try plucking the sprouts. For hair removal elsewhere, remember that depilatories can contain harsh chemicals you’d rather not use while pregnant and that waxing typically hurts more due to extra-sensitive pregnant skin. After you deliver and your long, lustrous locks go back to normal, so will the hair (or lack of it) everywhere else.

Undeniable drool. You may have already heard about the weird, intense sex dreams you’ll have during pregnancy. But, it’s likely no one mentioned that during those dreams—and dreamless sleep, too—you might coat your pillow with drool. Totally gross, but typical. During pregnancy, all the fluids in the body increase—blood, mucous, and, yep, saliva. Although waking up to find you’ve plastered your sweetie’s face with spit is embarrassing, there’s really nothing you can do to tame it. Just change your pillowcases frequently and try not to fall asleep in public places.

Prenatal drip. Yup, there’s one more bodily fluid that’s on the rise during pregnancy. For Cheryl Loux, of San Antonio, TX, excess vaginal discharge ruined the luxury of not having a monthly period. “I experienced heavy discharge and felt itchy and wet all the time,” she says. “It was like having a period seven days a week for six months straight.”
However, as long as there is no burning during urination, no foul odor or intense itching, and the discharge is white to pale yellow, increased vaginal fluid during pregnancy is the norm, says Patricia Burkhardt, CNM, DPH, head of the midwifery department at New York University College of Nursing in New York City. Your best bet to combat it? Change your underwear more often. “A panty liner when you’re going out and want protection is fine, but you shouldn’t wear a panty liner or pad every day, because you don’t want to keep an excess quantity of vaginal discharge close to the vulva for the full day,” she says, as this can risk infection.

Mysterious skin. By the middle of her second trimester, Tobi-Dawne Smith, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, was completely “tagged.” “I had skin tags pretty much anywhere there was any type of skin friction—my thighs, underarms, chest, under my breasts, and on my sides,” she says. Pregnant women are somewhat more prone to skin tags, the small lumps of skin that can develop where flesh rubs against flesh.

The hormones that help the fetus grow also aid the creation of skin cells, and because pregnant women gain weight, they have more body surface area to rub against itself, says Alicia Zalka, M.D., an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University in New Haven, CT. Generally, skin tags don’t require medical attention. If they’re bothersome or you don’t like the look of them, a doctor can easily remove them.

Pain in the pelvis. Hormones soften and stretch the joints in the pubic bone to allow the baby’s head to be pushed through during labor, but the movement starts far earlier than that for many moms-to-be, usually in the second trimester. The stretching can cause sharp pains from the top of the uterus down to the pubic bone. For relief, “try sleeping with a pillow under your belly and between your legs and stabilize yourself, or get help when making movements, especially side movements like flipping over in bed or getting out of the car,” Lenkert says. If the pain is severe, check with your care provider.

Even with all the things people “forget” to tell you about pregnancy, some of what they do share is just plain wrong.

“Carrying high, it’s a girl. Carrying low, it’s a boy.” Expectant moms carry their babies differently based on their own age, how far along the pregnancy is, and the fetus’ weight and position in the womb. Ultrasound or amniocentesis is the only sure way to predict a baby’s gender.

“When you reach up high, it wraps the umbilical cord around the baby’s neck.” Wrapping of the cord happens mostly due to fetal movement. There’s nothing you can do to cause it.

“If you have frequent heartburn, your baby will have lots of hair.” Although a correlation has been shown between digestive upset and baby’s locks at birth, heartburn isn’t an accurate indicator of how much hair your little one will have.

Tamekia Reece is a freelance writer who lives in Houston. When she was pregnant with her now 3-year-old son, she had three of the above experiences. She refuses to reveal which ones.