If you’ve never had a baby, then you probably have a few preconceived ideas for how everything will pan out. You’ve seen friends and family go through it all, and you’ve seen your favorite TV characters do it too, so you know what to expect, right?

Any mother will tell you that having a baby can be wildly different to what you initially expected. There are moms out there with multiple kids and utterly different pregnancy stories for each one.

Well, any mother will tell you that having a baby can be wildly different to what you initially expected. There are moms out there with multiple kids and utterly different pregnancy stories for each one. From trying to conceive to the actual birth; it can all be so far off what you expect.

So, to help create a clearer picture of all this, here are the expectations of having a baby vs. the realities:

Conceiving should be easy, right?

Expectation: It’ll be easy to conceive

Conceiving is the easy part, right? I mean, how hard can it be to actually become pregnant? You’ve seen loads of young adults get pregnant by accident, so it shouldn’t really be hard for you to see a positive result on your pregnancy test. Yes, as far as having a baby goes, this is definitely the simplest part.

Reality: There can be complications

The reality is that there can easily be complications when you’re trying to conceive. This can come from either partner, and there’s no real way of knowing until you’ve started to try. Either one of you could have fertility problems that make it almost impossible for you to have a baby the traditional way. Thankfully, we’ve now got places like ConceiveAbilities that provide egg donors and surrogates to make things possible for families who can’t conceive. Then again, fertility might not be a problem, and the issue is more timing-related. You could be trying for months only to find that you’re not doing it at the peak ovulation time. While there are people out there who get pregnant with ease after one try, don’t be surprised if it takes you months, or sometimes over a year, before conception happens. 

Expectation: Pregnancy will destroy your figure

We’ve all seen it before; someone gets pregnant, and then they never return to their former shape. You pile on the pounds, and it’s impossible to stay fit or healthy when you’re carrying a child. Plus, we’ve all seen adverts about helping you get your body back after pregnancy, so let’s just prepare to put on weight and deal with it when it happens.

Reality: You can still get fit during pregnancy

In reality, you will put on weight – but that’s because you’re carrying a small child inside you and will be eating more food than usual. However, you won’t necessarily lose your figure or become unfit. There are loads of ways you can exercise as a pregnant woman, and it will actually help your pregnancy become a lot less of a challenge. By staying fit, you will reduce aches and pains, but you’ll also stay in a better frame of mind too. This helps your mental health just as much as your physical health! As a bonus, I’ve linked a video above this paragraph that gives you some of the best exercises to try when you’re pregnant.

Feeling the baby kick is so amazing, isn’t it?

Expectation: Feeling the baby move will be magical

Everyone has watched films or TV shows where the pregnant protagonist feels the baby kick or move. It’s always a beautiful moment, and it feels so magical. Both the mom and the dad have their hands on the stomach with tears in their eyes as they can’t contain their joy.

Reality: Feeling the baby move will hurt!

Okay, there’s no denying that feeling your baby move for the first time is magical. It’s a special moment in your life, and probably the first time the realization hits that you’re going to become a mother soon. However, the reality is that it can kind of wear off after a while, and you soon realize it’s more painful than anything else. I mean, think about it, there’s something inside you kicking away and moving. This hurts, a lot! Sometimes, it can feel like you’re almost battling against your unborn child as they try and cause as much pain as possible. Plus, as a lovely little bonus, it can often cause you to pee! Yes, it’s nice – to begin with – but it’s mainly a painful experience.

The whole purpose of this is just to show that having a baby can be different from what you may expect. So, the best advice I can give is to go ahead with zero expectations! This will be your pregnancy journey, and it will be unique to you.

About the Author

Contributor Author

Contributor Author

This blog post was written by a contributing author.