What to Expect When You're Expecting: Addenda 1-3 (the real skinny on pregnancy)

1. If you have any kind of joint issue (arthritis, inflammation, etc.), being pregnant will exacerbate that to the nth degree, and it will begin almost instantly but fade in intensity as the pregnancy progresses. This is because your joints begin to soften and spread so that your pelvis doesn't pull a Gandalf and holler, "You shall not pass!" at a crucial moment. LOL I have degenerative arthritis in both my knees, and when I was pregnant with Emma, I was on crutches for part of the first trimester. For the past three or four days, my right knee has been in excruciating pain (sorry, baby Jesus, no genuflection for Lorraine!); the cold snap is probably not helping with that either.

2. The exhaustion is monumental and overwhelming, and it also starts really early. I feel like I could happily pass out pretty much any time, anywhere at this point. LOL I've been going to bed between an hour and an hour and a half earlier than usual for the past week, and I still wake up feeling like I'm hungover.

3. Pregnancy gives you a nine month cold. Because all your mucus membranes are swelling, you get a lovely bout of congestion to go along with everything else. Listen to Anna Paquin talk in last season's True Blood; she's got pregnancy cold all the way. LOL