Previously on Pregnancy Shege…

I had survived the first trimester.

I had discovered that pregnancy could make you thirsty like you had been trekking through the Sahara, hungry like food owed you money, and glowing like you had finally cracked the pregnancy code.

And because I hadn’t spent my days vomiting or feeling terribly sick, I genuinely started thinking:

“Okay o. Maybe I’m getting the hang of this pregnancy thing.”

Dear reader, I was not getting the hang of anything!

I was simply enjoying the calm before the next episode of What Is My Body Doing Now?

Because the hormones had plans.

And this time…

my skin was involved.

First Came the Bloating… Then the Pimples Came to Join Us

Disclaimer

This series is based on my personal pregnancy experience and is shared for storytelling, education and entertainment. Every pregnancy is different, and my experience may not be the same as yours. The information shared is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always speak with a qualified healthcare professional about your own pregnancy, symptoms or concerns.

One of the things I noticed around this period was that I always felt bloated.

My tummy felt heavy, and there was just this general feeling of “something is happening inside me.”

Then came the acne.

Now, when I found out I was pregnant, one of the first things I did was get myself some Oriflame skincare products.

Because obviously…

I was going to glow.

Pregnancy had given me the memo:

Motherhood is coming.

I replied:

No problem. Let me prepare my skin too. 😂

I had plans.

I was ready to be one of those women people would look at and say:

“Pregnancy looks so good on you!”

And people actually did say so, even though I felt otherwise and my hormones had received a different memo.

Because shortly after I started using the skincare products, tiny pimples started appearing all over my face.

Tiny.

Little.

Annoying.

Uninvited.

And I was like:

“Excuse me??? I bought you people to make me glow!”

At first, I thought maybe the products were the problem, so I stopped using them completely.

But the hormones were not interested in negotiations.

They continued their work.

Thankfully, my face eventually cleared.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

FINALLY!

But then…

The pimples relocated.

From my face, they started appearing on my arms.

Then somehow, they found their way to my neck.

And this wasn’t even the kind of acne you could simply squeeze and move on with your life.

You know those tiny little blackhead-looking things that just sit there, minding absolutely no business, refusing to leave no matter what you do?

That was me.

And because pregnancy apparently wanted the full package, the area also became itchy.

I tried different things.

Nothing seemed to be doing much.

Eventually, I got tired.

I said:

“Okay. You win. I’m leaving you people alone.”

And I completely stopped disturbing my skin.

Then My Soap Betrayed Me Too 

As if the pimples weren’t enough, pregnancy decided that my soap also needed to become an enemy.

And this one really annoyed me because it wasn’t even a new soap.

This was a soap I had been using for over eight years!

Eight.

Years.

My body and that soap had history.

We had been through things together.

But pregnancy looked at that relationship and said:

“It’s over.”

Suddenly, after bathing, my whole body would start itching.

And when I say itching, I mean SCRATCHING.

I would finish bathing and start scratching myself like someone had paid me to do it.

I would scratch one place, then another place would start itching.

Scratch that one too.

Before long, I was basically having a meeting with my entire skin.

And I couldn’t understand it.

“This is the same soap I’ve used for years. What changed?”

Apparently, me.

Pregnancy can change how the body reacts to things it previously tolerated without any problem. Hormonal changes can affect the skin’s sensitivity and dryness, and some people develop new skin reactions or conditions during pregnancy.

In my own case, I eventually stopped using the soap completely.

I switched to Eva, and that became my soap for the rest of the pregnancy.

And honestly?

I wasn’t looking for sophistication anymore.

At that point, my criteria had become:

“Will this thing allow me to bathe in peace?”

If yes, approved.

And Then My Breasts Joined the Conversation 

My skin wasn’t the only thing changing.

My breasts had their own pregnancy agenda too.

I started experiencing nipple pain, dryness and flaking.

Sometimes my breasts would itch, and the skin underneath them became particularly troublesome.

The area under my breasts became darker, itchy and somewhat peeling.

And of course, because pregnancy makes you question every single thing your body does, I had questions.

Is this normal?

Is pregnancy supposed to do this?

Why is my body changing in places I didn’t even know pregnancy would affect?

Pregnancy can cause quite a number of breast and skin changes because hormones are preparing the breasts for breastfeeding and changing blood flow and pigmentation. The nipples and areola can become more sensitive or darker, and the skin can also become dry or itchy.

But here’s something I was learning throughout pregnancy:

“Normal pregnancy changes” does not mean every new symptom should automatically be ignored.

Persistent, severe or unusual skin changes are worth discussing with your healthcare provider, especially if there’s significant redness, swelling, pain, discharge, a rash that keeps worsening, or other concerning symptoms.

Because Google can tell you 47 possibilities before breakfast.

And we’ll get to my relationship with research very soon.
Meanwhile, I started applying coconut oil on my nipple which stopped the itching completely and the dryness and flakiness disappeared too, I continued doing that until I gave birth.

Second Trimester: So THIS Is Pregnancy?

Remember how I described my first trimester as almost too easy?

I was still eating like a hoodlum.

I was mostly okay.

I wasn’t constantly vomiting.

I could go about my day and sometimes genuinely forget that there was a whole human being growing inside me.

Then the second trimester arrived. At this point I had already started going for Antenatal.

And suddenly I understood something:

First trimester had been the introduction.

Second trimester was where pregnancy started saying:

“Now let me show you what I can really do.”

Interestingly, the hunger wasn’t as intense anymore.

I was beginning to eat more like a normal human being.

Of course, I still had my days and moments.

But generally, I wasn’t constantly thinking about food anymore.

Instead, pregnancy started introducing me to something else:

weakness.

And I hated it.

At 20 Weeks, My Pelvis Said “We’re Done Here.” 😭

Around 20 weeks, I developed pelvic girdle pain.

And please…

I honestly wouldn’t wish that thing on my enemy.

It was BAD.

I couldn’t stand properly.

Sitting down became a whole project.

Getting up was another project.

Sleeping?

Forget it. I would wince in pain while turning in bed.

Even raising my legs could make the pain worse.

And because I had discovered that stairs were not my friend, I started avoiding staircases as much as possible.

At first, I thought maybe the pain was happening because I hadn’t been exercising.

And to be fair, I have never exactly been an exercise enthusiast. 😂

So I thought:

“Maybe I need to start moving my body more.”

So I decided to take a walk.

Big mistake.

The walk made things worse.

I was later advised that I needed to rest rather than push myself through the pain.

And that was another lesson for me:

Pregnancy doesn’t always need you to “push through.” Sometimes your body is genuinely asking you to slow down.

Pelvic girdle pain can happen during pregnancy when the joints and surrounding structures of the pelvis become painful and movement becomes difficult. Activities such as walking, turning in bed, getting dressed, climbing stairs or moving the legs apart can sometimes aggravate it.

And depending on the severity, healthcare professionals may recommend things such as activity modification, physiotherapy, exercises tailored to pregnancy, support garments or other treatments.

For me, it was simply shocking.

Because…

Where was the woman who thought she could lift a whole house in her first trimester?

Gone.

Completely gone.

Second trimester turned me from:

“I can do anything.”

to:

“Please, somebody help me sit down.”

And I hated that feeling of helplessness.

I started praying for healing because there was nothing else I could do other than live with it and
After about a week, the pain went away on it’s own.

Pregnancy Made Me a Professional Researcher

This was also around the period when ChatGPT became my unofficial pregnancy research assistant.

I had questions.

SO MANY QUESTIONS.

And every time my body did something new, my first thought was basically:

“Nova, please come and see what my body is doing.”

Between roughly 10 and 20 weeks, I remember asking questions like:

• Is my pregnancy progressing normally?
• When will I be able to find out the baby’s sex?
• When will I start feeling the baby move?
• When can the baby hear me?
• Is this body change normal?
• Why are my nipples painful and flaky?
• Why are my breasts itching?
• Why is the skin underneath my breasts darker and peeling?
• Why is my body changing so much when I sometimes feel completely normal?

And that last one was particularly interesting.

Because pregnancy can be such a strange experience.

You can have a whole baby growing inside you and still wake up some mornings thinking:

“Wait… am I actually pregnant?”

Then your body will remind you:

“Don’t worry. We have evidence.”

Then There Was Flo

I also used the Flo app to track my pregnancy.

And every week became a little educational journey for me.

I’d open the app and read about what was happening that week.

How big the baby was getting.

What was developing.

What changes I might notice.

What my little human was doing inside me.

And honestly, I loved that part.

Because even when I couldn’t physically see what was happening, I could read about the little life growing inside me.

It made the pregnancy feel more real.

At one point, I was basically following two pregnancies:

My pregnancy…

and the pregnancy according to Flo.

Every week:

“Let’s see what Baby is doing this week.”

Meanwhile, Baby was inside there doing his own thing while Mommy was outside asking 500 questions.

Then At 25 Weeks… My Chest Said “Surprise!”

Just when I thought I had experienced enough…

Around 25 weeks, I developed serious chest pain.

And this one was not funny at all.

It hurt when I bent down.

It hurt when I tried to stand up from the bed.

It felt almost like someone was pulling a nerve in my chest.

Naturally, everybody started thinking:

“It’s ulcer.”

Even the doctors initially considered that possibility, and I was prescribed Gestid.

But it didn’t solve the problem.

And that was scary because I couldn’t just ignore chest pain.

Eventually, I was told that the pain could be related to the changes happening in my body as the baby grew and everything inside me shifted and stretched.

And by this point, sleep had already become another luxury.

So imagine being uncomfortable during the day…

Then finally getting into bed thinking:

“Thank God. Let me sleep.”

Only for your body to say:

“Sleep? In this economy?”

I was tired.

I was uncomfortable.

And I was slowly beginning to understand that pregnancy wasn’t just about carrying a baby.

It was also about your body constantly adapting to make room for that baby.

But What Was Actually Happening? 

Pregnancy hormones can affect much more than the obvious things we associate with pregnancy.

The acne and skin changes

Hormonal changes can increase oil production and make acne more likely during pregnancy. Pregnancy can also bring changes in pigmentation, dryness, sensitivity and other skin conditions.

But not every bump or itchy area is necessarily “pregnancy acne,” so persistent or worsening skin problems are worth mentioning to a healthcare professional rather than continuously trying new products.

And my biggest lesson?

Don’t assume that because a skincare product worked for you before pregnancy, your skin will necessarily react the same way during pregnancy.

My Oriflame products weren’t necessarily “bad” products.

My skin had simply entered a new season.

The itching and breast changes

Breast enlargement, increased sensitivity, nipple changes and pigmentation are common during pregnancy.

The skin can also become dry and itchy as the body changes.

But intense or widespread itching, especially itching without an obvious rash, or itching that becomes severe at night should be discussed with a healthcare professional because there are pregnancy-related conditions that need to be ruled out.

So yes, some itching can be part of pregnancy.

But “it’s pregnancy” shouldn’t become our automatic answer to every symptom.

The pelvic pain

Pregnancy changes the pelvis, muscles, ligaments and posture as the body accommodates the growing baby.

Pelvic girdle pain can make everyday activities like walking, turning in bed and climbing stairs surprisingly difficult.

And no, it doesn’t mean you have done something wrong.

Sometimes the body simply needs more support and appropriate adjustments.

And the chest pain…

This one deserves a little extra seriousness.

Pregnancy can contribute to things like reflux, musculoskeletal pain, changes in posture and pressure from the growing uterus, all of which can sometimes be felt around the chest or upper abdomen.

But chest pain during pregnancy shouldn’t automatically be blamed on ulcer or pregnancy.

Severe, persistent or unexplained chest pain, especially when accompanied by difficulty breathing, fainting, palpitations, sweating, coughing blood, severe weakness or other concerning symptoms needs prompt medical assessment.

Because pregnancy may explain many things.

But it shouldn’t be used to explain away something potentially serious.

Pregnancy Myth or Fact? 

“If you didn’t have skin problems before pregnancy, pregnancy can’t suddenly give you acne.”

MYTH.

Pregnancy hormones can change oil production and other aspects of the skin, so someone who rarely experienced acne before pregnancy can suddenly find themselves dealing with pimples.

In other words…

You can enter pregnancy with peaceful skin and leave the first trimester wondering:

“Who invited these people?”

What I Was Learning About My Body 

The biggest surprise of this stage wasn’t even the pimples.

It was realizing just how much my body could change without asking my permission.

My skin changed.

My breasts changed.

My tolerance for my old soap changed.

My strength changed.

My mobility changed.

My sleep changed.

And yet sometimes, I still felt completely normal.

That contradiction was one of the strangest parts of pregnancy.

You could feel fine and still be carrying a human being whose growth was changing almost everything about you.

And I think that was when I started becoming more patient with my body.

I didn’t always like the changes.

Sometimes, I absolutely complained.

But I was beginning to understand that my body wasn’t failing me.

It was adapting.

The Takeaway 

Pregnancy is not just the cute bump, the glowing skin and the beautiful maternity pictures.

Sometimes the “glow” comes with pimples.

Sometimes the beautiful bump comes with pelvic pain.

Sometimes your favourite soap suddenly becomes your enemy.

Sometimes sleep becomes a luxury.

Sometimes you have questions every five minutes.

And sometimes you simply sit there and wonder:

“What exactly is happening to me?”

The truth is, pregnancy is a massive physical adjustment.

And while many of these changes can be normal, we don’t have to suffer silently or assume every symptom is “just pregnancy.”

Ask questions.

Speak to your healthcare provider.

Pay attention to your body.

And don’t be afraid to say:

“Something feels different. I need to understand what is happening.”

Because if pregnancy taught me anything, it was this:

Your body can be doing an incredible job and still make you feel absolutely miserable while doing it.

And sometimes…

you just have to rest, drink your water, ask your questions, and let your body do the work.

And as for me…

First trimester had me thinking I was a pregnancy professional.

Second trimester had humbled me.

And I was beginning to discover that pregnancy Shege comes in seasons.

But somewhere underneath all the discomfort, something beautiful was happening.

A little life was growing.

Every week, I was learning something new about my baby.

And every week, I was also learning something new about myself.

I thought I had seen pregnancy Shege.

I had not.

Because the third trimester was waiting patiently in the corner…

To be continued…

Missed the previous episode? Catch up here Pregnancy Shege Ep2: The Glow Was a Trap