Being pregnant is such a magical experience, with the glowing and the miracle of life… Well, not all the time.

In fact, being pregnant has more than a few ‘not so glamorous’ moments, which mums-to-be often don’t realise they have to go through until they’re already up the duff. It’s too late now ladies! Well, better the devil you know, so here are some of the less glamorous pregnancy moments you can expect on your way.

1. Your Veins Will Emerge

There’s nothing glamorous about varicose veins, but unfortunately for pregnant mums, they’re a totally normal part of the middle to late part of pregnancy. And we don’t just mean varicose veins on your legs, but also on your genitals! These are super, super, super painful, and represent yet another unfairness leveraged to women. Luckily, they do usually go away following pregnancy, but some compression stockings aren’t a bad idea.

2. Ditto For Heartburn

It’s not really a surprise that pregnant women get heartburn, when you consider that the uterus is a massive space hog that pushes all your other organs out of their territory. Some people say heartburn means you’ll end up with a baby with lots of hair, but most of the time, it’s just that useless, but miraculous, organ. So expect to feel like someone has set your insides on fire for about 40 weeks!

3. There Will Be Hair

You’ve probably heard that during pregnancy, women get stunning luscious hair that grows amazingly and is regularly complimented. What you might not know is that for some women, every single hair in the body hits the growth cycle on steroids. Expect thick brows and extra bush in the armpits and down below, as well as a potential moustache situation and those sneaky little chin hairs. Think it’s hard to shave your legs now? Try doing it with a belly in the way! The scariest thing is that those hormones can hang around, making random extra hairs a new normal.

4. You’ll Be Really Leaky

Pregnant women sure do cover some miles when it comes to toilet time, but unfortunately, one less-than-glamorous part of being up the duff is that you don’t always make it. Yep, we’re talking about serious leakage thanks to the added pressure on the bladder from your uterus expanding. You’re unlikely to need nappies yourself, but you can expect that coughing, sneezing, or a hearty laugh could result in you accidentally peeing your pants.

5. And Totally Clogged

Is it possible to be both leaky and totally clogged? If you’re pregnant, the answer is absolutely. While you could be peeing yourself constantly, your growing little one is actually harming your digestion flow. Along with that, those enormous pre-natal vitamins tend to stick in the works and pretty soon, there’s no movement whatsoever. Don’t worry though, it’s totally normal, and your doc will know what to do.