No one told me before I got pregnant that it would change me as a person before my baby even arrived. No one told me that when I saw the two lines on the pregnancy test, I would feel the most terrified I ever have in my entire life even though it was planned. No one warned me that I would start bleeding shortly after finding out and then again at 7 weeks and again at 10 weeks, and that each time the hospital would tell me that they weren't sure what would happen but to "go home, take a bath, and relax", which really meant go home and sit in your bathtub and cry until you can't see straight. No one filled me in on how people would ask you if you were "really ready for a baby", even though no one knew that you & your husband tried for 2 years with no success before it finally happened and every time someone asked when you would have kids you would just smile and say "when the time is right". No one told me that when people would say "I loved being pregnant, isn't it the best thing ever?" that I would feel guilty because I honestly didn't love it and it didn't feel like the best thing ever even though I wanted it so badly. No one told me that as my pregnancy progressed, I would feel like I had the flu for months on end, causing me to vomit at the sight of a toilet but still forcing myself to choke down food because this tiny human was relying on me and my doctor then asking me "are you eating?" when I hadn't gained any weight by my 20 week check up. No one mentioned that the thought of going into labor gives you nervous butterflies in your stomach because how in the world are you possibly going to calmly push a 6-8 pound baby out of there and oh my god...what if something goes wrong? No one talks about how the judgement about your parenting skills starts the moment you announce your pregnancy and the advice comes from every which way from people you love to people you only just walked by at the grocery store. No one hinted that the "thankful for my husband during my pregnancy" posts on Facebook come between arguments from pure exhaustion and moments of "are we going to make good parents?". No one told me about the day you wake up and look in the mirror to find your body completely plastered with deep, purple stretch marks and how you spend the rest of your morning putting on enough makeup to cover your puffy eyes from crying about it for so long while telling yourself what is happening is beautiful. Before I got pregnant, I had no idea what it actually MEANT to be pregnant. But I also had no idea that I would almost explode with excitement when I saw pink fireworks meaning we were having a little girl or I would fall so deeply in love when I felt her first little kicks. Being an (almost) mommy is the hardest thing I have ever done but has given me the most direction and purpose. I haven't even met her yet but I know she's worth it all. Stay strong, soon-to-be mommies! 💕

***UPDATE***

I've read and upvoted every comment & I seriously love you all so much for making me feel like I'm not alone. Thank you for your encouraging words of advice/stories! You have no idea how much this has made me feel "normal" when I felt like all of this was anything but normal! ❤️ I'm 32 weeks and will write something similar again after I have my little girl!