21 Moms Are Sharing The Strange Pregnancy Symptoms No One Warned Them About
So when TikToker user @all.things.av asked, "I'm bored. Tell me your most random pregnancy symptom that wasn't actually a symptom. I'm not talking 'sore boobs,' I mean something so random that you stop in your tracks to get a test." Moms were happy to share the wild and weird pregnancy symptoms they experienced. From vivid dreams to nosebleeds — here are 21 entirely bizarre ways people realized they were expecting:
1."I never knew pregnancy could give you tinnitus!!"
—billie2000xx
"This explains EVERYTHING. During a vacation with my boyfriend, I randomly developed a sharp, ringing, buzzing sound in my left ear, and if I've calculated it right, it was the day I got pregnant."
—chariss_karis
2."I developed a ringworm-like rash all over my body, apart from my face. It started as a dot and grew bigger and redder. My son is now seven months old, and it disappeared days after he was born. I still don't know what it was."
—d.libbyk24
3."I couldn't stand the name of the street I lived on. Hearing the word 'Kirkwood' made me physically sick. I tested positive an hour later."
—user29347181923
4."I kept getting nosebleeds. I had never had a nosebleed before, so I thought, 'Is it the weather?' I was five months pregnant."
—ami.arellano
"Nosebleeds aren't talked about enough. I've been having nosebleeds since the first trimester. I'm now in my third trimester."
—_.xiemei
5."My wrist started hurting, so I searched online to find out what was happening. Turns out it was Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and it can show up in the hands during pregnancy. I was pregnant."
—daniel__ashkenazi
6."'Air hunger' — the feeling of not getting enough air. It's horrible. I've had it during both my pregnancies, and it starts almost immediately because of the hormones."
—livlemon
Related: 36 Shocking Things Doctors And Nurses Witnessed At Hospitals That I Genuinely Can't Believe
7."I suddenly had excruciating limb pain to the point I could barely walk. The hospital had no idea what was wrong."
"I tested positive two days after my second hospital visit. The pain lasted seven months, but I never got answers."
—murderoussalmon
8."My feet grew half a size — I'm not talking about swollen feet, they never swelled. My feet grew in length, I no longer had any shoes that fit."
—crystalneysha
9."My wife permitted me to share: She was letting out the foulest farts one night, the smell lingered for hours. We joked and wondered if this was the indication that she was pregnant. She was, in fact, pregnant."
—watalemiclaw
10."Extremely vivid dreams — not even about babies or pregnancy, but SO vivid I woke up convinced they were real. One morning, I was looking for my non-existent puppy."
—ellie.paramedic.mum
"Yes! This exactly. I always tell my daughters I would immediately know I was pregnant again if I had bizarre dreams like I had during my pregnancies with them."
—m81meg
11."Tried to ghost my partner, with whom I live, and for absolutely no reason, just woke up and 'chose violence' every day. A friend convinced me I was acting unhinged and told me I should take a test."
—jocelyngreig
"Instantly became repelled by my partner for the first six to eight weeks. I was disgusted if he even looked at me funny."
—angelninja898
Related: 50 Of The Funniest Stories People Shared About The "Stupidest Person" They've Met
12."The number of times I sneezed within a day was ridiculous. I was not sick, but I was unable to quit sneezing."
—jessicajedidiah
13."After being a vegetarian for years, I couldn't go into a butcher shop because I would instantly gag at the sights and smells. I walked in one day and said, 'Oh my gosh, it smells so good in here!' I had a positive test the next day."
—karoline12345_0
14."All of my gums would profusely bleed when I flossed (I'm usually a daily flosser), so it was strange. On an unrelated note: I also had a massive craving for peppers. They had to be pickled or spicy."
—monitaneang
15."I suddenly had a weird feeling come over me. I don't even know how to explain it. I woke up one morning and thought, 'Something is different.' I thought I was going into psychosis until I took a test."
"It was similar to the feeling you get when being watched. I knew I wasn't alone, but I still don't know how to describe other than it was very odd and unsettling."
—aubs.2002
And as a little bonus, here are six mind-blowing times other people told new moms they were pregnant before they even knew it themselves:
16."My period was already late, one of my preschoolers looked at me dead in the face and said, 'Miss Hailey, what's in your belly? ' I tested positive that night."
—haleyrebecca01
17."My older neighbor, who had been dealing with delirium, told my husband I was pregnant. We'd been trying for seven years, so he just laughed. Three days later, we found out we were expecting."
—tylerleagroom
18."I tested and told my mum I was pregnant. She told me she already knew because two days before (when I didn't yet know I was pregnant), my grandad told her he had another great-grandbaby coming. Turns out, said great-grandbaby is in my belly."
—dangly.4skin
19."My brother, who was 17 at the time, told me out of the blue that I was pregnant and it would be a girl. I ignored him.
"A week went by, and I took a test. Sure enough, it was positive, and I later found out she was going to be a girl. She'll turn four this December!"
—madisonliaa_
20."My cat was always clingy, but she began taking it to a new EXTREME. One day, I kept dozing off at random, and each time I woke up, she was next to my belly, so I felt inclined to take a test. I was indeed pregnant."
—1kosmikae
21."My friend's husband can smell pregnancy. (I don't know how). He says women just smell different when they're expecting. He told his wife both times she was pregnant before she knew, and he told me I 'smelled' pregnant with my second."
—kirstykym
Did any of these little-known pregnancy symptoms surprise you? Parents, what was a bizarre way you knew you or your partner were pregnant? Tell us in the comments or answer anonymously using the form below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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[1] Genova, A., Dix, O., Saefan, A., Thakur, M., & Hassan, A. (2020). Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Review of Literature. Cureus, 12(3), e7333. [2] Kokubo, R., & Kim, K. (2021). No shinkei geka. Neurological surgery, 49(6), 1306–1316. [3] Urits, I., Gress, K., Charipova, K., Orhurhu, V., Kaye, A. D., & Viswanath, O. (2019). Recent Advances in the Understanding and Management of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: a Comprehensive Review. Current pain and headache reports, 23(10), 70. [4] Zamborsky, R., Kokavec, M., Simko, L., & Bohac, M. (2017). Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment Options. Literature Reviev. Ortopedia, traumatologia, rehabilitacja, 19(1), 1–8. [5] Dua, K., Osterman, A. L., & Abzug, J. M. (2017). Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Initial Management and the Treatment of Recalcitrant Patients. Instructional course lectures, 66, 141–152. [6] Bickel K. D. (2010). Carpal tunnel syndrome. The Journal of hand surgery, 35(1), 147–152. [7] Wipperman, J., & Goerl, K. (2016). Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Diagnosis and Management. American family physician, 94(12), 993–999. [8] Padua, L., Coraci, D., Erra, C., Pazzaglia, C., Paolasso, I., Loreti, C., Caliandro, P., & Hobson-Webb, L. D. (2016). Carpal tunnel syndrome: clinical features, diagnosis, and management. The Lancet. Neurology, 15(12), 1273–1284. [9] Joshi, A., Patel, K., Mohamed, A., Oak, S., Zhang, M. H., Hsiung, H., Zhang, A., & Patel, U. K. (2022). Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Pathophysiology and Comprehensive Guidelines for Clinical Evaluation and Treatment. Cureus, 14(7), e27053. [10] Ashworth N. L. (2011). Carpal tunnel syndrome. BMJ clinical evidence, 2011, 1114.
