I didn’t have any food cravings, but I had a very strong food aversion that I still have a little bit of. Not surprising, but knowing heartburn was a possibility and then having it so bad I had trouble sleeping for the last few weeks until birth was awful. I also had a bone spur grow in my foot that’s causing pain and my doctor thinks pregnancy caused it.

Watching birth stories and taking a birthing class still can’t fully prepare you for giving birth the first time but I still strongly recommend it as it was really helpful to see a wide range of experiences. The next contraction can start before the first one ends. I was having 5 min long contractions and thought I was going insane because none of the classes mentioned it as a possibility. I wish I had asked my doula to come over then instead of suffering but it’s hard to make good decisions after a certain point.