My Teen Pregnancy Blog Diary

Miranda Bone’s pregnancy diary cover the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Maternity clothing, myths about teenage pregnancy and mums, puking, discharge, taste and smell, circulation… it’s all right here. We love you Miss Bone.

Getting pregnant at 17 isn’’t ideal. I’’ve had quite a few negative reactions, particularly from older people. I’’ve been called too young, I’’ve even been told to get it aborted. The whole pregnancy thing hasn’’t been made much better by the morning sickness, the sleepless nights and the hormonal changes, but there’’s worse that can happen than a baby.

Teen Pregnancy Stereotypes

The stereotype for teen pregnancy in the UK is something along the lines of single mothers, mooching on benefits and having more kids to get a bigger council flat. I’’m not sure how true it is as I haven’’t met any other teenage parents. Currently I’’m living with my mother; I actually moved back in because of the morning sickness. My fiancé said he wanted to live here when we spoke about it. Yeah, I’’m still with the baby’’s dad, h’e’s been very good to me throughout, providing backrubs and emptying my puke bucket.

My experience 26 weeks in…

I’’m now 26 weeks in, so about six months. I’’ve popped out of my normal clothing, but people have told me I’’m small for six months. The baby keeps moving. Some nights I barely sleep because of it. Then the morning sickness will kick in and I end up feeling worse. Being tired and vomiting really isn’’t fun. I’’ve heard morning sickness stops after 12 weeks. Not true, it doesn’’t, it gets a bit better! Some days I’’ll be okay and others I’’ll be chucking my guts up into a bucket.

Okay. The symptoms.

At the start of my pregnancy I was stuck in bed with morning sickness. Before we knew I was pregnant, I was puking non-stop for two weeks and lost 14kg. Because of how bad the morning sickness has been I haven’’t been able to attend college and my social life has died – it’’s not too bad, though.

I’’ve never had great health, and getting pregnant seems to have made it worse. My circulation’’s dodgy and now it’’s got worse, I’’ll get cold really quickly, but with spring approaching it’’s been getting a little better. I get from being freezing cold to boiling quickly and at random. This can be very, very bad as it sometimes leads to vomiting.

My stomach doesn’’t feel great. I feel bloated and stiff; I can’’t twist or stretch properly anymore. I normally slept lying flat on my stomach, but my bump seems to stop that now. I don’t have any stretch marks yet, and I’’m hoping it’’ll stay that way – I’’ve been rubbing body butter into my stomach and chest since week 12.

My breasts really hurt for a couple of weeks. Around two months in they became tender, then they grew. My bra was too tight and crushed them inwards, but that’’s all sorted now. My breasts feel heavier, my nipples have darkened and there’ are visible veins all over them. I’’m also starting to lactate a small amount of white fluid.

My asthma has got a little worse. I feel tightness in my chest more often, I wheeze more and I have to take my inhaler more, but it’’s bearable.

Vaginal discharge: It’’s gross but apparently normal! I just have to make sure I shower daily and keep clean down there to stop infection.

There’’s also leaking; when I cough, sneeze or puke I sometimes leak urine. There was a very nasty time when I was emptying my stomach into a bucket and lost complete control of my bladder. Luckily I was at home but it was still awkward and embarrassing. I even rival my middle aged mother on the use of incontinence pads – those things are a life saver for a small leak and the odd bit of discharge.

Since getting pregnant I’’ve noticed my hair’’s been really greasy; that paired with a heightened sense of smell is a disaster. My normal liquid shampoo made me feel ill, it no longer smells of flowers, just something overpowering and foul. I’’ve had the same problem with soaps, and some types of food. The coconut soap I’’m using at the moment doesn’’t smell of coconut anymore. I find I’’m having to use solid shampoo bought from Lush.

I’’ve also had a problem with toothpaste. I’’ve never liked mint but now I can’t stand it, it makes me feel sick. Unfortunately all toothpaste seems to come in mint! I managed to find a lemon one in Boots which is a lot better. My gums bleed when I brush – this is apparently normal but I still find it off-putting.

Food – I seem to have gone off most starch based things like jacket potatoes, rice, noodles… but I’’m really into roast vegetables. There are probably other food cravings but I haven’t noticed them yet. The morning sickness has put me off eating, chocolate, and many other things taste horrible on the way out. Being sick also gets painful. My throat and nostrils will be burning, I get too hot, sometimes I also feel faint or dizzy, and once I was shaking quite badly. It’’s not fun, but it’’ll be worth it in the end.

The joys of maternity clothing? Nowhere local sells the damn things so I have to venture out. This would be okay, if I felt up to travelling. Peacocks don’’t seem to sell a size 8 but they’’re so much cheaper than everywhere else so I’’ve been making do with size 10 maternity jeans and vest tops from Primark or H&M in a bigger size. The clothing is also very limited. I can’’t find any black jeans anywhere so I’’m stuck with blue. My hoodies feel tight and uncomfortable (luckily a friend crocheted a poncho for me).

Maternity underwear seems to be horrible. None of it is padded (being small I like a bit of padding). It all seems to be underwired too, and the colours are limited to white, pink or floral. In the end I went to Ann Summers and got measured for a well-fitting bra.

As I said, it will all be worth it in the end…