Pregnancy is a beautiful time in every mother's life.  You are growing a human inside your body that will eventually become a lovable and beautiful baby boy or baby girl.  There are a lot of common things that most pregnant women talk about, that doctors will tell you, or that you'll hear about from your mother or other wise women in your life.  But there are a lot of things that will happen to you physically during and after you've carried your baby that no one will tell you.

Here are some things that your doctor won't tell you about your pregnancy.

Your nose will grow   

No, your nose won't grow like Pinocchio's did every time he told a lie, but in a weird swollen way.  Everything on your body will eventually be swollen as your body prepares for birth.  But your ankles, fingers and unfortunately your nose will also become noticeably bigger.        

You'll smell everything 

Your sense of smell will greatly improve during pregnancy.  This can be a good thing, but it can also become a bad thing.  It can lead to more cravings and also to more morning sickness.  You'll also be able to smell more unpleasant body odors, so just encourage your partner to shower quickly after his workout.  Your taste in smells may change as well.  What was once your favorite perfume may smell wretched to you during your pregnancy.    

Your body will change permanently   

There are the lucky few that bounce back after giving birth, (namely those whose names start with Gisele and end with Bundchen,) but for normal ladies, your body will never be the same.  Your skin will have stretch marks and your breasts will become a different shape from breast feeding.

Hopefully your abs will recover through a good diet and exercise, but it is difficult for your skin to snap back to its pre-pregnancy look.  Occasionally your feet will grow and your shoe size will always be a half size bigger.  So try not to get too attached to any pre-pregnancy shoes.

You'll forget everything and knock everything over    

While pregnant, your equilibrium will be slightly off so you may find yourself losing your balance, tripping over things, knocking things over and dropping things.  You may not sleep well at night because of this.

Clumsiness is due to your slight weight gain, your center of gravity changing and your lack of rest.  Pregnancy brain is a common term for the little things that you forget, lose and get confused about.  Just have patience in knowing that you're going to come out of this 9 month brain fart with a brand new baby.    

Irony in your bowels    

Your hormones will cause you to be very gassy, in addition to the food that you'll eat.  Because you may be eating slightly differently or possibly a bit more, you're going to notice more gas after meals.  Ironically, you will find that you're never able to have a comfortable bowel movement.

Constipation is very common amongst pregnant women.  There are great over the counter medications to help in this matter, as well as a good diet full of fruits, vegetables and fiber to help it along. 

Pregnancy is a journey that is incredibly worth it in the end.  Simply keep your questions in mind for your visit to your doctor of obstetrics, doula or midwife and they'll be able to tell you what is going on with your body, and what to do about it.  Most problems are normal and have no long lasting consequences.  If you arrive home with a new baby, then it's all been completely worthwhile.