Before I got pregnant, and even during the first few weeks of pregnancy (before the sickness set in), I had lots and lots of expectations of how things would go. As with most things in life, everything turned out completely differently, and I thought it would be fun to share some of my somewhat naive expectations, and how they were (mostly) disappointed.

1. Eating Healthily

Whoops to that. Before pregnancy and when I first found out, I was determined to eat nothing but healthy and nourishing foods to look after myself and the baby. Little was I to know that nothing would stay down for the first few months, and that the cravings for chocolate and refined carbs would be uncontrollable. I totally gave in in those first 14 weeks or so. Since getting better, however, I’m pleased to say that I’ve been following a far more balanced and healthy diet, even though I do allow myself to indulge every so often!

2. Having a Fit Pregnancy

I’d been following lots of really fit and healthy mums and mums-to-be on social media, and was so sure that I’d continue to go to the gym several times a week, keep running for as long as I could and generally have a really healthy and active pregnancy. Again, the sickness knocked me off my feet. After being unable to get out of bed for almost three months, running was completely out of the questions as my stamina was ruined. Once the second trimester started, I started being able to work out again, but could no longer afford a gym membership. Instead, I now mostly follow Tone It Up workouts, modifying them where I need to, and do both cardio and toning in my front room. In the last few weeks, these have started getting really difficult as I’m just so tired and achey all the time. I do feel like I’ve probably gained more weight that I should have and I’m incredibly unhappy with my body at the moment, but I’m trying to just go with the flow until the baby is born and I can start working out properly again.

3. Doing Lots of Baby Shopping

I don’t know how everyone else can afford the baby hauls I’m seeing all over the place, but holy shit, baby equipment is expensive! We’re lucky to have incredibly supportive families, who have been able to lend us many of the things we needed, including tonnes of baby clothes and some baby furniture. We would really be struggling otherwise. Even the absolute essentials have been difficult to afford – I can’t believe people spend upwards of £900 for a pram! I’m hoping to keep the budget as low as possible, although we still have quite a lot of things that we still need to get before the baby arrives. So there will still be some baby shopping, but it will mainly be for practical things rather than lots of cute outfits… although I’ll keep window-shopping for those, of course. Who could resist!?

4. Wearing Gorgeous Maternity Clothes

Even though I’m lucky enough to be pregnant at a time where there are tonnes of lovely maternity clothes available in the shops, this was again a cost issue! I have a handful of maternity dresses, some tights and a few pairs of leggings – that’s it. I’ve mostly been managing my increase in size by buying a few vest tops and long-sleeved t-shirts from Primark in slightly larger sizes. I’ve also been layering, layering, layering all my existing clothes that still fit. I’ll be needing a new wardrobe after she’s born and I lose some weight, so I don’t see the point of spending much money on clothes I’ll only be able to wear for another three or four months!

5. Becoming an Even Stronger Couple

After four examples of things that didn’t happen the way I thought they would, I do have one example that exceeded my expectations! Although our relationship was pretty solid to begin with, if I do say so myself, going through the past six months together has taken things to a whole new level. I never thought I would have to rely on anyone as heavily as I’ve had to lean on Jake, especially during that horrendous first trimester, and the chaos and struggles of the last few weeks and months have shown me again and again just how much we can handle together. This may sound incredibly soppy, but after getting married last year, pregnancy has been another huge step forward in our life together and I’m so happy to be starting a family with someone I love so much.

Did you have expectations of pregnancy that just did not turn out the way you thought they would? If so, I’d love to read about them in the comments!