5 Unusual Early Pregnancy Symptoms

On February 4, 2021 I took a pregnancy test. Something I’ve done every month, multiple times a month, for the past year and a half. However, this month was different. I actually didn’t think I was pregnant. This was the first month I had not taken a single test. By this time on any other month, I am usually stalking my calendar waiting on the 5-day mark. 5 days before the date my period should start so I can run to the store and buy an early pregnancy detection test. Then taking a test daily until my period would inevitably come.

This month I did not do that. I forgot to check my calendar to see if I was 5 days out. I ignored some odd symptoms that I brushed off as my menstrual symptoms. Then my period was late. Even then I did not think I was pregnant. I use to have irregular periods so I assumed my cycle fell off track again.

I use to get my period on the 1st day of every month. February 1 came and nothing. I thought “my period will just come tomorrow”. February 2nd came and I thought “Man. Please don’t tell me my cycle is going crazy again.” February 3rd came and nothing. I thought “This is going to suck! I worked so hard to get my cycle on track now it’s all messed up again. I’m never going to get pregnant!” Later that day my husband whispered a soft comment on how weird I’ve been acting, so did my mother. I brushed it off because I was so frustrated with my cycle, I did not want to hear anything about it. Then February 4th came.

Talk about bad timing. My husband was about to take the car in for an oil change. And since I truly did not think I was pregnant, I went to the bathroom only minutes before he had to leave to take a test. I figured it’s going to be negative like all the others. I’ll just throw it away like I do every other month, and go about my day. Well, this wasn’t like every other month.

I WAS PREGNANT! How could this be? I had read dozens of articles on the top 10 pregnancy symptoms and did not have any of those symptoms, so I assumed I was not pregnant. After the shock subsided, I realized I had the same odd symptoms I had for my first daughter. Symptoms I did not connect until I realized it happened both times. So what were my odd pregnancy symptoms?

Symptom 1: Asthma

When I got pregnant with my first daughter, we had just come back from our honeymoon in Thailand. With such a long trip, I got really sick and ended up with asthma. Never having asthma, I assumed it was just temporary and would go away once I felt better. Which it did. The second pregnancy came. My mother-in-law lives in the same neighborhood as us so we took a small walk to her house. 15 minutes into arriving, my chest tightens up and I feel like I am breathing out of a little straw. The coughing and wheezing start and eventually I have to go home to take medicine, a cold shower, and go to sleep. I wasn’t sick this round, however, my asthma lasted about 2 weeks then went away again. Every little thing left me struggling to breathe. A short walk, standing too long while doing dishes, and any form of exercise.

Symptom 2: Emotionless

For my first daughter, I cried if the wind blew too hard. I honestly cried once because my husband bought me tacos and I was so happy. This time nothing really affected me. I wasn’t walking around like a zombie. But things like sad movies, emotional commercials, that I knew should make me tear up in the least, had no effect on me. I am now 5 months pregnant and I think I have cried once from being emotional. It was on a Super Bowl commercial and I cried for all of 10 seconds.

Symptom 3: Large veins on my breast

When walking into the shower, I passed my mirror and stopped. What in the world was wrong with my breast?! I am fair skin and could always see veins on my chest and body, but these were different. They were HUGE! They showed up as very dark blue and even raised the skin. I came out of the shower and joked with my husband and said “my boobs have bodybuilder veins on them”. Shortly after finding out, my breast grew in size, fullness, and became very sensitive. This has continued the full pregnancy. They have had the biggest change than any other body part. I even began to lactate earlier which did not happen for my first pregnancy.

Symptom 4: No food aversions

I am not a picky eater. There are some meals that are not my favorite and a few things I don’t like. But for the most part, there are not many things I don’t like to eat. Earlier that week we had visited my mother-in-law’s house and as soon as I walked into her home, the smell of amazing food overwhelmed me. I ran to her table and ate everything she laid out. Even meals that were not my favorite, became my favorite. I ate enough to feed a family of 4. Afterward asking her what she did differently because all the food tasted like it was made in heaven! Needless to say, that was when she picked up I was pregnant. She knew before I did.

Symptom 5: Metallic taste

After I scarfed down my mother-in-law’s delicious meal, a weird metallic taste formed in my mouth. I assumed it was the combination of all the different meals I ate, but it never went away. There was no juice or meal that would take it away. I googled it, Pinterest it, WebMD it, but nothing. It lasted for weeks. Starting days before I found out I was pregnant and lasted almost the full first trimester. This was torture.

Final Thoughts

You may have opened this blog because you just found out your pregnant, you think you may be pregnant, or your curiosity about other pregnancy symptoms that is not the typical ones you find on other blogs. Regardless of the reason, I am glad you are here. Want more? check out my other articles on fertility and pregnancy.