"I tried to answer my banana." 5 women share the weirdest things they did when they were pregnant.

‘Mum brain’ or ‘pregnancy brain’ as it’s sometimes called is most definitely a real thing for lots of women.  The way in which it impacts women can range from subtle changes in mood to more severe side effects. These are due to a combination of biological changes in the body like the levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone which can affect women quite differently. It also can be impacted by the simple fact that being pregnant is a huge deal so preparing for a child is undoubtedly going to be stressful at times, even if it is just trying to put the ever frustrating cot together.

It’s been a few years since I was pregnant but recently as a friend told me of some of the ways in which pregnancy has affected her behaviour and her emotional state since her ‘plus one’ came on board, the memories came flooding back. Visions of all the weird and wacky things that being pregnant does, not only to your body but also to your mind make for some hilarious and interesting stories, which I feel are my duty to share.

I decided to ask five women to share some of the ways which pregnancy has impacted their state of mind and the weird things they did because of it, here are their responses.

Sophea and Mel – Weepiness.

Being weepy or being ‘emotional’ is often associated with pregnancy. Whether it be because of the huge change of hormones in your body or the changes now occurring in your life, emotions are often tested and understandably so.

Sophea told me that since becoming pregnant her emotions have been like a rollercoaster. Because of this ‘rollercoaster’  Sophea has found herself regularly having episodes of weepiness that are very out of character.

“I literally cried into my waffles at breakfast because they weren’t as good as I’d imagined they were going to be. I was so disappointed that I just broke into tears. I also cried because the Halloween face painting I had done as a part of my husband’s costume for a party didn’t look like the picture I was using for inspiration,” Sophea said.

Mel found herself crying ‘happy tears’  through game shows and talk shows. “I would watch Family Feud and if the family won I would be so happy for them that I would cry. I also did this during the 12 Days of Christmas special on Ellen when the audience were given prizes. It was crazy, I didn’t even know these people!” Mel said.

Mel also told me that one time she had cried after sneezing because it took all the energy she had left. “I was just so exhausted!”

Sarah and Bron – Forgetfulness and feeling ‘dumb’.

‘Mumnesia’, ‘Goldfish Brain’, forgetfulness and feeling not as sharp as usual are also quite common in pregnancy.

For Sarah it was one of the first signs that she was pregnant. “I was at work and would forget what I was working on. I would make silly mistakes one after the other. I tried to answer my banana instead of the phone when it rang. Thank God no one answered because then I would have thought I was going totally crazy!”

For Bron, her forgetfulness would be an almost daily occurrence and caused many hours of wasted time searching for objects she had misplaced. “At home I would often lose my phone or keys and find them in the most random of places like the freezer, fridge or the pantry. I also found myself using the incorrect ingredients or condiments like sugar on my sandwich instead of salt or salt in my cup of tea rather than sugar. It made for some very interesting taste combinations, “ she said.

Carrie – Frustration!

Toward the end of a pregnancy, especially if past your due date, many women can get a ‘tad’ frustrated.  For Carrie this ‘frustration’ led to her desperately trying anything to “get the baby out. I was a woman possessed,” she said.

“I tried eating curry, pineapple, I drove my car over a bumpy road, I mowed the lawn, I walked with one leg on the road and one on the curb up and down the street to try and wobble him out, I tried acupuncture, I even danced (and I don’t dance). Finally after sex with my partner and an induction, he finally graced us with his presence at 42 weeks.”

“At that point in time there is probably nothing I wouldn’t have considered if it meant no longer being pregnant”, she said.

So, for all those women suffering from ‘pregnancy brain’ in whatever form, I tip my hat to you, it is enough to drive you crazy (literally)!

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