5 Surprising "Pregnancy" Symptoms Dads Can Experience

Phantom pregnancy?
Phantom pregnancy?

There were plenty of things that surprised me about pregnancy, but the one that took me for a loop was how my husband experienced his own set of symptoms.

I don't know whether it was psychological or his way of going through each pregnancy with me, but my husband seemed to go through the weeks in his own way.

After talking to other moms about the topic, it seemed as though we weren't alone. Plenty of men experience pregnancies in a variety of different ways and go through each of the trimesters with their wives. One woman said that her husband gained weight right along with her while another complained about backaches and sore joints, sleepless nights and unusual cravings, right along with his wife. I was surprised to learn that this series of symptoms has its own name - Couvade syndrome, a.k.a. sympathetic pregnancy - and is in fact a common occurrence!

Weight gain? Check! Sleepless nights? Check! Unusual cravings? Check!

Here are 5 of the most common pregnancy symptoms that men go through, and that my husband experienced. It's good to be prepared!

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Weight Gain

It could be both the combination of stress and watching me eat non-stop, but my husband packed on the pounds right along with me, during all three of my pregnancies. While I was pregnant with our third child, his choices were a little healthier which helped in the long run.

Nausea

I don't know why it's called 'Morning Sickness' because for the first four months of my pregnancies it was more like an all-day and all-night sickness. For the first couple of months, my husband was sick right along with me. Personally, I think it had something to do with the anxiety he felt over my sickness because when he was preoccupied with other things, he didn't feel as bad.

Cravings

He may not have had the strange craving combos that I was famous for, but my husband definitely experienced many different cravings during my pregnancies! Among them - ice cream, pickles, chips and chocolate. Hmm….

Aches & Pains

"Oooh, my feet hurt!" "My back aches!" Do those sound familiar? My husband went through many of the same aches and pains as I did. Not to the same extent of course. He definitely pampered me more than I did him during those nine months! Foot rubs and cuddles were plentiful!

Anxious, Excited, Nervous

I think it's safe to say that all three of those symptoms are experienced by all of those who are close to you, during your pregnancy. My husband went through all three right along with me. We laughed, we cried and we wrung our hands in anticipation for the arrival of our little ones.

- By Nadia Carriere

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