Did you know that you were pregnant fairly early on after you conceived? You know — before the whole achy boobs, insane nausea, and extreme fatigue set in? I did.

About four or five days after I got pregnant with my son, I completely had a meltdown because my husband picked up barbecue take-out for dinner on his way home from work and forgot the potato salad.

Who freaks out over a picnic food? I knew that something just wasn’t quite right with me — and a positive pregnancy test confirmed my suspicions.

I’m definitely not the only woman who ever lashed out over something fairly stupid during pregnancy, and odd mood swings are a symptom that many women experience. however, there are a few things that can occur during pregnancy that are a bit more unexpected!

1. Making donkey noises. Can you even imagine waking up one day and getting out of bed only to realize that you suddenly sound like a farm animal? because it happened to an 18-year old pregnant girl in the UK named Cody Hagel, whostarted making donkey noises shortly after she conceived. Cody wasn’t quite as shocked as most people would be at the whole donkey thing because she’d already been suffering from Tourette’s syndrome since she was 14-years old. Apparently pregnancy can trigger new forms of “tics” in Tourette’s sufferers, and since she lives on a farm where there are donkeys, she thinks that is why she picked up the noises. She’s taking her new sounds with a grain of salt, and her light-hearted attitude on her condition is incredibly refreshing. She’s wise beyond her years, that’s for sure!

2. changes to your voice. it may not be quite as quirky as sounding like a donkey, but Julia Roberts had changes to her voice while pregnant. she wound up talking, and even laughing, at a lower tone than normal. how weird is it that this “Pretty Woman” wound up sounding more like a man? of course, a lot of men find the whole husky voice thing pretty sexy.

3. Bizarre pregnancy cravings. have you heard about those women who crave really strange foods while they are pregnant — like soil? Britney Spears supposedly had a hankering for dirt while she was expecting. but perhaps the oddest part of this pregnancy symptom is the fact that we aren’t really all that shocked by it. C’mon — would your jaw really drop to the floor if you saw Brit reach down and grab a handful of soil and stick it in her mouth? I didn’t think so.

4. Excessive farting. Another embarrassing symptom that some of us don’t want to admit having? Lots and lots of gas. sometimes it’s just impossible to suck ‘em in while you’re pregnant. but I guess it’s better to just laugh about gas the way Jessica Simpson did instead of getting all bent out of shape about it.

5. Increased foot size. Many women find themselves needing to go out and buy new shoes while they are pregnant. in fact, some women may even go up as much as a size-and-a-half! Sometimes foot size goes back to normal, and sometimes it doesn’t. but then again, do us gals ever really need a good excuse to go shoe shopping?

Are you experiencing anything unusual or that you did not expect while pregnant?

Image via o5com/Flickr

Clostridium tetani is the bacteria that causes tetanus.  Its toxins act on your muscle controlling nerves, causing your muscles to spasm and stiffen.

Hence, tetanus is referred to as lockjaw because your jaw muscles can stiffen to the point that breathing and swallowing become difficult. and death by suffocation is a serious possibility.

Tetanus is contracted through a cut or wound that becomes contaminated with Clostridium tetani.  Spores of this bacteria are virtually everywhere, routinely gathered in soil, dust and manure. Thus, having a tetanus shot and “kept current” booster is crucial for those that hanging around farm animal territory.

Tetanus is not contagious.  Clostridium tetani bacteria typically enters your body through a puncture type (nail, knife) wound.  Because this bacteria cannot grow in the presence of oxygen, deep wounds tend to be a lower in oxygen environment.  An ideal habitat for tetanus toxic spores to germinate.

However,  C. tetani can even get in via minor wounds, such as a pinprick or scratch.  Some folks have become infected by means of:

Even tetanus from a splinter is possible.

Beyond lockjaw stiffness, other symptoms indicating that the tetanus causing poison has gained entry include:

Symptoms of tetanus may appear within a couple of days to several weeks, usually noticed 7 days after bacteria wound entry.

Tetanus is easily prevented by immunization shot and vaccine booster. Most cases of tetanus occur in those who have never been vaccinated or haven’t had a tetanus booster shot within the previous 10 years.

The tetanus vaccine is an inactivated toxin called a toxoid.  You cannot get tetanus from this vaccine.

But, because the shot is not a live vaccine, your immunity will tend to decline in time.  This is why a booster is recommended every 10 years.

Also, if ever you experience a deep or dirty wound, and the status of your booster vaccine is beyond 5 years, get with your health care professional right away for a “lockjaw prevention” boost.

The tetanus toxoid shot vaccine is normally given to children as part of the DTaP vaccine. This vaccination protects against:

• tetanus
• pertussis
• diphtheria

The DTaP childhood vaccine is given to children in a series of shots at ages:

• 2 months
• 4 months
• 6 months
• 15 – 18 months
• 4 – 6 years

Most have no problems, except the expected injection sight soreness, redness or swelling.  The most frequently reported tetanus shot side effects are headache, generalized body aches and tiredness.

Treatment for tetanus is available, but it can be fatal even with treatment. Clostridium tetani produced spores are resistant to heat and many chemical agents, creating a very difficult to kill treatment issue.

Your best health defense against tetanus is preventing it in the first place. A tetanus shot, vaccine booster and vigilant wound care are your healthiest schemes.

Bacterial Health Blurbs: