The last month of pregnancy is full of a variety of emotions. Moms are excited to meet their baby soon. On the other hand, they might also be a little fed up, maybe even a little angry, as they have been pregnant for a long time now, and they are likely uncomfortable as hell.

The last month of pregnancy is often pictured as a woman who is nesting and perfecting the nursery for the baby. Well, if you see yourself as a smiling mom-to-be, you are in for a harsh reality. Time to learn the truth about that last month!

The last month of pregnancy basically sucks. Your baby is essentially done cooking, so at this point, it is merely a waiting game. The finishing touches are being put on the baby in the womb, and you get the gift of carrying around a basically full-sized baby in your belly.

You might be screaming more than you are smiling at this point! Be prepared for this very long, seemingly-never-ending last month of pregnancy. It is not always fun. But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that is your little bundle of joy!

15 You Will Have To Push Out A Baby Very Soon

The last month of pregnancy is often the time where this thought really hits. Yes, you are about to have a baby! As exciting and wonderful it is to imagine yourself cradling a newborn baby, first, you have to actually push it out.

Needless to say, this can make any mom-to-be nervous. Especially with the first baby, you really do not know what to expect on the day of delivery; no matter how much you have read about it or heard about it, it really is all brand new. It is the unknown that is a bit frightening. During that last month, you will be thinking about this quite a bit. And, your emotions will be all over the place as you go from feeling prepared to being a worrywart and everything in between!

14 Damn Shoes Don’t Fit!

We all know that with pregnancy comes water-retention, and with water-retention, comes swelling. If you have not swelled at all, you might see it suddenly happen in the last month of your pregnancy. That last month is when your body has had it, you are gigantic, and baby is pushing down and anything and everything can happen.

Many expecting mothers experience swelling in their feet. Okay, we know, by this point, you cannot even see your feet! You are probably having lots of trouble putting your shoes on, too. Well, do not be alarmed if your shoes stop fitting! Your feet have so much pressure on them, that swelling is often normal. This is why many pregnant moms opt to wear only flip-flops during that last month, no matter what the temperature is outside - those are the only shoes that will fit!

13 Incredible Weight Gain Makes You Cringe

You are not alone if you cringe as you step on the scale at the doctor’s office. Even though you are pregnant, and are supposed to gain weight, it can still give any woman an uneasy feeling to see the scale tipping in the wrong direction!

Unfortunately, you may find that during the last month of your pregnancy, you gain more weight than ever. You basically have a full-size baby in that belly, so try to remember that that is a big part of your weight gain. You may be feeling sluggish and uncomfortable, and combined with no sleep, you are likely grabbing and eating anything and everything in sight, probably unhealthy stuff, too. No worries though, it is not uncommon. Still, you might not like it, so try to grab an apple or something healthy, and just plan to work it off during labor and delivery - ha!

12 Might Go Past Due Date

The due date is not the end-all, be-all date. It is really just an educated guess of when baby should be arriving. In fact, only approximately 30% of babies are actually born on their due date! Some babies come earlier (so pay attention to those labor signs during your last month of pregnancy).

Some babies will also want to keep cooking, causing you to go past your due date. Some women go two weeks or more past their due date! We know, that sounds awful! If you go past your due date, your physician may recommend that labor is induced. It is usually up to the parents-to-be on how to handle a baby who refuses to budge unless there is a medical issue indicating that the baby needs to be born immediately. Do what makes you comfortable, induction or waiting it out.

11 Crazy Growth

Your body is preparing for your baby’s arrival, and that includes how you will provide nourishment to your newborn. Whether you plan on breastfeeding or not, those boobs of yours will be changing, and likely have been since your pregnancy began.

During the last month, you may notice some crazy changes. Your breasts may get even larger than they already have throughout your pregnancy. They may even be different sizes! Yep, that happens with lots of expecting mamas, especially during the last month of pregnancy. Your boobs will be making milk and you may feel like they are fuller than normal. You also may begin to leak a bit, though this does not happen to everyone. Trust us, after the changes during your last month, you will never look at your “girls” the same way!!

10 Group B Strep Tests Are The Worst

Oh, the wonderful test that is the Group B Strep test. This will likely occur in your last month of pregnancy, and it is fairly important. Group Strep B is an infection that is caused by bacteria that lives in your gastrointestinal tract. It is essentially harmless to adults but can pass from mother to baby during delivery, and can cause harmful effects to the newborn baby.

This is why doctors typically insist on this test during the last month of pregnancy. So why does it suck? Well, it is not the most pleasant test. It usually involves one of those long Q-tips and your bottom. Yep, not fun, but necessary. If the test comes back positive, the mom-to-be will simply be given an antibiotic during labor and all will be good!

9 Everyone Gives Their Opinions

Throughout your pregnancy, you likely heard stories from when your mom or mother-in-law was pregnant. They also probably gave their opinions on how your pregnancy should go. Now that you are in your last stretch, that final month of your pregnancy, it will only get worse.

It will seem like everyone will come out of the woodwork to offer their advice. This, of course, is typically unwanted and definitely not needed advice. What is it about pregnancy, especially with the due-date just around the corner, that makes people feel the immense need to share their opinions?! Who knows? But they will. How you react is up to you. Lash out and blame it on pregnancy pains and lack of sleep, or just let it go, because, in the end, their opinion means squat anyhow.

8 You Can Barely Squeeze Into Your Car

One way many expecting mamas determine how big they are getting is by noticing how close their belly gets to the steering wheel! At first, this is fun and you laugh about not being able to drive once the due-date nears! Then, you get to that final month, and you realize just how awfully uncomfortable it is to drive even short distances.

It is more than just having your growing baby-belly pressing on the steering wheel. Getting in and out of your car has suddenly become an Olympic sport. You will feel like one of those large cats who squeeze through the tiniest little door. You may not even be able to get the seatbelt safely around you! It sucks, big time. You’ll never look at driving the same way again. Now, go hand your keys to the hubby!

7 Going Shopping Seems Dreadful

When you are in that last month of your pregnancy, you realize just how awful it can be to do even the simplest shopping. Stopping at the grocery store for a few items will make you need a long bath and a nap. In other words, it is purely exhausting.

Pushing a cart around with your giant belly leading the way, trying to lift heavy items (like that huge laundry detergent you just need!), walking around the giant supermarket, then having to put everything in the trunk and having to take it all out and into your house, then having to put it away, ugh. It is exhausting even if you aren’t in your last trimester or pregnant at all! Make a very detailed list of everything you need, and send the dad-to-be or a family member out to the store. You deserve a break!

6 Avoid Sitting On The Floor

We laugh at the movies and sitcoms that show a pregnant woman who gets stuck in a chair or struggles to get up with her humongous belly. Well, the day will come when that is you. Every expecting mama gets totally huge in that last month. Your balance is very off, and it can be difficult to walk, much less do anything else.

You are probably already rolling out of bed. Well, now that goes for any area in which you decide to take a seat or lie down on! Be aware of where and how you choose to sit because you might get stuck there for a while! Sitting on the floor to play a game or to clean up? Think again. If you are sitting on the floor, it will look like something off the National Geographic Channel when you decide you want to get up again- good luck with that!

5 Good Luck Taking Those Rings Off

We have talked about the swelling that occurs during pregnancy. Well, once you enter into that last trimester you will feel like a balloon that has been blown up way too much. One area of your body that you may not really expect to swell up that much is your hands and fingers.

Most expecting mamas end up with swollen feet and ankles, that we can try to cover up the best we can! But hands and fingers? Eek, that is out there for everything to notice. Gone will be your perfectly thin manicured fingers, and hello sausage links. You may want to take off any rings you wear, as once you get closer to your due-date, you may have no choice but to wear them - you won’t be able to take them off!

4 Sleep, What’s That?

Your last month of pregnancy is bound to be filled with lots of tossing and turning. Sleepless nights are just what you may expect. What really sucks, though, is that no matter how tired you are, you might find it incredibly uncomfortable, no matter which way you try to lie down. Sleep exhaustion is real during the final stretch of pregnancy, which is when you really need your rest before the baby arrives!

Some people like to joke that this is the time that you are preparing for those sleepless nights with a baby who is feeding every two hours. Yeah, right. There is no baby yet, and you still can’t sleep. You might not even be able to remember the last time you actually had a good night’s sleep. You won’t see one of those for a very long time - if ever!

3 Everyone Feels The Need To Touch The Belly

We swear that pregnant women carry an invisible sign with a neon arrow pointing the bulging belly that says, "rub me"! What the heck is it about anyone and everyone thinking that personal space does not exist with those who are carrying babies in their bellies?!

It gets so much worse once you enter that last month. You are totally, obviously, and hugely pregnant. People will love this. They will flock to you like you are the Queen of England. It is actually kind of ridiculous. Hands will be touching your belly as though you are carrying the next Saint. Even if you back away or push their hand aside, they will keep at it. Now is the time to teach your developing baby how to kick on demand - if only that was actually possible!

2 It Literally Hurts And You're Too Uncomfortable To Do Anything

You may have had a fairly easy-going pregnancy so far. Some mild aches and pains, but overall, it seems pretty nice. Then you enter the last month. It all goes downhill. You can barely move around with that huge belly of yours. You just want to feel normal again, if you can even remember what your pre-pregnancy body felt like.

Walking, sleeping, eating, talking, you name it, it hurts. All the things you used to enjoy doing are out the window. You cannot sit to watch a movie without being uncomfortable or needing to pee. You can’t take a nap, for crying out loud, without being in some kind of pain! There is no real relief. The only real relief you will get is the day that the baby is born! Once you experience labor and delivery, pregnancy pains will be a distant memory!

1 Just Waiting, Never Knowing Exactly When

A whirlwind of emotions awaits you during the last month of your pregnancy. You are ready to finally have your baby! Or are you ready? Oh my god, you are about to have a baby! It is exciting and frightening all at the same time. Nothing will ever again give you the crazy hormone induced emotions that pregnancy will, especially during those final days nearest to your due date.

The thing about the last month though, is that it could be ANY DAY. The due date is a guess, basically. Educated, sure. But babies are never punctual - three weeks before the due date, and they want out. Knowing this leaves many women on edge, waiting for those labor-like symptoms. Once that sweet baby is ready, s/he will arrive!

Sources: What To Expect, Scary Mommy