Esperanza Massana Crane gave birth to son Christopher Sebastián Reynaldo Crane on April 3. She said she "loved being pregnant" but entered motherhood a bit naive to the challenges it would bring. She credits her "tribe" (including her mom, husband and friends) for helping her make it through a tough first month of sleep deprivation and recovery from a cesarean section.

Pregnancy is one of the biggest transformations the human body can go through. And when you’ve never been pregnant before, you have a lot of unanswered questions. While books, Google and your doctor can supply a lot of great information, there are some questions you probably just don’t even think to ask. We took to social media to ask our followers this question:

What do you wish you’d known about pregnancy before getting pregnant?

Here are some of their responses, edited only for spelling and grammar.

“Hormonal changes and physical changes will affect your plumbing. As a first-time mom, discomforts can be alarming, but constipation, indigestion, gas and heartburn will occur, and if you haven’t experienced them before they can very much feel like ‘pain.’”

“Working out during pregnancy will boost your mood, help with your labor and recovery, improve sleep and help fight fatigue.”

“Even if the baby isn’t ‘healthy’ it will be OK. My first child, now 15, was born with multiple health issues. I never entertained the notion of not having a ‘perfect’ baby — but she is perfect.”

“You have very little control over your health and the health of your baby. Do what you can (eat right, exercise) and let the rest go. You are no better of a mother if you experience no pregnancy symptoms and no worse of a mother if you or your baby has complications/health problems during pregnancy or after delivery.”

“Sleeping is impossible after a certain point, and no fancy pillow will fix it!”

“Childbirth class is not nearly as important as breastfeeding class if that’s your plan.”

“How maternity leave/short term disability and all that works. I’m still confused!”

"I wish I had known that sea sickness bracelets would help with car sickness … I had to pull over to throw up about five times every time we drove the 30 minutes into town until a lady pulled over next to me one day and gave me hers.”

• Better Beginnings Child Care Facilities Guide
• 9 Tips for Budgeting Baby in Your Family Finance
• Postpartum Depression: You’re Not Alone
• Book Club: Bringing On New Baby
• 25 Ways for Mom to Care for Herself After a New Baby