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In a recently published Parent24 article, we shared that far from being a mere old wives tale, sympathy pregnancy symptoms, or couvade syndrome, is very real.
READ THE STORY HERE: Yes, dads can get morning sickness too, and it's called couvade syndrome
And our readers could not agree more, taking to social media to share their experiences - and it wasn't just dads-to-be.
From mood swings and heartburn, to nausea and odd food cravings, dads to be, their corroborating pregnant partners and even siblings all shared that they genuinely felt phantom pregnancy symptoms too.
A different kind of pregnancy test?
For some, the symptoms came even before pregnancy was confirmed, and disappeared once the doctor made the diagnosis.
"Mine was horrible, but as soon as we found out she was pregnant, my sickness stopped," said one dad.
Another expecting dad said the exact thing happened to him and his wife, adding that his symptoms led the doctor to test his wife for pregnancy.
"Very true. I started having morning sickness without my wife and me knowing she is pregnant. With a strong stomach and no explanation for this occurrence, the doctor decided to test my wife and unbelievably, she was pregnant. And as soon as it stopped, she started having regular morning sickness."
A mom-to-be said she had had no idea that she was expecting when her baby daddy started getting inexplicable headaches and was feeling nauseous.
"I couldn't understand why until I found out that I was pregnant."
Oddly enough, one dad said his morning sickness was entirely dismissed by his wife, who said that his nausea was more of a hangover than morning sickness.
- This mom-to-be compiled every piece of morning sickness advice she could find in one hilarious post
- Dads, tell us, were you at all prepared for that first pregnancy?
- Doctors and nurses spill the beans on their most intense experiences in the delivery room
Siblings bonds
Other readers said they started to feel the symptoms when their twin siblings became pregnant - even while living in different countries!
"My twin sister is pregnant, and I'm the one with morning sickness and heartburn. She is based in South Africa, and I'm in the USA," commented one reader.
And again, this also occurred in the case of a male twin sibling.
"I am a fraternal twin, and my brother had most of my symptoms for all three of my pregnancies. He had to take sick leave too because it got that bad."
- INFOGRAPHIC: 12 anatomic reasons you feel like crap during pregnancy
- 'What were you thinking?': These children's reactions to their parents' pregnancy announcements are hilarious
- 100 amazing facts about pregnancy
Goodbye chicken, hello spinach-covered yoghurt
And of course, phantom pregnancy symptoms would not be complete without food cravings and aversions, which readers said where definitely part of their couvade syndrome encounter.
"I stopped eating chicken for the whole pregnancy period," was one dad's experience, and another warned of a craving for an odd combination.
"Yep, you get all sorts of weird cravings. You might end up eating yoghurt with spinach."
What about labour pain?
One reader shared a truly unique and hilarious story about seeing expecting parents in the labour ward but instead of the mom, it was the dad who experienced the pains of labour.
"When my sister was in the labour ward at the hospital, we were with her and there was a young, hilarious couple. The woman was hooked to the CTG, and it was indicating strong contractions. She was as cool as a cucumber while the man was on the floor, crying and rolling getting the pains. It was funny as hell! The nurses and doctors didn't know what to do cause he was crying for an epidural; instead, they gave him Panado. A very rare occurrence I was blessed to be part of."
Do you have an equally hilarious tale? Tell us your story.
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