On Pregnancy

I'm not one to write very much when I blog. I usually treat this space as more of a "scrapbook"-lots of photos, little said. But for some time now, I've been thinking about writing a post with a few more details on my pregnancy (so far). Those of you who have been through this before have probably experienced or heard it all. But I know that as a first-timer I'm fascinated to read about what other girls went through. So I thought I'd share. And I wanted to document the little tidbits that, by the time baby girl is in our arms. I'm sure to have forgotten.


The first few weeks after I found out (that pregnancy test turned up positive about as early as possible, so I knew around day 10):

     Couldn't sleep- wide awake at 3, 4, 5 in the morning. Not sure if it was hormones or stress or pure      
     excitement. Thankfully only lasted a few weeks.

     Tons of energy- once again, probably the excitement.

     Immediate bladder meltdown. Up going to the bathroom 4-6 times a night.

     Feeling great and still loving food.

     The only hard part about this period was keeping a secret. You want to tell just about every person
     you meet, not to mention your friends and family.


Approx. weeks 6-10. This was when things got rough.

     I slowly lost my appetite and then the all-day nausea set in. For several weeks I spent most of my time  
     on the couch. Several times a week I would drag myself to the gym and push through a light
     workout.

     Food became the enemy. Nothing sounded good. Nothing looked good. I couldn't cook or read a
     restaurant menu. Food Network was banned.

     Foods I formerly loved were repulsive. Especially meats and veggies. I couldn't even look at a salad.
     Garlic, onions, strongly flavored or spicy anything- horrible.

     Not eating made me feel worse, so I managed to survive on the most random occasionally-appealing  
     things. Annie's Mac and Cheese, pretzels, peanut butter and jelly, pickles (typical). And most sweet
     things. I was eating like a picky child. Dustin found it hysterical that I'd come home from the grocery
     store with goldfish and string cheese. No more gourmet chef here.

     Never actually threw up, just always wanted to. Felt slightly better at night. Anything I did eat during
     this period I probably won't be able to ever eat again.

     Everything smells. Several nights I made Dustin eat his take-out sitting on the front porch. Food,
     animals, people- the whole world stinks! I still can't stand the smell of my own husbands hair.

     Other fun symptoms: constant burping (anything you do eat, you'll taste for the rest of the day), hot
     flashes, exhaustion, congestion, constipation (drink, drink, drink!), orthostatic hypotension (when you
     feel like you're going to faint if you stand up too quickly), headaches, and a few other unpleasant
     things. Not all side effects were awful... there was one item of clothing I was thrilled to outgrow
     within the first few weeks!

     Misery. There were days where I shed a lot of tears. I may have threatened that this might be our only
     baby. It was hard to be excited or to yet imagine the end result. I didn't look a bit pregnant (in fact
     through the first trimester I only lost weight). It's especially hard to be sick when you're trying to keep
     it a secret. At 6 1/2 weeks I had my first ultrasound and a due date was set (May 8th)- all that I could
     see was a yolk sac and a little heart beating!

6 1/2 weeks. 

Weeks 10-20. Slow and steady improvement into the second trimester and beyond.

     While my nausea very slowly subsided, I still had little appetite and no desire to cook. We lived on
     take-out and re-introduced frozen foods to our home. Dustin actually started complaining that he had
     to buy lunch at school.

     The worst part of this stretch was a flare-up of my irritable bowel. As I began to eat more, my
     digestive system revolted. In summary: incredibly uncomfortable and painful gas. Nothing helped.
     (Years of digestive troubles have not left me shy about disclosing such things- it's life!)

     The reveal. Right around 13 weeks (Halloween!) we announced the news. Only a few friends had
     grown suspicious by my constant sickness.

     This time period was an emotional roller coaster. (Thank you, hormones.) You worry about
     everything- not eating healthy, eating too much, not eating enough, overdosing on prenatals (yes, I
     accidentally did that one day- I blame pregnancy brain), risk of miscarriage, how big your bottom will  
     get, what your baby's nose will look like, what gender your baby will be....! It really never ends. I  
     think the hardest part for me has been the loss of control. You can do your best to be healthy but
     ultimately you can't control the outcome of your pregnancy or what's going on with your body. And
     that's scary.

     Daily bump analysis. Besides a bit of bloat, there really wasn't much to see until between 18-20
     weeks when it began to pop right out. (Meaning I could no longer suck it back in. It was there to
     stay!)

     Flutters. I felt the first few signs of movement inside of me. At first it felt like popping or a butterfly
     and was hard to distinguish from gas (more of that, yes). But then just before Christmas I felt the first
     gentle kicks on my hand. That was probably my favorite moment of pregnancy.


Weeks 20-23. What relief! Over the last few weeks (best Christmas gift), I've felt like a new me.

     My 20-week ultrasound revealed that we are having a healthy, active little GIRL! (Which I was really
     hoping for!) She wouldn't stop moving (literally doing flips) the whole visit. The tech said she got
     some textbook shots of her and we saw everything- fingers and toes, heart valves pumping. She was
     measuring 1-2 weeks big for her due date, so the doctor said she wouldn't be surprised if she arrives
     in April instead of May.

 Profile shot.

All female.

Another profile. Hand curled up by forehead.

Arms and legs.

     The food issues are still lingering, but I've managed to prepare a meal or two.  I posted on my recipe
     blog for the first time just this week! At this point eating out is my favorite thing. (I enjoy food much
     more if it doesn't come from my kitchen.) I've yet to reach a point where I actually have a strong
     appetite. (Starting to wonder if it'll ever come back...) But I can happily say I'm starting to like food
     again!

     Loving working out. I've managed to keep up a modified version of my exercise routine the entire
     pregnancy. But now I've never looked forward to my workouts more. I have energy and it makes me
     feel incredible! I'm not running much because it's not comfortable but I do all sort of cardio, toning,
     and prenatal pilates. Hoping I can keep this up 'till delivery...

     Digestive system in repair. Less burping. Less frequent trips to the bathroom. One symptom related to
     the milk-producing organs that I totally didn't expect. Let's just say that I'm one of the lucky ones who
     gets to invest in breast pads a few months early. Some ligament/stretching pain. Not terrible, but
     uncomfortable.

     Feeling content. Suddenly I'm not so worried or stressed. Our baby is healthy. I've started to gain
     weight and accept my morphing body. I'm ready to embrace the bump. I'm more excited than ever to
     meet the little person living inside of me!

     Big kicks. My belly literally jumps. She moves nonstop. Lately she's started simultaneously kicking
     my colon and tummy. It's a strange sensation, but she likes to jostle things around back there. Both
     annoying and awesome.

     Looking a little prego. Not a lot. But there's an ever-growing bump. Still not one person in public
     has said anything to me. Probably scared that it might just be a gut. Since it's winter it's not hard to
     stay covered up. I guess come spring I'll be able to surprise the world with a 9-month belly!

Today.

     Grateful. To be pregnant. And feeling better. To get the chance to be parents. To have a few more
     months left to prepare. (Besides a few essential pieces- the tutu, hooded fur coat, and summer bonnet-
     I haven't gotten her a thing yet!)

     A little anxious. Yes, this is really happening. In less than four months you will be in labor. And in
     pain. In less than four months you will be a mother.

     But mostly so excited!