Picture is from Week 34.
I started this post a while back but never finished it until now..
Be forewarned.. this is mostly a complaint list so if you don't want to listen to me whine, please don't read. :)
1. That morning sickness is HELL! It lasts all day long and completely wears you out. Even if I was not throwing up, I felt nauseous all the time. I have been asked by quite a few, "Oh do you just have a little morning sickness today?" A little? And just? No, I have a lot and feel completely like shit. I was caught off guard on how horrible I felt especially right at the beginning. The first 3-4 months were absolutely the worst.
2. Intense exhaustion. I was the most tired at the beginning of the pregnancy (could have been b/c I was barely eating and throwing up what I did eat). I felt as though I could sleep all the time and would practically. When I was awake, my mind felt like one big cloud. I'm still super tired and frustrated by how little my body lets me do. For instance, going to the grocery store is exhausting and will poop me out for the rest of the day.
3. You develop a super sense of smell which, unfortunately, is not a great superpower to have. This symptom faded pretty quickly after the 1st trimester ended.. thank goodness. Everything would stink, including my husband. I went to the mall early in pregnancy and was completely overwhelmed by all the aromas. I felt as though I were going crazy when I couldn't even tolerate my own house.
4. Things that come out of your body. My boobs leak and I sweat more. None of this is pleasant. I will spare you the rest of the details.
5. Leg cramps that make you get up and scream. I have had some of the worst leg cramps in my entire life. I woke up screaming one night from all the pain and think I scared Joshua half to death. The cramps typically come at night but make my legs stiff the entire day.
6. Pregancy carpal tunnel. This has been one of my biggest complaints and had never ever heard of it. My hands get numb and wake me up at night from all the pain. It probably started at the beginning of the third trimester and has only gotten worse as the days go by. Some mornings I wake up and cannot move my hands.
7. Your whole body feels different. It is not just that my belly is getting bigger, but my whole body feels as though it is going through a transformation. I have gotten pimples and dark spots. I had really intense headaches at the beginning. My hair and nails grow faster/thicker. And of course my mind is changing. I see everything differently from myself to the entire world. While my body may feel huge and uncomfortable at times, I am also amazed by what it is doing.
8. Constipation and hemorrhoids. That's probably enough said.
9. People's reactions. I'm amazed how openly people will bring up my body as a point of discussion. It almost feels as though others assume my body is not my own now that I have a being growing inside of me. From the stares I get when I walk into Starbucks to strangers commenting on my size, I haven't decided how I feel about it all. I'm happy that others are excited for me and want to talk about the joy of parenthood and usually seem generally concerned about how I feel. Sometimes, though, people seem to negatively judge the decisions I am making during pregnancy (including where I am giving birth, what I have or have not bought for the baby, etc). To the woman at Starbucks staring at me: Yes, I do drink a little caffeine (only tea) but, no, this is not something that you have the right to judge.
10. Your body is growing another human being. Now, I obviously knew that this would happen if I became pregnant but had no idea how this would feel. My belly is rounder for sure but there are all these internal changes that happen with pregnancy. My baby kicks and does somersaults inside of me. It is sometimes awake when I want to sleep or likes to be in positions that I don't prefer. I don't think I realized how strong of an attachment I would already feel for this little thing inside of me. I feel ultra protective of my growing sea-monkey and try to make the best decisions possible for it every day. While I have never seen or held my little baby, I feel it move inside me everyday and already know some of its personality. Part of me is somewhat sad that this being is going to separate from me soon. In the outside world, I will have to share the baby with others and let it be its own person. I'm excited for all those things to happen but will also miss this special time with just the two of us.
