I enjoy reading the occasional list of "Ten things they don't tell you about pregnancy," or "What I wish I knew about labor." I think it's the control freak in me that likes to know that my experience is normal or that I'm still doing ok. Here's my list of things that sort of took me by surprise despite all of my "research."
1. Acid Reflux. Ok I knew that heartburn was very common in pregnancy and so I wasn't surprised the first time I had some pain in my chest and throat after eating, but what I wasn't prepared for was the acid reflux! I don't think I had heartburn more than once but instead suffered horribly from this! Thankfully it was only in the last two months or so. Tips: Don't lie down right after eating (no matter how tired you are) or at the very least lay with your head and chest elevated. Make sure you have a LOT of Tums on hand! You may actually need to take the maximum dose by the end of the day! Don't eat right before bed. If a bowl of cereal suddenly sounds amazing but you just ate dinner don't rationalize waiting a few hours, the closer you eat to bed time the more you will regret it! (Eat the bowl of cereal right away, even if you just finished putting the dinner dishes away) Also don't assume that burp is just a burp (gross I know!)
2. Carpal tunnel: In the last 2-3 weeks I have been waking up with my fingers absolutely killing me. Especially my right thumb. Each joint feels like it is locked into place and if I try to move them "Ouch!" Tip: Do move them the pressure needs to be relieved and it's like stretching, eventually it feels good. The feeling goes away after a while and for me it didn't last once I got up for the day. Though some women do suffer longer\, if that's the case with you I'd talk to your doctor.
3. What a Pain in the butt!: Oh my word this one is one of the worst! At first I thought my joint or nerve pain in my rear was sciatica but after a little research I discovered that that is even worse and affects your entire leg (to all the women who have suffered with that I am SO SORRY!) I'm not exactly sure what mine is, all I know is when I stand up from sitting down or lying down I am in so much pain I hobble like a little old lady. My husband can't help but laugh at me. The pain is a stabbing one right in the middle of either side of my butt. It is NOT comfy. There are random times when it will kick in even if I've been walking or standing for a while. Getting up in the middle of the night to pee 50 times is the ultimate test of how much pain I can handle (I'm pretty darn certain I'll be using an epidural!)
4. Exhaustion in the first trimester: When you read up on pregnancy, online or in a book, the first thing they tell you is you'll feel super tired through out the the first trimester. What they don't expand upon is the fact that you're not just tired you're almost depressed. I'm sure the cold rainy weather didn't help my mood, but I was really stuck in a funk for a few weeks. I didn't want to do anything! I sat around all day and cried. I wasn't super sick but eating sounded awful and any sort of activity (even things I LOVE to do) sounded like way too much work. My husband ate a lot of take out during that time and cleaned a lot for me. I couldn't even find the joy or excitement that I wanted over being pregnant! I felt so ungrateful and unloving! Thankfully it really does go away just as quickly as it shows up!
5. Pelvic "pressure": You know how Doctor's warn us with "now you'll feel a little bit of pressure from this..." and them wham! You're in pain? Ya that's what pelvic pressure from the baby moving down feels like. The pregnant lady waddle is real my friends. This pain does not help with the butt pain let me tell you! I have seriously considered learning how to sleep standing up since getting out of bed hurts so much. You have no functionality in your abs anymore so you have to rely on your legs to get you up and down, side to side. Ouch! Thankfully this one has only been an issue for a few weeks as well.
6. Hormones!: For the most part I got lucky with not being super sensitive or wacky (my husband may not agree?) But there would be days when I literally felt like every nerve in my body was exposed and anything, I mean Anything, was going to set me off. It was like PMS on steroids. Weirdest feeling ever!
7. Feeling like you may suddenly pee your pants: This one always gets me when I'm at Kroger. Maybe baby boy can tell I'm grocery shopping and doesn't like what I'm getting? All I know is I will be walking down the international food aisle and BAM! I have to pee right then and there. Usually if I stop for a few seconds and pretend to look at the large assortment of pastas this uncomfortable feeling will pass. But be sure in knowing that I will be speeding up my shopping trip after that! I can't even count how many things I have forgotten to get simply because I was needing to get home!
8. Why don't I feel like I have an undying love for the baby inside of me?: This is something I have struggled with for quite some time. Not every woman feels like she is super connected to the baby growing inside of her and it can be a bit alarming. I pictured myself sitting in the rocking chair in baby boy's room and reading out loud to him or quietly whispering sweet nothings to him. Instead I got caught up in getting stuff ready and every day life. Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited for him to get here and I Do love him. But it's more like I'm anxiously anticipating a package to be delivered rather than watching something bloom before my eyes. Thankfully he moves a lot and that is a huge reminder that there is a little miracle inside of me.
9. Mama Bear syndrome early on: Even though I struggle with feeling a connection and the warm fuzzys, I am already super protective of this little guy. Every time someone tells me they can't wait to hold him or meet him I want to shout, "He's mine! Back off!" (To all my friends and family, it is nothing personal!) It doesn't matter if I've known the person for ten years or ten minutes, I don't want to surrender my baby to them...and he's not even born yet! This realization has made me feel a lot better about issue number 8. I think my love for him is growing stronger the closer we get to my due date.
And #10: My fear of getting an epidural: Now I'm sure that in the moment I'm not going to care about this one bit but without the pain of labor I can't help but be terrified about the size of the needle and the actual process of getting an epidural. For those of you who don't know what that consists of I wont be the one to traumatize you. Everyone says it's really not that bad and you really don't mind it. I think I should have left it alone and not done any research on it. I'll let you know how it goes.
So those are my ten things I didn't know about pregnancy. There are a few more but I wanted to spare you from the gross and awkward ones (there are lots of more detailed lists out there if you're needing to know everything.)I realize that these things may sound awful or terrifying and to be honest they do make being pregnant a little less fairy tale like and obnoxious at times. But I am super thankful for this miracle that God has given me. And I have no doubt that what everyone says is true, the reward in the end is so worth it! I know so many people who struggle with getting pregnant or suffer from much tougher pregnancies or miscarriages. It is no small thing that God has entrusted me with this little guy and I am so excited and blessed to be his mommy! I'm counting down the days! (6 more if he's born right on his due date ;) )
Monday, October 21, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
First is the worst
I feel like the first post is always the most awkward. Do I start out as though I've been writing this blog all along or do I introduce myself and give an explanation as to why I deserve a chance at speaking my mind? I think I'll give a shot at combining the two.
In the past writing to the vast open world that is the internet I felt this sense of accountability and purpose that writing in a journal or silently fuming did not come close to. If I'm left with my own thoughts I tend to see myself as all knowing and obviously right about everything.....and I'm pretty sure that's not true. When you're forced to think about how others may react to your opinions and thoughts you really start thinking about where your heart is at and what it is about that certain situation that makes you want to tell the world what's going on. Call me crazy but I like that sort of accountability. There are things I hold very strongly to; my faith in Jesus Christ, the role of a mother, marriage, family life, and other such important things, but I also tend to go to the extreme opposite and want to talk about fun things such as movies, crafts, Pinterest!, and so much more. You can also be looking forward to me sharing some fun if not hair pulling stories about mommy hood (More on that in about a week or so, keep your fingers crossed!)
Let me take a moment right here and now to state the obvious....my spelling is atrocious (I had to use spell check for that word) I'm pretty certain I mentally checked out of all my grammar classes, and I love using parenthesis whether they're appropriately placed or not. I will try my best to edit each post but then again if I missed it the first time chances are I'll miss it again! I'm not a polished college graduate, I'm a beauty school drop out (Literally.) I do believe that taking the time to spell correctly and use grammar the right way is important so please don't assume I'm some red neck hill billy that thinks school is a waste of time and energy, it's just something I have struggled with for as long as I can remember.
Along with poor spelling and grammar don't be surprised if my posting is sporadic at best. I may write twice in one day and then not again for two months. It all depends on how badly I want to talk about something and if time allows it :) I wont even try to create a schedule for blogging. I've done that before and ended up just quitting because I was pulling dumb ideas out of the air to write about just so I was writing.
Hmm...I think that's it. Not too shabby for a first post I guess. I hope you join me on this journey as I continue to grow and learn from this life. Who knows where it will lead us!
Abbey
In the past writing to the vast open world that is the internet I felt this sense of accountability and purpose that writing in a journal or silently fuming did not come close to. If I'm left with my own thoughts I tend to see myself as all knowing and obviously right about everything.....and I'm pretty sure that's not true. When you're forced to think about how others may react to your opinions and thoughts you really start thinking about where your heart is at and what it is about that certain situation that makes you want to tell the world what's going on. Call me crazy but I like that sort of accountability. There are things I hold very strongly to; my faith in Jesus Christ, the role of a mother, marriage, family life, and other such important things, but I also tend to go to the extreme opposite and want to talk about fun things such as movies, crafts, Pinterest!, and so much more. You can also be looking forward to me sharing some fun if not hair pulling stories about mommy hood (More on that in about a week or so, keep your fingers crossed!)
Let me take a moment right here and now to state the obvious....my spelling is atrocious (I had to use spell check for that word) I'm pretty certain I mentally checked out of all my grammar classes, and I love using parenthesis whether they're appropriately placed or not. I will try my best to edit each post but then again if I missed it the first time chances are I'll miss it again! I'm not a polished college graduate, I'm a beauty school drop out (Literally.) I do believe that taking the time to spell correctly and use grammar the right way is important so please don't assume I'm some red neck hill billy that thinks school is a waste of time and energy, it's just something I have struggled with for as long as I can remember.
Along with poor spelling and grammar don't be surprised if my posting is sporadic at best. I may write twice in one day and then not again for two months. It all depends on how badly I want to talk about something and if time allows it :) I wont even try to create a schedule for blogging. I've done that before and ended up just quitting because I was pulling dumb ideas out of the air to write about just so I was writing.
Hmm...I think that's it. Not too shabby for a first post I guess. I hope you join me on this journey as I continue to grow and learn from this life. Who knows where it will lead us!
Abbey
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)