Let’s Talk about Pregnancy: the good, the bad and the ugly!
This week I thought I’d make the topic fun and something that those of you who are not yet moms, and not even pregnant yet, can still participate in. Let’s talk about pregnancy!
Let’s hear the good, the bad and the ugly! What are your favorite and least favorite parts of pregnancy? What are some things that no one told you, that you wish you knew ahead of time?
For those of you trying for your first, what are some things you look forward to about being pregnant? What are you most afraid of?
Feel free to tell us some funny stories about trying to conceive or being pregnant! Remember this week is about the good, the bad, AND the ugly. Fess up, ladies!
-Feeling the first noticable movements.
-Hiccups! I loved when G got them, and when his heartrate was being monitored, I could hear them
-Watching him roll around and trying to guess which body part I was looking at.
-Ultrasounds. The 3D ultrasound especially. It was always fun trying to guess who he would look more like (painfully obvious that he was DH's clone).
-Pedicures/Massages. They never felt better (never needed them more
-Epidurals.
-The final result... a brand new, sweet face to stare at for hours on end. Small hands and feet to kiss at every opportunity. The sleepless nights, horrible smells, loads of laundry, and mixed emotions. All-in-all... the most amazing thing ever.
The Bad/Ugly:
-"Morning" sickness.
-Being oversensitive to smells.
-Heartburn.
-Insomnia.
-Having to pee every 5 minutes. Sit down just to get back up to go to the bathroom
-Getting up and down from any position.
-Relaxin... evil hormone. Things pop that should never pop, and it hurrrrrrrt!!!
-Pillows... 5+ pillows to get comfortable (all strategically placed) or one maternity pillow. Either way... hard to roll over with and even harder to get back in the right place after trips to the bathroom.
-Swelling. Goodbye cute shoes. Goodbye engagement/wedding rings.
-Stretch marks.
-Getting in and out of the bath tub.
-Contractions. Not going to lie, they sucked.
Feeling the baby move.
Anticipation
Special attention and favors.
Seeing the baby for the first time and knowing you would recognize him anywhere.
If you move while you are preg you don't have to do any of the hard work.
Bad:
Morning sickeness
swelling
stretched nerves
stairs
exhaustion
labor pains
broken water (i.e. a soaked rear end as you wander through the hospital)
bossy nurses
epidural (yes, I know it's on KK's good list)
frequent doc visits
sore breasts
no balance
no rollerblading/biking
it's very hard to hold/play a guitar with a big belly in the way
Feeling them move
Eating what you want cause you're supposed to get "fat"
Tender touches to the belly by hubby
Feeling soft(it's just something in your head)
Having a great excuse when you forget things ie Pregnancy Brain
Pushing, it really does feel better when you push
That squealing baby placed on your belly
The Bad:
Labor hurts, don't be fooled
Morning sickness
Back Ache
Swollen breasts(that's on hubby's "The Good" list!)
Edema
PreEclampsia
Not being able to breathe
Heartburn
Gall Stones(not all women but this woman got em)
Tender perinum area
Stitches
Not being able to go to the coast because the smell of fish makes you yack(again, not all but this one sure had it)
Honestly, physically I did not like being pregnant and I constantly worried, but other than that, mentally it was great. I was so happy and excited.
I LOVE the new pics of B!!!!
Just being pregnant
feeling K move
watching K move
buying all the cute baby stuff
finally getting to see my baby and wondering how she possible came from me
being able to eat whatever I wanted
seeing the u/s
Hearing the heartbeat (I always cried)
Hated:
swelling of the legs and ankles
BACK Labor
back pains through out pregnancy
pinched nerves
All in all I have to say that I have more likes than dislikes.
Feeling E move
picking out names
daydreaming about the sex, what s/he would look like, etc...
how wonderful ppl treated me
not having a stinkin period!!!!
having a good reason for eating like a pig and gaining weight
could get pissy and chalk it up to hormones
planning a baby shower
picking out baby clothes
seeing him on ultrasound
feel something sticking out on my belly and trying to figure out what body part it was
having a reason for my house to be messy
showing everyone his u/s pics
dreaming about how gorgeous and wonderful he will be
having very serious talks to my belly about things like sex, school, choices, drugs, dating, drinking, etc... to get all that out of the way early
Hated....
gaining so much weight
losing a twin
him using my bladder as a trampoline
peeing all the time
bleeding on and off for months
worrying about preterm labor
mood swings
insomnia
constipation
worrying when I didn't feel him move
trying to shave my massive legs with my massive belly sticking out
him being breech and early
trying to get in and out of my tiny car
seeing cute summer clothes in stores knowing it will be a long time, if ever, that I could squeeze back into clothes like that.
I was gassy, very gassy. I made like Larry the Cable Guy's grandmother and got the walking farts. Most of the time I didn't even know I had gas until it loudly excaped....in front of strangers. I couldn't force myself to blow a big one while I was alone but get me in a crowded waiting room and I sounded like a car backfiring.
My likes:
* feeling them move
* trying to figure out which body part I was seeing
* seeing them on the u/s
* I LOVED being pregnant
* being able to eat what I wanted
* being moody......to some people when they were rude to me it was fun!
* not having to lift heavy things when we moved
* Epidurals rock!
* not having a period!
Dislikes:
* having to get the epidural done twice with Brandon and three times with Marissa
* contractions! (although I didn't feel any with Marissa)
* heartburn (I had it 24/7 with all three)
* having to get up to pee all the time!
* needing help to get out of the bath tub
if I think of any more, then I will be back in here
"Scald all of your meat before you eat it."
"Only lay on your right side."
And the comments on your SIZE. Ugh!
I hated the back pain during pregnancy and the back labor during pregnancy. I had back labor with all three of them!
Feeling and seeing the movements
Preparing for their arrivals
Knowing I was creating life
Ultrasounds
Hearing the heartbeat
Talking/singing to them
Just being pg - Getting there wasn't easy, so I treasured it.
Making it to the hospital (#2)
The end result, my sweet little babies. Everything was so worth it.
Bad
People saying how small I was
Heartburn
Body aches
Vomiting during labor (#1)
Back labor (#1)
Super-speed intense labor (#2)
Being so afraid for their well being during labor - #1 with the cord around her neck making her heartrate drop. #2 also had the cord, but even worse had a BM inside and swallowed some of it. I didn't realize how bad that could have been until I read an article about a baby ending up in NICU because of it and heard from my mom about one who got pneumonia and died.
B's girl - Why did people say to only lay on your right side? That would have killed me. WHOA heartburn!!
On the other hand, the uglies......literally.......zits and dry skin all over my face, tired eyes because I don't sleep well, and hairy legs b/c I'm too lazy to shave.
The bads: getting up to pee during the night constantly, 24/7 nausea, major food aversions, exhaustion, painful boobs, constipation......FUN TIMES!
And good, making beautiful blankets for my girl!
Good :
-Just being blessed with a pregnancy. So many women struggle with this.
-My skin looked better when pregnant than ever before.
-For me, I liked how my body looked pregnant. I was kind of bummed to get rid of my pregnant body b/c then my stomach just looked fat instead of all tight and round.
-The daily excitement. I loved the movements, the chatter about what you'll have, the kicks and movements, the constant fun conversations w/ dh about names and the like, the anticipation....
-The hospital stay. Some hate it, but I thoroughly enjoyed staying in the hospital! It was really fun for me, and I can't wait to do that again! Visitors, new baby, someone caring for you 24/7... the good life.
-My husband's extra attention. He rubbed my belly and back, etc. a lot more often when I was pregnant. Not that he wouldn't now, but he really "felt" for me when I was carrying around our baby, and he was so sweet about it.
-Strangers' comments. I didn't mind them. I just saw them as nice people, happy to see a mommy who was excited about having her child.
-Maternity clothes. I thought it was fun/exciting to wear these clothes. However, it definitely got old, and I couldn't wait to get back into my regular clothes.
-Epidurals. Hallelujah.
-The "trying" phase. As long as it doesn't go on too long, it sure is fun and exciting.
-The "finding out". Talk about a memory. I love my story w/ my first baby, since my best friend found out the same day that she was pregnant too and due 1 day before me. We were so lucky. Not to mention EVERYONE is so happy and excited to hear the news. It's just fun!
Ok, the bad:
-My only TERRIBLE thing for this list... varicose veins. They were not in my legs. They were in my "region". They were only there during pregnancy, so thank the LORD they went away. My sister warned me b/c she had them too, and when I was describing my pain, she mentioned this. Sure enough, yep. I had them, and they were really painful. I mean REALLY painful. I could hardly stand up to teach. I had to teach while sitting down in my rolling chair many a day. The kids understood, though.
-Swelling. Toward the end, I swelled up a ton. I wore slippers to teach in for the last 5 or 6 weeks. Not one pair of shoes fit my feet.
-Recovery. I hope I'm luckier next time, but I tore completely, in every direction, with my son. My recovery time was worse than any part of the delivery, hands down.
-Sleeping. Toward the end, I did have trouble getting comfortable. But, it was never *that* bad.
Hmm, I'm having trouble coming up with anything negative other than this stuff. I really, really loved being pregnant, and I guess my memory of it is positive.
ETA: I never really had negative comments from strangers, so I guess that is why I didn't mind the ones I received. Shan, yours sound different! I know some people do go through that... how annoying.
I liked the fact of it being a surprise, so did my doctor.
I didn't mind the people with the nice comments, but the other people with the rude comments were the ones I wanted to jack slap. My wedding ring didn't fit while I was pregnant so I got quite a few rude comments about unwed mothers these days. Or because everyone thought I was under age (story of my life), my mom introduced me to one of her friends right after I had K and the lady says you can't be old enough to have a child you look 12.
I loved the fact I only gained 20lbs
I also loved the hospital stay (I was in for four days). I was kind of lost when I finally got home and I had to cook again.
I hated vomiting, having a fever, and having to take the antibiotics during labor. I also ripped clear to my other hole and the numbing meds didn't work while he was sewing me back up, that sucked!
Seeing a BFP HPT that was dark
I loved all the u/s's to see our miracle I was carrying
I loved hearing the heartbeat
The kicks (except towards the end...too painful), seeing my belly move
The big old belly that was not just "fat"
Being able to eat whatever I wanted and only gaining 8 lbs this last time
All the comfy clothes
Everyone wanting to do stuff for me and making me rest *loved nap time!*
Just making it full-term again!
I loved the hospital stay (staff was great)
Knowing when my baby was coming *planned c-section* with the spinal and great pain meds for recovery
Hearing Natalie's and Amy's cry when they came out of me
being blessed with two miracle daughters, especially after having 4 m/c's in between them
Getting to do another nursery in our new home and buying new baby stuff
Having another baby shower with my best friends
Have to agree about no AF's
Hated:
the sleeplessness I had once I was big
the 24/7 up peeing/snacking
knowing it was our last baby I was carrying
The recovery from tubal/c-section
all the soreness little Natalie and Amy caused during pregnancy
the stretch marks all the way between my legs
the infection I got this last time while in the hospital (staph all over my back,legs and belly).
The post-partum depression
all the tests I had to go through this last time
It took 6 yrs to finally get miracle baby #2 SO WORTH IT NOW!
Having AF back (but I am glad I am getting regular finally...I have PCOS and can go up to 4 months without one!)