I've found that each week I learn something new about pregnancy. And you know what makes it all so great and wonderful (sarcastically speaking) is that no one warned me about so many of these things. Or maybe they did, but I had it in my naive little head that I was going to be one of those women that had a problem-free, vacation-like pregnancy. Oh little child. Here are some of my more recent discoveries:
1. You will read something somewhere that tells you something "wonderful" you can look forward to about pregnancy...and you will experience the complete opposite.
Today! |
Perhaps I'm making too big a deal of this. But now that I'm faced with the possibility of losing my curly hair forever, I feel a true sense of loss. Sigh. I suppose I just need to learn how to handle straight hair now. I still secretly have a plan to sneak out the curls by putting mousse in my damp hair in the morning, and then diffusing it. If that doesn't work.... I may shed a tear or two, but then it will be time to be a grown up and move on.
2. Women that choose to wear regular bras during pregnancy have my utmost confusion. (I apologize to any male readers out there for my candidness, but I'm just beyond some things now.) Regular bras are not comfortable. They're hardly comfortable when you're not pregnant, much less when you are. Sports bras are either too tight or offer no support. I have found that the only option that has kept me from bawling my eyes out on a daily basis is the "grow-with-you" nursing bras. I ordered them online (because the nursing bras in the store aren't big enough AND make the assumption that you will stay the same size--LIES!) and the day they arrived was a joyous day indeed.
3. The inability to stay full is a real thing. I cannot recall a time in my life where I needed to eat quite so frequently. Now, I am not of the group that feels hungry all day, every day. However, I have had a couple days where every hour and a half, my stomach started growling again and again and again. Back in my former life, I wasn't much of a snacker. I learned a while back that my downfall in terms of weight management is snacking. More often than not, whenever I snacked, it had far less to do with hunger and a lot to do with, "Mmm.. that sounds delicious!" Thus, I refrained from snacking. Or if I did snack, it was only when I knew for certain I was actually hungry. Now, however, I pretty much have to snack in between all my meals. If my stomach starts growling and I don't get ahold of some food pretty quickly, my gag reflex gets a bit out of hand and I instantly regret my hesitation to acquire some food. So far my snacks of choice are oranges, chips and salsa, or colby jack cheese.
4. I am completely incapable of sleeping through the night. I have to take a potty break at least once each night, but that's fairly minor at this point. I just wake up sporadically throughout the night, typically to adjust my sleeping position. If I don't sleep with a body pillow between my legs, I wake up because my back and hips hurt. If I do sleep with the body pillow, I have to move it back and forth as I switch sides during the night. It turns out I'm much more of a back-sleeper than I realized, so I often end up on my back and then I wake up because it's not all that comfortable for long periods of time. I've been able to go back to sleep pretty quickly so far, so here's to hoping that continues. And what worries me the most is that, from what I've heard, this isn't going to get any better.
5. Second trimester does not always mean ample energy. I waited for this supposed wave of energy to hit me. It never did. I occasionally get a sudden urge to clean the kitchen or living room, but I think that's fairly normal once the house gets a bit messy. I haven't been setting up the nursery or constantly moving or incessantly cleaning the house. I've still been tired every afternoon and I don't move as quickly (...which is something my husband pointed out to me. I used to be a pretty fast walker... not anymore!). However, I'm grateful the nausea/vomiting went away this trimester, so the burst of energy is completely second fiddle.
And that's that. It's past my bedtime. My puppies are on my sleeping schedule and they fell asleep a while ago, if that tells you anything. Hah. :) Tomorrow morning I have some laundry to fold (it seems like that's always the case, doesn't it?) and some homemade biscuits to eat.
Oh so many things they don't warn you about in regard to pregnancy and child birth. I could write a book. :P Sorry the hair things hasn't worked out for you. And the burst of energy. Pregnancy is fun! {sarcasm}. But the end result is usually worth it…yes, even when the end result has me up in the middle of the night nursing. Love you, Cass.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I absolutely love it when someone like you, who's endured three pregnancies in less than five years, one of which was a double-whammy, says that it's all worth it! Even through more sleepless nights! :) Besides, I can always think about how great it is that I never have to worry about that "I-just-ate-a-big-meal" look since my stomach is already sticking out. And little baby kicks are pretty fun at this point. :) Hope you're finding time to sneak in some extra sleep! Love you too!
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