That being said, pregnancy sucks. Women who tell you being pregnant is wonderful are either a) lying, b) have forgotten what it was like, or c) had a different experience from most of us.
Here are a list of early pregnancy joys that you may or may not be aware of. It is not for faint of heart, but is an honest list.
- Nausea. This can vary from light queasiness to feeling like you're going to vomit any second. It can last (and typically does) all day, come in waves, come and go, or strike you at random. Most of the natural remedies do not work. And if they do work, it's short lived. Can not be planned or planned around. You just never know when you'll have it or how bad it will be. And this makes gaining weight hard when food is just gross to you.
- Gagging. Random retching can be triggered by smells, tastes, sights, thoughts, bending, or seemingly nothing. It's also loud and scary sounding. Oh, and combination of this and nausea means you can't brush your teeth without great difficulty.
- Vomiting. Often caused by a combination of the previous 2 things. Does anyone enjoy vomiting? It's awful. Period. This can happen only occasionally or multiple times a day. Can strike at random, like when you get up from the couch to go to bed. The worst is when there's nothing in your stomach and you still vomit anyway. Stomach bile is awful. OH. And the WORST, peeing while you throw up.
- Sensitivity to smells. The kitchen and I are not friends. And the fridge and I are mortal enemies. I have also forbidden Devin from making anymore frozen pizzas. Or cooking meat. Going out to eat can either help with this, or make it worse. Then there are things like my own deodorant being almost too strong for me now. This is a hard one for Devin, because things smell fine to him.
- Mucus. More nose blowing, nose crusties, and thick spit. The latter can lead to vomiting.
- Dryness. My skin has never been this dry. Not in Utah, not in Nevada, not in the Winter. And this dryness also leads to blood in your nose.
- Acne. Already had this, and still have this.
- Sensitive gums. Your gums are more sensitive and prone to things like gingivitis and bleeding. Also, if you don't take care of them, this can lead to preterm labor. Only made worse by my aforementioned inability to brush my teeth.
- Peeing. You have to pee all the time, no matter how much you drink. And you leak. Ick.
- Constipation. Everything slows down from the relaxin. And some women get hemorrhoids. These 2 things do not mix.
- Gas. More gassing and burping. The burping lends itself to nausea/gagging/vomiting. The gassing smells so awful, no matter what you have or haven't eaten; and your sensitive nose only makes it worse to cope with. And it's embarrassing.
- Exhaustion. You're tired all the time, no matter how much you sleep and rest. And you have no energy to do anything for more than about 30 minutes.
- Pregnant Brain. All of the sudden, your brain is mush. I have an EXCELLENT memory, always have. Now I can't remember what someone told me, what I was thinking, where I put things, what I was doing, what I need to do, etc. I have forgotten things at home that I have even set out so that I remember to bring them (e.g. Temple bag, purse, insurance card).
- Hormones. Mostly I'm just less patient, less tolerant, and more easily upset. This means I'm more prone to crying and more prone to wanting to kill you. Trying to be mindful and in control of this is an adventure. Again, poor Devin.
- Exercise. This is only bad because you're supposed to be doing it; but when you feel like trash, you can't and then you worry about it. When you do try, you get so worn out you feel like you need to rest for 3 days to recover.
- Leg pain. My most recent complaint. I have to wake up and rotate from side to side when sleeping because my bottom leg starts to hurt/feel numb.
You are cracking me up!!! These are ALL true. And yes, they aren't fun. I hope some of these symptoms ease up for you!
ReplyDeleteEvery time I run a race when I'm standing at the starting line I think the exact same thing, "what am I doing? I actually hate running! Why am I here?" and at the end when people ask me how it was I say, 'great!" It's the same thing with pregnancy...(sorry to say the worst is yet to come) but when you look back you will just remember what it was like to feel those little kicks...how you felt when you heard the first heart beat, or when you saw your lil' one on a sonogram. It's an amazing journey! Hang in there, girl!
ReplyDeleteWell, I agree with you about all of it during the first trimester. My symptoms eased up in a lot of areas in my second and most of my third. For some reason, your first pregnancy, your bladder just can't handle the pressure of shared space. That was one thing that wasn't so bad with later pregnancies.
ReplyDeleteYou also reminded me of something my mom would tell me. 'No one would have more than one child if the truly remembered how hard labor and delivery was. They have to forget in order to put themselves through it more than once.'