Mommy Mondays: Pregnancy, The Rundown

As we are nearing Thatbaby's first birthday, I've been thinking back to what was going on this time last year, when I was ever-so-pregnant.  I got really lucky with my pregnancy - it was incredibly easy.  I had hardly any of the typical "pregnancy symptoms."  No morning sickness, no cravings, no weird food aversions, no fatigue.  In fact, when I was 39 weeks pregnant and showing no signs of baby making an exit, I joked that my biggest problem was that my body didn't know it was pregnant!

A little view of what my pregnancy did entail:

* Insomnia - I wasn't expecting this one at all.  I'd heard that pregnant women are tired all the time.  I was exactly the opposite.  I couldn't sleep at all.  It was awful.  Tossing, turning, restless, I couldn't fall asleep, I couldn't stay asleep.  And while this alone should have made me tired during the day, I'd wake up feeling as though I had thrown back 4-5 shots of espresso.  It lasted alllll the way through till the baby was born.  The best sleep I got was the first 5 months of Thatbaby's life.

* Constipation - Maybe my first, and most frustrating symptom.  It lasted for probably a month, no matter what I did.  And, like many other pregnancy symptoms, this one disappeared just as quickly as it came and I was back to my regular ole self.

* Breast changes - I was expecting a little more of this.  The insomnia, constipation, and breast increase were my first pregnancy symptoms, showing up before I even knew I was pregnant.  In fact, I remember vividly being in Phoenix for the Rock n Roll Half Marathon and Thatboy commenting that none of my bras seemed to fit and I had better go shopping.  When I got the positive test back, it all made sense.  I went up one cup size and one band size during the first 2 months of pregnancy.  I picked up a couple of cheap bras from Victoria Secret, expecting to have to replace them as the pregnancy went on.  I didn't.  My breasts never got any bigger during the pregnancy.  And I never leaked.  Nevertheless, after my milk came in 3 days after Thatbaby was born, I went up an additional 3 cup sizes.

* Super Sniffer - I have no idea why pregnancy comes with an increased sense of smell.  It's completely unnecessary, and completely awful.  People do not bathe nearly as much as you would think.  And while Thatboy and I were house hunting, I actually had to leave a home because they had so many candles/potpourri/scents going on that I thought I might pass out!  This became less noticeable around the third trimester.

*Extreme Hunger - This didn't hit for me until the second trimester.  But when it did, it hit hard.  A desperate need to eat, at that exact moment.  I had to carry food around with me.  This also waxed and waned, sometimes being more apparent than other times.

*The bladder - I gained a new appreciation for my husband during my pregnancy.  See, Thatboy has always had a very small bladder.  Making car trips take much longer for frequent stops.  Well during my pregnancy it wasn't just Thatboy we were stopping for.  I became very well acquainted with restrooms in just about every store, airplane, and restaurant we frequented.

*Weight gain - As someone who has always struggled with weight, I was a little nervous about this one.  Anyone with a history of an eating disorder will tell you that gaining weight sets off that little beeper in the back of your head which can cause irrational thoughts.  I gained 2lbs during the first trimester and 18lbs over the next two.  I managed to only gain weight every other month, so one month I'd gain 0lbs, the next month would be 4-6lbs.   I mentioned having a lucky pregnancy, but I had a lucky after pregnancy too.  I lost all the weight I gained within my first week home, and then kept losing.  I credit that all to breastfeeding.

Other than that, life went on as normal.  I managed to keep running through the entire pregnancy, including the day I ended up getting sent in for an induction.  I just ran much, much, slower.  And I made it through the pregnancy without having to buy too much maternity-wear.  (BTW I highly recommend Gap Maternity for maternity work-wear)  We're not planning on another addition any time soon, but I do hope that the next time around I get just as lucky!