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Monday, September 17, 2012

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!

6 comments:

  1. I would have to say that my own pregnancy, from what I remember, was pretty uneventful as well. My main symptom was indigestion. As for breasts I had cleavage for the first time in my life. It was great!

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  2. I was completely exhausted my first trimester, and got some of my mojo back in T2. But then the back ache began... aggh.

    I used to carry around "bars" like lara bars and other high protein brands. We called them "b!tch bars" because if I was hungry, and had no food... well... things could get dire for those around me.

    The reason pregnant women can smell so well is so they can detect more easily if food is spoiled or bad, and won't eat it (it's a primal thing). If anyone on the entire floor of the huge building I work in was eating tuna - I knew it.

    I consider myself pretty lucky too - I had a high risk pregnancy, but other than a few trips to the ER (lost my balance resulting in a rolled ankle and bruised hip - neither of which were even looked at in the hospital, it was all about monitoring the baby), I didn't have a bad experience.

    The c-section aftermath I could have done without though.

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  3. Constipation was my most severe symptom through my pregnancy! It never passed and it left me with a beautiful hemorrhoid as a present, lol!

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  4. Gap maternity is the best! I got lucky too and inherited 3 bags of clothes from one of the partners at my firm . . . including suits. Major score. It makes me happy that you were able to run through your entire pregnancy - I'm trying to hang on for these last couple of weeks and I think I can do it too! I have to say that at this point, I'm most annoyed about getting up a million times a night to pee. Talk about annoying.

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  5. I can't believe Thatbaby is almost 1! It's been fun seeing how much he's grown this year!

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  6. If you are to experience any kind of pain during and after pregnancy, there are plenty of treatments offered at the Synergy Institute which you might wish to check out.

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