Oct 13 2009

Pregnancy: Likes and Dislikes

Posted in All Posts, Everyday Life, Misc., Pregnancy Life, Pregnant

The past few weeks have been great as I have been inching my way towards the third trimester in my pregnancy.  I’m now far enough away from the days of morning sickness that it’s easy to forget just how awful I felt all the time.  On the other hand, I’m getting big enough that I’m starting to feel uncomfortable.  

So I figure that now would be a good time (since I can still still walk without waddling and get up without help) to write what I like about being pregnant:  

  • Not having to suck in my stomach – it’s so liberating to not have to worry about my stomach sticking out after a particularly large meal or when wearing a clingy shirt.  
  • Eating what I want – I realize that pregnancy doesn’t give me a license to abandon all reason when it comes to food, but I admit that I’ve been indulging in foods that I haven’t eaten in over a year, such as dairy products and wheat.  And man they taste good.
  • Feeling the baby move - this has become my favorite nightly ritual: lie in bed and wait.  Within a minute or two there’s usually a soft kick against my hand.  I love that feeling – it’s absolutely amazing.
  • Letting myself go – okay, it isn’t as bad as it sounds.  But some days, the ones where I’m feeling a bit more tired than others, I find that I just don’t care as much if my make up isn’t perfect and my hair is a bit frizzy.  In the grand scheme of things, it just doesn’t seem to matter.  And believe it or not, even though I’m heavier than I’ve been in a long time, I feel strangely okay with it.  But don’t get me wrong – I’m looking forward to the day that I can return to my regular beauty treatments and hard workouts.  It’s just that for right now, today isn’t that day.  
  • Feeling happy – Every once in a while some moment of irrational irritability kicks in, but for the most part, I feel really happy.  I mean really happy.  Sometimes I catch myself thinking how much I love my husband and our life together and what our future holds and I just sit there and smile.  

So that’s my list of things that I like about being pregnant.  It seems rather short but it encompasses a lot really, and I wanted to write it down before it started to change.  You know, before I hit that point where I realize that I’m ready to have this baby NOW and that being pregnant is overrated.  

Actually, now that I think about it, I’m probably not too far away from that point right now.  In fact, I think I’ll make a list of pregnancy side effects that I could do without.  Just for the sake of being fair:

  • Incontinence – I remember the first time (about two weeks ago) that I sneezed and immediately had to run to the bathroom.  Unfortunately, it hasn’t gotten much better since.  
  • Insomnia – This is an area that I’ve never struggled with and that now seems to be my nightly curse.  I often lie in bed for at least a half hour to an hour with my mind racing.  And during that time, I have to get up to go to the bathroom at least once.  Which brings me to…
  • Peeing – There’s no other way to say it really.  It’s at least every half an hour sometimes, which isn’t so bad unless you’ve finally fallen asleep and the need to go wakes you up.
  • Sitting up straight – Just this week I’ve noticed that I have a hard time sitting in certain seats.  I feel like everything is squished together when I sit down and I swear I can feel the baby pushing my stomach into my chest.  Makes it a little difficult to sit and watch a movie with the CPA.  
  • Not just double, triple – Chins, that is.  The worst part of gaining weight is that I tend to gain it everywhere.  I’m not one of those cute, basketball-stomach pregnant women.  Nope, my weight is evenly distributed which means that not only is my stomach getting bigger, but so is my face, my arms, my feet – you get the idea.  I am an equal opportunity weight gainer.    

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?  There’s more I could add such as being tired and hungry and having my clothes constantly not fit, but I won’t go there.  Because when all is said and done, I love being pregnant.  I really do.  Granted, I don’t want to do it for 50 weeks because 40 will be plenty, but I love it because of the end result.  And isn’t that what it’s all about?

What were (are) your likes/dislikes about being pregnant?

Share/Save/Bookmark

Tags: ,

24 comments

link to this post
email a friend
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is - October 13, 2009 - 5:03 am

I am excited about the first 2 ‘likes.’ :)

Kristy - October 13, 2009 - 5:14 am

I like: feeling the baby move, being early pregnant and carrying that secret, my husband’s reaction to feeling the baby (it varies from delight to disgust because it reminds him of the movie Alien), and, of course holding that new baby!

Dislike: frequent Braxton Hicks contractions, back and hip pain (though those have been minimal this time–YAY), exhaustion, and heartburn.

Cynthia - October 13, 2009 - 7:14 am

I love your blog! I am 38 weeks pregnant and share many of the same likes and dislikes :)

I like: feeling the baby move around and seeing the baby move. I love sharing this with my husband, when he feels her kick it makes me smile. I too find myself very happy, although I have had a very good pregnancy!

I dislike: the many many trips to the bathroom (she has been head down for a long time)!, the Braxton Hick contractions and back pain associated.

Good luck as you venture into your 3rd trimester, enjoy your pregnancy and your baby belly!!

joy - October 13, 2009 - 7:25 am

I definitely like being pampered by my husband — frequent back and foot rubs! Also, he’s been great about catering to my cravings when he can. I also love the fact how much my husband loves my pregnant body even though I may not have the perfect pregnant body. I love feeling the baby move and kick and feeling the baby grow along with my body. Oh, I also love how full and big my boobs ;) get.

As far as things I dislike… heartburn (ugh a thousand times over); incontinence (gets worse with each pregnancy and especially if you are sick and pregnant – break out the Depends!); after the baby is born and all the extra hair on your head start falling out like you’re going bald but not really; sore hips from sleeping on one side or another; not being able to sleep on my stomach or back; and being slow and out of breath at the end.

But despite all the dislikes, seeing the baby for the first time after giving birth is the best part of all. I still remember seeing my first son the first time after I gave birth to him. I cried so much. Such a beautiful sight!

Sabrina - October 13, 2009 - 7:32 am

I LOVED feeling the baby move!! One thing that I didn’t like(and there were a few) was that my feet got bigger each time and they were already huge. Started out wearing size 8 1/2 to 9 and after two pregnancies, it’s 10 all the way. sigh. :-)

Sarah @ BecomingSarah.com - October 13, 2009 - 7:32 am

To be honest, I loved almost everything about being pregnant. I didn’t like the last couple weeks – at that point, I was uncomfortable and I really felt like everything should have existed at counter-level because bending down to get a pot out of a cabinet was way more difficult than it should be and washing dishes became a course in acrobatics. But everything else I loved.

If you like feeling the baby move, something that the doctor in the ER (we went in for an advanced bladder infection) told me was that if I laid in a dark, still environment and then had something sweet, the baby would kick more. SO TRUE. It could be a soda or a piece of fruit. That became my nightly ritual. While Donald locked up the house, I’d have a couple slices of apple and cheese, turn off the lights, and wait. A few minutes later, just as he was crawling in bed, the baby would start kicking up a storm =)

Mindee@ourfrontdoor - October 13, 2009 - 7:35 am

I just can’t tell you how delighted I am to hear that someone else out there has the whole body pregnancy thing. I swear that every inch of me was pg. I have more stretch marks on my legs than I do on my stomach.

So glad that you are loving this experience. :)

Janet - October 13, 2009 - 8:35 am

Try reciting the alphabet in random order in your head without repeating a letter. This will put you to sleep faster than you can imagine! Worked for me during pregnancy and works on those rare nights when I cannot find sleep.

Love your list of likes!

You are the Perfect pregnant wife!

Smooches,

J

erin - October 13, 2009 - 8:54 am

Lucky Sarah. I was NOT one of those women who enjoyed being pregnant. Mostly I did not enjoy it. I did not like being out of proportion and not fitting into my favorite clothes or how difficult it was to get in and out of the car or how my tailbone hurt. I could go on, but I won’t. :)

I DID love feeling the baby move, and even though I didn’t love my pregnant body, I ADORED my pregnant belly. Kind of like how now, I don’t really love my nursing boobs, but I love nursing. I also loved how kind and happy people were, even just strangers. There are always those people who want to tell you their horror stories, but mostly people were just more than eager to help me get something from the top shelf of the grocery store, or open the door for me, or to tell me congratulations and how much I would love being a parent. Babies (outside the womb and inside) bring out a lot of strangeness in people, but they also bring out a lot of good.

the domestic fringe - October 13, 2009 - 9:41 am

I hated heartburn! I loved that in work, people felt compelled to bring me snacks. ;-)

Glad you’re enjoying so much about your pregnancy. The things you hate will all go away soon enough…that’s the good part. ;-) We don’t have to keep triple chins forever. Just enjoy them while you have a good excuse.

-FringeGirl

Tamara - October 13, 2009 - 1:42 pm

The kicking is TOTALLY my favorite part! It’s like the only real way to connect with the baby before it is born.
I also love how good food tastes. Yum.
Oh, and I’m totally with you with the not having to suck it in!

I hated morning sickness. I got it really bad with my third. ugh.
Did not care for the getting bigger but no belly yet. I felt like I needed to tell every stranger on the street that I didn’t eat too many doughnuts, but was in fact pregnant!
Worst two of all though, is the horrible drink they make you drink for the blood glucose test, and having to have a full bladder for an ultra-sound!

The Wife of Odie - October 13, 2009 - 1:53 pm

So far I like being able to wear pants with elastic. Why would I ever go back to a button? I don’t like peeing so much or feeling fat. Yuck.

Deborah - October 13, 2009 - 2:46 pm

That is so cool. I love the idea of being pregnant and though I haven’t been pregnant yet, I look forward to it. All the pros and cons. Very fun to read blog!

Dustin | Engaged Marriage - October 13, 2009 - 3:27 pm

I love it! My wife has been pregnant twice, and we are hoping for a third time soon. I can say from the husband’s perspective that your point about being able to eat whatever you like is dangerous! I put on plenty of sympathy weight (more like “sweet, Chinese food again!” weight) with both pregnancies.

It is a very magical time in a marriage!

Hillary - October 13, 2009 - 4:27 pm

I dislike, dislike, dislike not drinking caffeine. i miss it. i wish i wasn’t pregnant around the time that pumpkin and gingerbread lattes are advertised all over the place.

i like, like, like that i can carry the babies wherever i go – i always know that they are safe and sound. not so in a few months…years…now i see why moms have such a hard time letting go!

Cari - October 14, 2009 - 2:04 pm

this is my second pregnancy (not counting a miscarriage) so I am happy for any symptoms almost. Oddly I have serious food aversions this time.. NO chicken, at all! And chinese food? AGH! Smells bothering me even more now. A friend thinks I will have a girl b/c of that.. we’ll see. Not sure how accurate the chinese gender predictor online is. I am 9 weeks along and have insomnia, trouble breathing (like shallow breaths if i do my usual walking..) and it is freaking me out. Also nausea but threw up only 2 times- the 6 week and 8 week mark exactly. How weird! After 12 weeks I hope it subsides. Just NO energy this time around and it’s only been 2 years since I had my little boy.

Tabitha Blue - October 14, 2009 - 5:16 pm

Oh Tabitha, bless you my dear. And I’m with you on almost every single one of those!!! :)
.-= Tabitha Blue´s last blog ..Coming Home to Some Sugar =-.

WJKIII - October 14, 2009 - 9:11 pm

Love the honesty in this post (not that your others aren’t honest). Keep plugging along. You’ll be hating it soon enough. I can hear “get this thing out of me” on about week 36 coming on. :)

Robynn's Ravings - October 14, 2009 - 10:55 pm

I loved the thought of the baby and the kicking – LOVED IT! But I didn’t care for the constant attempt by Japanese fishing crews to harpoon me each time I loomed into view. Thanks for saving me, Greenpeace!!
.-= Robynn’s Ravings´s last blog ..For You, Janine =-.

admin - October 15, 2009 - 4:15 am

Your comments made me smile and I’m glad I’m not the only one feeling this way. They also made me remember several things that I left out such as the back aches and heartburn! But that’s okay, it’ll all be worth it! :)

Sam - October 15, 2009 - 11:50 am

I’m with you…I love being able to eat things I would not normally let myself have and not having to suck it in for THAT pair of pants or shirt. I also really love feeling Ella Carmen kick and move around. I am definitely forming a special bond with her by talking to her so much as she moves around. I can’t wait to scoop her up and smell the top of her head and eat her up!

I’m not crazy about the heartburn (thank you Pepcid!) or the pinched nerve at my tail bone. I’m not crazy about the beetle on it’s back feeling that is really starting to win when I try to sit up or get out of a small car. I’m also afraid of not knowing what labor and delivery is really like…I’ve heard it kind of hurts!

Right now at 32 weeks, pregnancy is still very enjoyable. I definitely look pregnant and people are nicer about carrying my stuff and opening doors. I’m not too uncomfortable yet. But, it’s starting…the anxiety over getting things finished, making sub plans for school, the uncomfortable squished feeling, finding a pediatrician and daycare, birthing classes…I could keep going!
.-= Sam´s last blog ..Duke vs. UNC – A comparison between hospitals. =-.

Making my Mark - October 17, 2009 - 9:22 am

I’m glad you’re journaling your feelings. I love going back and reading what my mom wrote in my diary and baby book :) .
.-= Making my Mark´s last blog .. =-.

Heidi - October 18, 2009 - 8:58 pm

Your “feeling happy” agenda item made me smile. I often feel out of the loop reading other women’s blogs, because most of the blogs I read are written by pregnant women or moms. I don’t know why that is, but there’s always at least one thing I can relate to and your #5 item was it.

Eryn - October 20, 2009 - 2:34 pm

My favorite thing about being pregnant is just the feeling of being so blessed and chosen and special to have the privilege of carrying a new person and bringing them into the world.

That being said, I am TERRIBLE at being pregnant. I mean, if it can go wrong, with me, it will. Because of that, in the last 2 months of my most recent pregnancy, I became certain that I would not want to have any more children.

That feeling faded fast the first time I held my brand new, sweet baby girl. :)

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

*

*

There was an error submitting your comment. Please try again.

CommentLuv badge

© 2012 From Single To Married to Baby | ProPhoto3 Blog by NetRivet, Inc

B l o g r o l l
C a t e g o r i e s
M y   B u t t o n
R e t u r n   H O M E