Sunday, June 26, 2011

lessons learned during pregnancy

After 22 weeks, here's what I've learned so far about being pregnant ...

You have limits.  There really have been moments when I've had to sit down because I felt like I might pass out.  There really was an exceptional amount of exhaustion that I experienced in my first 10 or so weeks.  There are limits, but it's also important not to be 'that' pregnant girl ... you know what I mean.

Eating is challenging.  Well, certainly not the eating part, but other parts.  I've learned in the past few weeks that filling myself up at a meal is NOT a good idea.  Your stomach already feels big and the feeling of being full is not fun at all.  It honestly feels like you're about to pop.  You're really only supposed to have around 100-300 more calories a day when pregnant, so I don't feel like my eating habits have changed a whole lot.  Sure, I'd like to have ice cream after dinner every night, but it certainly doesn't happen that way.  I do always have a snack in between lunch and dinner, which is very helpful.  So, figuring out my whole eating schedule and what would make me feel the best was tricky, but I feel like I've finally got a handle on it.

Sneezing, coughing, and laughing can be interesting.  Preparation is key.

People offer unbridled opinions about your appearance and immediately compare you to their own experience.  When else does a person do this?  Never!  Well, a nice person doesn't.  "I've lost 10 pounds!"  "Well, when I lost 10 pounds, I looked a lot better than you!"  Yeah, that's rude and people don't do that.  Why pregnancy is any different boggles my mind.  I received so many comments about how I'm not that big, I don't even look pregnant, and I definitely don't look as pregnant as so-and-so who is not as far along as I am.  I finally decided on this as my response:  "Well, I'm 5'9."  When you're tall, life is different and I suppose babies fall into that category.  I don't wear heels and my baby doesn't show until later.  Just the facts of life, people.  And, regardless, every mom and baby are different so nobody should ever be compared to anyone else.  In summary, there is one thing you should say to a pregnant woman: "You look great!"  The picture below explains my feeling exactly.  My wonderful friend, Reese, found it and I wouldn't mind having one or two or twenty of these.


And lastly, I love it.  I love being pregnant.  It's pretty much been a breeze for me so far.  I had the occasional symptoms that were  inevitable during those first several weeks, but nothing crazy.  It has been very enjoyable and I have loved knowing that I am carrying our son.  He is moving like crazy and it is one of the most precious things I've ever experienced.

I'm sure I'll be adding to this list at some point, so stay tuned!  And women who have been/are pregnant, what are some funny/interesting/annoying things you learned during your pregnancy?

3 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed your post. Especially the quote on the boy's shirt :)

    I'm pregnant too, 15 weeks. I am happy to have found your blog. looking forward to learn more things from you about pregnancy coz i'm total new to this.

    Best wishes
    Mona Lisa

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