What I learned about being pregnant: If you are not actively bleeding or have a fever, it's normal for being pregnant and it is amazing what you can get used to.
As I look back on the last 9 months, I find that I am glad I did it, I will do it again, but I am sure glad it is done. Being pregnant is hard work.
-First Trimester: I found out by feeling like I was going to pass out because I had no blood pressure, then I slept for the next 3 months and forgot how to eat. I don't really remember a whole lot, just being really, really tired and my sweet husband having to find ways to make me eat.
Part no one tells you about: How much energy a 1 oz being needs. I mean- holy cow!
-Second Trimester: This was my favorite time of being pregnant. I wasn't showing yet, but my boobs came in. My appetite came back with a vengence, I had energy, and I could feel the little guy move. The rough part was all the hormonal weird body changes that occur with pregnancy. I realize now that no one tells you all the weird stuff your body is going to do because no one remembers it starting- by the time third trimester rolls around you are used to it and more crazy stuff is starting.
Part no one tells you about: the leaking, the bloody noses, the strange smells, the way other people will act toward you once they find out you're pregnant, how much your body image is going to change (and the emotional side of that) and how much it is all going to keep changing...
-Third Trimester: I had no idea how huge I would get. I would catch my reflection in mirrors and windows and startle with how gigantic I was. And then I would grow some more. I got new weird symptoms (like more leaking and swelling) in addition to the ones I had gotten used to. I now understood why no one had mentioned the second trimester stuff- it was all "normal" to me now and I had more uncomfortable stuff now. I could feel my hips spreading as he worked his way down. The jokes about pregnant women having to pee all the time are totally accurate. I also was so scatter-brained due to the hormones. It is a cruel joke that nesting and pregnancy-brain occur at the same time. I organized my whole house and now have no idea where I put things. (I lost my house keys for a month). It was stressful waiting for the little guy. The weekly doctors' appointments, the scheduling of things, contractions, having a stomach that wanted a full meal but could only handle a half meal, the constant kicking, the uncomfortableness. I couldn't put on my underwear I was so big- I would pull up my knee to get the second leg in and it would hit my stomach. I had to do this weird frog-leg motion so that I could get dressed, shave my legs, and step up on things. I did squats to tie my shoes (slip ons were pretty much all I would wear because my feet were so swollen and I didn't have to bend over) and I would run into walls with my stomach because I had to body position sense as to how big I was. I couldn't hug my husband, nightly heartburn, and I would get so winded going up a flight of stairs since my lungs had no room. The word to describe the third trimester is uncomfortable. I was so glad when it came time for labor because I knew all the pregnancy symptoms would disappear.
Part no one tells you: Just how freaking uncomfortable it is! Find out when your inducement date would be from your doctor (most let you go for about a week after your due date) Use that date instead of your due date as the day you will no longer be pregnant. It will keep you sane knowing that all of the unpleasantness will be done by that date.
-Labor: Oh boy was I unprepared for this. I mean, I had read the book, talked to my doctor, talked to my mom, heard the stories, and thought I was ready. You can't be ready for this. It was the most painful thing I have ever done, the most magical, the physically hardest thing I have done, and the most stressful. I am still really hoping that they come up with Star Trek transporter technology by the time I have my next one, because I am not so sure I want to do that again.
Part no one tells you about: How much each contraction hurts- I thought it was just the pushing that hurt (like in TV) HELL NO! The contractions hurt like crazy, and although they only last a minute, they just keep coming. And coming. And coming. I cried tears of joy when the nurse told me I could have my epidural. And the thing that really caught me off guard- the shaking/shivering. I started shaking like a leaf in the wind once I got in the hospital bed and I wasn't cold or scared. (Alright, I was a little scared) The doctor said it was the surge of hormones I was feeling. I shook while I got my epidural, and then when I finally hit 10 cm and got to start pushing, and then when we finished and the placenta was out. Apparently, normal, but a strange sensation. Oh, and the idea that once you get the head out the baby just kind of "slides out"- complete nonsense. Those shoulders took a big push. That placenta took a push too. It wasn't as big as the head push, but it wasn't something I could do in my sleep either.
-After labor: I got my baby. Every mom says it, "It's all worth it once you have your baby" and they are cliched but true. I had trouble giving him to the nurses so I could sleep- if I could have stayed awake and stared at him all night I would have. I just wanted to hold him and love him from the moment I saw him.
Part no one tells you about: How messy this process is. I literally spurted blood across the room. I soaked and adult diaper with blood. Twice. I sweated like crazy. I was glad the hospital gave me gowns, pads, and clean sheets because I sure made a mess. Also, this part hurts too. I was glad I could have percocet and ibuprofen. I am also glad I got stool softeners and drank a lot of water.
I am so glad I have my little Tater Tot. He is perfect and wonderful. His first cries gave me tears of joy. I would do this again for him. I was an amazing experience and I learned a lot about myself. (Cliche I know, but true) I know my pregnancy served as amazing birth control for many of my friends, and it honestly has given me a greater respect for it and women's health care. At least I know what to expect (at least a little) with the next one!
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