I guess it's better and more responsible to have 19 kids than to allow a teenage rape victim to have access to safe abortion facilities? People continue to astound me, and I won't even go into the debacle that is this debate in many states right now (Texas, KANSAS, NC....). Given that a lot of this blog is dedicated to my future son, ranting about abortion laws may not seem quite kosher, but I've not changed my opinions since pregnant, so I'll rant away!
Anyway, with labor imminent (though not too imminent, I hope), I thought I'd take a few minutes to record my thoughts about pregnancy before the pain of childbirth makes me romanticize these past 7 months. To be fair, I've had a remarkably drama-free, easy pregnancy. Given that it took Christopher betting me $100 that I was pregnant to actually take a test at about 2 months, I clearly wasn't in the throes of morning sickness. Now, while I did just stare at the wall for a solid hour after taking that first test (followed by 4 additional tests, just in case the Safeway brand was crap or I was a medical anomaly) thinking about how my life/our lives were unexpectedly going to change dramatically, I'd say we both took the surprising news very well.
I've given quite a lot of thought to what has been the most surprising to me about pregnancy, what has been the most challenging, the best parts of the whole process, etc., and my thoughts are, in no particular order (pretty boring post, I know, but this one's more for me than anyone!)...I've been surprised by how natural pregnancy feels, to be honest. I don't mean that in a starry-eyed, "I was meant to be a mother" way, just that pregnancy always seemed like a very physically cumbersome, awkward thing to me, from the outside. Don't get me wrong - I am VERY awkward and, as anyone who's seen me get up from a chair or walk, for that matter, can attest, I am a clumsy mofo right now. But I guess I've been surprised at how natural it has felt to adjust to these changes. I honestly thought it would be far more difficult for me to mentally wrap my mind around my body changing so much so quickly, but it hasn't bothered me at all. In fact, I'll miss having a place to rest my dinner when the massive belly is gone!
Most challenging aspects? Again, I've been pretty lucky physically, but the pregnancy side effects that have been the most difficult to deal with have been the back pain and the fatigue. Back pain is hardly a surprise, given my genes, but it makes sitting for ANY amount of time over 20 minutes very uncomfortable, and once I'm on my feet, it can make standing in one place quite painful, too. So I'm in a kind of constant shuffle, trying to find a better position. Fatigue? Let's face it, I wasn't exactly a party animal before the pregnancy, but with the exception of some extra energy during the second trimester, I've definitely become even more of a wimp. Of course, as anyone who has been pregnant or has lived with a pregnant woman knows, just because we may be more tired and fall asleep easier doesn't mean we stay asleep. Ah, well, the body preparing you for the extreme fatigue of newborn care :).
Other challenges? I've not had too much swelling, zero heartburn (for which I am very grateful), my skin itchiness went away (thank goodness), and I've been able to keep my weight gain in check. He's been a pretty consistent kicker, which can be distracting at times, but that's endearing more than anything, and I've been lucky in that I've been able to continue running throughout the pregnancy. I'm not exactly on track to beat my half-marathon PR, and I don't even want to know how gimpy I look when I'm rocking my 10-minute miles. It's also amazing how a 3-mile slooooow run/fast walk feels more exhausting now than 10-mile runs used to, but at the end of the day, I've been able to keep doing something I enjoy, and I hope (! fingers crossed!) having kept active will make labor smoother....
I've not had any crazy cravings, though I have discovered a pretty intense affinity for Snickers (thanks, Barbie) and mozzarella sticks (though I've limited myself with those). My usual rabid sweet tooth has been somewhat tempered during this pregnancy, which may partially explain why I haven't ballooned a la Kim Kardashian or Jessica Simpson. My main aversion has been to hot drinks. I did get over the nausea the taste or smell of coffee initially caused for me, and I still drink one cup of coffee a day, but I can't stomach tea. At all.
I'll definitely miss being pregnant - parts of it - at the end of the day. I'll miss knowing that Sparky's with me 24/7 (it's like my own, built-in traveling companion), I'll miss feeling him kick and move around, I'll miss knowing that, if I'm feeling really tired or sore, it's OKAY to take a breather, to rest. I'm not saying I want to be pregnant for another 9 months, but there are also certain...allowances that are made for pregnant women that are really quite nice. I do live in DC, so I do still run into assholes, and not everyone is polite to me, BUT more people are friendly than they normally would be, and people even occasionally give up their bus seats for me. People just seem to respect a pregnant woman more, and it's nice to be shown just a bit more common courtesy than I would be otherwise.
We've come down to the wire with me getting up more and more frequently at night as well as growing more and more concerned about 1) my ability to actually physically go through labor and 2) my ability to be a good mother. I have no idea, really, what I'm doing with either labor (can you just ask for a free pass and wake up with a happy, healthy baby?) or motherhood, but I suppose there's a pretty sharp learning curve for all first time moms, so I'll just take it day-by-day (well, for labor, hopefully NOT day-by-day). I've determined that July 30th is my ideal delivery date. First, because it would give us an extra week to ensure the house is in good enough order to accommodate a newborn baby and, second, because, if he hasn't made an appearance by the 31st, they'll induce labor. I'd like to avoid as many drugs as I can, if possible (please feel free to say "that's what ALL women say before the big day"). But it's ultimately not my decision. The doctor called Sparky a "very cooperative baby" at my check-up yesterday (for his position, his steady heartrate, etc.), so let's hope he keeps up that trend!
Anyway, if you made it to the end of this post, you're probably bored out of your mind, but, like I said, this post is really for me. To round it out, a few last bump pictures. Don't ask me why I keep forgetting to ask Christopher to take them...
 |
| My "bullet baby" look. |
 |
| Hopefully this is as big as I'll get! |
No comments:
Post a Comment