Thursday, January 8, 2015

What No One Ever Told Me: Pregnancy

I am going to begin a series of posts titled "What No One Ever Told Me." I am pretty sure this phrase sums up my entire experience of pregnancy, labor and delivery, and now parenting.

Photo Cred: Blythe Parker

My first post will begin at the beginning: pregnancy. I know almost every woman in the history of the world has been there done that, but for those of us who have not been there yet, these posts will be for you. I was absolutely clueless about everything. You know the saying "you live and you learn?" That just about says it all for me!


Pregnancy does some crazy things to a woman. On one hand you feel amazing because the thought of your own body growing a human being inside of it makes you feel invincible. On the other hand, the side effects of growing that little human can become quite uncomfortable. Nausea, vomiting, heartburn, constipation, having to pee every 5 seconds, can't sleep, can't breathe, can't get comfortable, not to mention the crazy emotional roller coaster - the list goes on and on. No one ever told me it would ACTUALLY be like this. Or maybe my problem was I just don't listen. Yes, some/all of these things might happen to you if you are pregnant. Yes, you will hear EVERY pregnant woman complaining about some/all of these things. But at the end of the day, you, my dear sister, are GROWING a human being inside of you. I know all of those side effects may sound pretty lousy, but just remember that you are experiencing one of the most amazing gifts/blessings known to mankind. You are the lucky woman who gets to experience the first kick, the first movement, the first hiccup. Yes, the kick may be in the rib or the nether region, but it will be the most amazing kick you have ever experienced.

I know there are two types of women - 1.) women that like to be pregnant and 2.) women that hate to be pregnant. No matter which category you fall under, let me put out this word of advice. No matter how you feel or how uncomfortable you get or how much time you spend hanging your head over a toilet, never ever complain about the experience that has been gifted to you as a woman. I know this sounds cheesy, but pregnant women are notorious for complaining. Most people think they kind of have a right to, but I think women need to change their perceptions of what pregnancy is actually like. Change your negative thoughts into positive ones. Tell people how amazing being pregnant actually is. Stop getting caught in the rut of just whining about your back hurting or how many pee trips you took in the middle of the night last night. Because at the end of the day, your body is doing something amazing, and you should be celebrating the beauty of what your body can actually accomplish.

My dear women, love your body and the amazing things it can do. It will surprise you how much you enjoyed being pregnant when it is all over with, especially if you take hold of a positive attitude.



Those are my two cents for now. Stay tuned for more posts about how to make it through pregnancy.

1 comment:

  1. That positive advice has helped me tremendously throughout my pregnancy so far. I am so lucky to have you as a neighbor and friend to help me through this journey! Love love! ~Jen

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