Being pregnant sucks

What to expect when you're expecting

I was recently reading a friend's blog post about how fabulous her pregnancy has been and I got really upset. So far, for me, being pregnant has been far from fabulous.

I'm sick to my stomach.
Calling it morning sickness is terribly misleading. For the last few months I've been sick in the mornings, in the afternoons, in the evenings and sometimes in the middle of the night. Vomiting is actually not so bad compared to the more frequent painful dry heaving or the almost constant nausea.

I'm too fat for my clothes.
I already couldn't fit into my normal pants early in the first trimester. Admittedly, some of that was probably some Yukon winter weight, but mostly I'm blaming the baby. Trying to get dressed in the morning was frustrating and I hated the thought of going out in public in the only pants in my closet that fit, frumpy sweat pants.

I'm not getting anything done.
I'm so tired and lazy the majority of my spare time is spent lying on the couch or napping. I'm used to being the type of person who has a bunch of projects on the go and has to keep her hands busy. Everyone says you're supposed to be active and exercise when you're pregnant, but it's not very appealing when you feel like you're going to puke or you're suffering from another migraine (migraines, yeah, I'm getting those now too).

I miss coffee.
I LOVE coffee. Coffee is delicious and wonderful and makes waking up in the morning slightly more bearable. And since getting pregnant I haven't been able to drink it because it tastes disgusting and makes my stomach turn. This might be for the best, since I know caffeine is bad for the baby and it might have been hard to cut back otherwise, but I still really miss my morning cups of coffee.


But thankfully it's getting better.
I got Dicletin from my doctor and while it hasn't made the morning sickness completely go away, it's been a huge help and has made my life much less miserable. I've also learned to control the worst of the nausea by eating constantly, so I carry snacks in my purse and keep a steady supply of crackers at my desk. Now that I'm heading towards month 5, the really bad days seem to be less frequent and some days I don't feel sick at all.
When my mom sent me a pair of tall-sized maternity jeans it was the best thing ever. Since then, I've added to my maternity wardrobe and the weather has warmed up, so I've been able to wear lots of pretty dresses and skirts.
For the first time in months I'm starting to feel more like myself again. I still haven't got all my energy back and some days are better than others, but it feels good to be getting stuff done. There's no shortage of stuff that needs doing at our house!

Chris and I are both thrilled to be bringing this baby into the world, and I'm so glad that I have an awesome supportive husband helping me through everything. It will be all worth it in the end, but sometimes it's hard to believe women willingly go through this multiple times! Do you forget it all once the baby arrives?

Comments

Ginger said…
First, the book is terrible. Get the doctor sears book and birth partner for your hub. Both great books.

I was ill my entire pregnancy and really started getting mad at food. I was basically living on fresh fruits and veggies. I couldn't drink coffee or eat chocolate! Ahhhhhhh! The good news is that right after you have the baby everything goes back to normal, mostly... I have a memory on some stuff that made me really I'll and still hesitate on it, lol.I called it my bulimic pregnancy experience. I couldn't even go to the grocery store or get on a bus without getting ill. I went to brunch once on Elgin and barfed all over a street corner. Classy. Good training for getting over myself...

For me, it helped a lot to start wearing maternity! I also found a heating pad and body pillow were essential. I accepted that food and I weren't going to have any love affairs.
Alicia said…
Totally agree with Ginger on the book choices!

I hear your pregnancy misery. I was in the same nausea and fatigue boat until 15 weeks plus a resurgence of the nausea when I went whale watching a few weeks later (note: No matter how good it sounds and how good you feel and how sunny the day, I don't recommend a nauseated pregnancy and whales... Bad combo!)

I had massive aversions to pizza, curry, Greek, basically anything with flavor. Derek was at wits end for figuring out meals b/c I was too tired to cook and he had no idea what I could stomach on any day. I was so constantly green and tired that I don't remember last summer.

After the nausea stopped, I was greeted by a complete lack of appetite. Smoothies and carnation instant breakfast is what got me through. Now no fatigue per say, but exhaustion from no food.

There were a few great weeks and then Julian got wedged with his giant head in my hip and hello sciatica and hip pain!

So yeah, pregnancy can totally blow. But for what it's worth, take this little piece that I and my midwifery friends have seen to be fairly accurate:
Of the three phases of becoming a parent (pregnancy, labour/birth, post partum) you NEVER get all three good. Think of this as your ticket to a great birth and/or post partum. <3 Doesn't comfort when you're praying to the porcelain god, but yeah.

Hugs!!!!
Megs said…
Aww Allison - I hope you feel better really soon! My sister-in-law had morning sickness for her whole pregnancy (while in the middle of writing the comps for her Ph.D!) and she was blessed with one strong, healthy, easy baby. My nephew's one amazing little guy. I bet yours will be too!

To answer your question, I definitely don't want to be pregnant ever again! I'm super-jealous that you don't have a mini-torso. The baby's constantly burrowing into my ribs (makes me want to scream most days) because I'm so damn little and Dan's a beast.

Hugs! You're almost half-way done, and the second half goes by much faster <3

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