So when I found out I was pregnant on March 25, 2016 I had a weird, shaky reaction. As we went to bed the previous night, Matt had said “Well, when was the last time you took a test? Maybe you’re pregnant…” Pshhht, I thought. “You were just at training camp for a month. If I wasn’t pregnant in February, how could I be pregnant now?”
So I peed on the stick after a week of feeling ill. Matt was at practice when the little plus sign appeared. I freaked out inside as I dug through my cabinets looking for another test…”That was probably an old test…probably inaccurate, expired,” I thought. I started chugging water as I zipped over to Wal-Mart to buy more pregnancy tests– a 3-pack this time.
I peed on another stick. Old reliable. The plus sign appeared again. I laid both tests on the bathroom vanity and stared at them for a moment. Yup, I was pregnant. I wanted to drive over to the pool and get Matt out practice to tell him. Instead I sat at my desk and tried to stay “on task” as if my mind wasn’t combusting with every second.
Matt walked in and I hadn’t planned out how to break the news at all. “Hi babe….I…” And then Matt said he really had to go pee and sprinted toward the bathroom. I followed him and said “Wait, can you check something for me?” As I pointed toward the two sticks on the counter. “But Annie, I really have to…” His words faded off as he saw what I was pointing too. “Wait, you’re….” A stunned expression swelled into a smile then I saw his eyes get glossy. We kissed and then Matt finally got to pee.
We went for a celebratory breakfast at Blue Willow, even though I was nauseas and couldn’t eat much. We tried to pin down when this occurred and thought we had a week in mind. Then I started feeling guilty because I had definitely gone to a bachelorette party and imbibed the following weekend. Our doc later told me not to be concerned…many women do much worse in their first month of pregnancy.
Fast forward to now, third trimester. Eight to 10 weeks away from meeting baby girl. Pregnancy has perplexed me, annoyed me, pained me, but mainly astounded me. I guess it takes experiencing something like this to think about how miraculous these bodies we live in are. The way my person has been able to grow another person has continually awed me. I have no control over what is transpiring in my tummy, but nonetheless, it’s happening! My girl is tumbling around in there, getting bigger and more active by the day. Everything the human body is capable of is incredible, but the emotional bonding experience of pregnancy is another component I hadn’t anticipated. I put my hand on my belly, feel Skylar move and instantly feel so much love for her. I can’t wait for the belly barrier to be eliminated.
So, in the spirit of this pregnant season, here are some things I love and don’t love about pregnancy:
WHAT I LOVE
– Feeling her move! It’s so unpredictable, but I can feel her getting stronger. Maybe these movements will start to aggravate me when she kicks me in the ribs or the bladder, but that hasn’t happened yet.
– My energy levels. I was so fearful of living in a zombie state since so many sites and mom bloggers talk about incessant fatigue. I’ve been able to lift and swim just as I did pre-pregnancy. I just lift less weight and swim much slower. 🙂 I stopped running early on, but that didn’t feel like a huge sacrifice since I’ve always hated running…
– Doctors appointments. Yeah, this is weird. Our doc has been very generous with ultrasounds, so we’ve gotten to see baby girl at almost every appointment. I’m sure my excitement for going to the doc will diminish when those pelvic exams begin…
– Nesting. Yep, our nursery is pretty much done and I’m joining the group of expectant moms who like to just go sit in that baby-less nursery.
– Learning curve. It’s steep! There’s so much to learn about pregnancy, labor, the first few weeks, breastfeeding, the years of infancy…I’m trying not to get too far ahead of the stage we’re in, but the amount of information out there on bearing children is limitless. Lots of knowledge to soak up. And I love it all…for the most part.
– Picturing MG as a daddy. I always knew Matt was going to be an involved, loving daddy but I love hearing him talk to his friends about this process. He is just as in awe as I am and is so excited to have a little girl, who will in his eyes, inevitably be the best at everything she does. 😉
WHAT I DON’T LOVE
– Sudden onset fatigue. I go from buzzing with energy to feeling like I just popped an Ambien, in a matter of seconds. I know, I said something quite contrary above. I feel good 90 percent of the time, then utterly exhausted the other 10.
– The not-so-glam side effects of pregnancy. Stop reading if you’re A. a male B. want to retain a nice image of the author. Yep, constipation, gas, hemorrhoids, pelvic soreness (or just a straight-up sore vagina) are all part of the miracle of growing a child. Not sure I’d be able to just grin and bear it if it weren’t for the crying, cooing, living reward at the end of the journey.
– Bending over. Yeah, I noticed painting my toes at week 22ish of pregnancy that I was getting short of breath…because my bump was pressing into my lungs as I bent over. Matt recently tied my shoes for me and I was so appreciative. Other actions that have become difficult/more awkward: shaving my legs, squeezing out of my car in tight parking spaces, frequently underestimating my size as I try to shimmy past people in crowded places only to brush them with my bump.
– Am I hungry or full? This has been the most uncomfortable part of pregnancy for me lately. I think since I’m carrying high, my stomach has even less space for expansion (my stomach is now positioned right beneath my lungs…see below diagram to have your mind blown). So I eat a meal, then feel like I need to lay down in order to breathe. It’s actually hard to eat enough some days because of my post-meal discomfort. Let’s be honest, I eat enough. Food will never be my foe.
I’m sure I’ll have more to add to the “not love” list as these final weeks progress. For now, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how “normal” I’ve felt throughout it all. Sure, a little bulgy, but overall my routine hasn’t changed much. I think some of the most crap advice in cyper space is to treat your body like a fragile object during pregnancy. Sure, don’t go skydiving or start boxing, but our bodies have been engineered to carry children. And labor will not be made easier by putting yourself on bedrest or using a growing fetus as an excuse to not exercise/eat poorly.
Another fun fact– since the baby is swallowing amniotic fluid, she’s developing tastes for the foods you eat in the third trimester. This has at least made me feel guilty when I indulge in a donut or other not-so-nourishing foods. I want baby G to crave good stuff out of the womb!
Enough for now. As you can tell, I find this whole process completely awesome and cannot wait to meet the miraculous product of these nine months!
