pregnancy & the awkward unspoken

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Pregnancy is a beautiful thing:
You get to carry around this little life inside of you for nine months, you're glowing, and you feel your baby kicking inside of you.
It's such an amazing process!
I wouldn't give this up for anything!
 
 On the flip side, there are some things about pregnancy that no one ever told me...
If you personally know me, you have heard it all by now.
I have no problem answering questions about the good, the bad and the ugly. 
 
Here are a list of (some awkward) questions I never thought to ask before being pregnant.
Perhaps a mother to be somewhere can get a good laugh out of this and learn that we all experience many of the same things!

Why don't I look pregnant yet but feel like I gained 10 pounds over night?  
A few weeks after I found out I was pregnant my clothes started feeling tight around my waste. I kept asking my husband, mom, sister and anyone close to me if I "look fat" because I felt like I had gained 10 lbs over night! In reality I lost quite a bit of weight in my first trimester due to being nauseous all the time but I still felt like a cow! Hang in there, that bump will soon emerge and you will no longer feel like everyone is looking at you like you gained 10lbs, but rather like you are pregnant.

Is it just me, or did my face get "plump"?
My sister told me the other day that my lips have plumped up lately. I started looking at some recent pictures of myself and noticed that my entire face looks a little more "plump". Of course to me this automatically means....oh my goodness, my face looks chubby! In reality I'm sure it is not really noticeable to everyone else (yet), but you may feel like your face is more plump than usual. I'm almost in the third trimester so I'm sure I will feel this way even more as my pregnancy progresses. Water weight will also certainly add to the "plumpness".... all around. It's not something you can avoid so better just get used to the idea!
 
What is wrong with my nipples?
This topic might be awkward for some but it's been one of the biggest things to take me by surprise. Why on earth did my nipples get so dark.... and big?! They used to be so normal in proportion to the rest of my boob! I don't quite know the reason for this but I'm putting it out there. Maybe I'll save some of you gals from waking up one morning and having the reaction I had when I looked at my nipples in the mirror. Confusion, slight horror? I heard they go back to normal once the baby is born.. for the most part. Good thing boobs are something we cover everyday....
Oh and I shouldn't forget to mention that your nipples hurt extremely bad in the first trimester!
This makes me think... what will breastfeeding feel like?! Ouch.
 
Who would have known going poop was going to be this painful?
Yes, I am going to bring up the topic of poop on my blog for the first time ever....
Let me tell you, it hurts to poop. In the first trimester my doctor prescribed Zofran for my nausea and it constipated me so bad! On top of only being able to poop a few times per week and feeling bloated all the time, I was afraid to poop because of the pain. Pooping became a minimum 45 minute process which required extra privacy and courage. I had to give myself a pep talk before entering the bathroom.
In the second trimester I stopped taking Zofran and was having normal bowel movements but have had the occasional constipation now and then. We will see what happens in the third trimester, I've read that constipation comes back again. Oh joy!
 
Why does my belly button hurt?
My belly button hurts.
It's stretching and is ready to pop out. The other night I woke up and had to go to the bathroom and turn on the light and look at it because it hurt so bad! It's all the stretching that's happening as your belly grows and it causes a pretty sore belly button.
 
Is it just me or are my upper thighs and upper arms getting flabby?
I've never had the most toned arms but I do love running so I felt like my butt and thighs were always ok (not too flabby). However, I've noticed lots of extra flabbiness in the upper extremities of my arms/thighs. I think it is a combination of me not running or working out as much and my body preparing for the extra weight from carrying this baby. I'm learning to just let it go and let my body do it's thing. After the baby is born I can work on these areas in time.
Besides, my husband did mention he likes the roundness of my bottom lately so it's not too bad I guess!
 
You pee on yourself when you sneeze?!
About a month ago I was in the grocery store with my sister and I felt like I had to pee but was going to wait until I got home. I suddenly had to sneeze and when I did; I actually peed on myself. By "peed on myself" I don't mean all the way where it runs down your pant leg, but it was enough for me to notice and tell her we should head home. I guess it's my fault for not listening to all my friends who had babies and told me to do my kegels! So ladies, do your kegels while you still have time!

Can I just take a nap... all the time?
I'm tired. All the time.
In fact I'm tired as I'm writing this post.
It's crazy how much you can sleep when you are pregnant! During my first trimester I slept for at least 12 hours every night and still needed naps during the day! During the second trimester I had more energy but as I am nearing the third, the tiredness is slowly creeping back in. It takes a lot to grow a baby so your body needs lots of rest! When people tell you you're tired all the time during pregnancy, they literally mean all the time!
 
Am I losing my mind?
Amnesia is the word.
I'm much more forgetful these days.
My doctor told me that your brain actually shrinks by about 6% when you are pregnant making it easier to forget simple little things! Short term memory loss is a regular thing for me! My husband jokes and tells me I need to start carrying a notepad to remember things I need to do.

What is that burning sensation in my chest and throat?
Heartburn my friends is a very unpleasant thing.
It burns my chest and throat to the point where I sometimes feel like throwing up. Thankfully there are medications to help with this but still, sometimes it can be really painful and uncomfortable. Luckily for most women it occurs towards the middle and end of pregnancy but there are a few women I know who have had it their entire pregnancy.
Hang in there.... it's only temporary! (That's what I keep telling myself!)

Why does every comment bother me?
When you are pregnant people either tell you that you are tiny or huge.
You would think tiny is a compliment and huge means you have a cute baby bump, but no. No matter what people say you sort of take it wrong.
"My belly is tiny? Does that mean I just look fat and not pregnant? But I want to look pregnant!"
"My belly is huge? Gee, thanks for calling me huge?!"
Let's face it: your belly will be small at first and then huge towards the end.
It's natural. Get over it. Just let your body do it's thing it's not like you can do anything about it anyways.
Now if someone calls you fat... that is a whole other topic!

I'm sure I can come up with a few other things but these are the main questions that come to my mind now. All or some of these things will happen to you when you are pregnant or you may have already experienced them. I am still experiencing them since I'm still pregnant and I'm sure lots of new questions will come up in the third trimester!

Bottom line is; your body will do whatever it needs to do and you can't stop it.
Just stay healthy, stay positive and keep your focus on your baby that you will soon meet!
Enjoy all the fun and good things about pregnancy because they really do outweigh the bad.
Plus, it's nice to be able to joke and laugh about some of the awkward things our bodies do while pregnant.
You don't have pretend that pregnancy was the easiest and best thing ever... just admit it... sometimes your body did some wacky and uncomfortable things and you have every right to talk about it, laugh about it, cry about it and just simply whine about it.

♥,  Denise
 

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