Nothing Prepared Me for This: 26 Weeks

I'm not going to lie and pretend everything has been wonderful and amazingly blissful. No. The truth is, pregnancy has been HARD. I definitely overestimated myself and my ability to keep living life and working the way I had been prior to pregnancy. I didn't realize that it would take such a toll on my body this early on.

Nausea and morning sickness for the first 14 weeks was awful. I couldn't eat much of anything except for crackers, fruit, and granola bars. Some days I would throw up immediately upon coming back home from work. I rarely could keep my dinner down. I hated the smell of eggs or any kind of meat. Even my husband began to smell repulsive to me, and it didn't matter if he had just showered!
I felt relieved when I got my very first craving that wasn't pickles. One late night, the intense desire for a cheesy gordita crunch came to me around 1 a.m during one of those weeks where it had been difficult to eat anything. It was the most delicious cheesy gordita crunch I had ever eaten in my life. I was lucky that the nearby Taco Bell was open until 2 in the morning.

I had a few really good weeks where I felt incredible and had so much energy. I began to feel my baby's movements and for the most part, felt somewhat....normal again. As soon as I hit 22 weeks, little did I know that I would have my previously high pain tolerance tried and tested. Things have gotten more difficult with each passing week. I have major lower back and tailbone pain, pain in my right side buttocks muscles (specifically the piriformis), and the pregnancy-induced sciatic pain has been excruciating. Last night was the worst of it thus far. I found it almost impossible to walk without gritting my teeth through the sharp pain.

My feet and legs now swell up by the end of the day and I have some new varicose veins decorating my calves, and I've been having the worst leg cramping at night that sometimes turn into awful Charley horses. Sometimes the radiating back pain gets so bad that I'm nearly in tears and I can barely find a comfortable sleeping position. I have found that putting a firm pillow between my legs as I lay on my side has been helping me to sleep more comfortably.

Nothing can really quite prepare you for pregnancy. You can listen to all the advice from your mom, family members, friends, coworkers, pregnancy books, and articles that you want. But in the end, every woman's body is different and will likewise have a different pregnancy experience. Nothing prepared me for peeing four or more times an hour or the time I peed myself during a violent puking episode.
Pregnancy isn't pretty. For those who can wear high heels during pregnancy and look like maternity models, kudos to you. But that's not real life. I think it's important that I share my journey with other mothers so they know that they aren't alone. They don't need to feel less than perfect because they often compare themselves with what they see on social media. I pride myself in being genuine. That means that I could care less about having an "Instagram worthy" life. I will share the good and the bad, the raw, honest, real parts of life that not many have the courage to share or talk about. (I'll share a blog post soon on how my use of social media has changed and why I deleted my first Instagram account awhile back)

I didn't post this to complain or to deter anyone from wanting to be pregnant. I'm just being real and honest. I am not one to pretend I have a perfect life and that my pregnancy is easy. Putting all of the painful pregnancy symptoms aside, I am happy. I know that all of this pain will be worth it in the end. I love feeling my little girl move, kick, and do somersaults in my stomach. Her movements get so crazy that I wonder what the heck she could be doing in there! I often rub my belly hoping she'll respond, and I cannot wait to meet her and see her face. I frequently wonder what she will look like and what kind of a person she'll become. I didn't know it was possible to love someone you've never met this much. My love for her grows stronger each day and I can't imagine the overwhelming amount of love I'll feel when she's finally in my arms. Here's to week 26. Stay strong, mommas!

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