What They Don’t Tell You About Being Pregnant: The Third Trimester

The third trimester feels like being in the top of the ninth and praying for a home run. It is the final stretch and it is definitely the hardest of the three trimesters. I would almost welcome back the first trimester with its coma like sleep, and nausea to trade for the third trimester symptoms. I wanted to go ahead and write this post in case Baby Girl joins the world before I get the opportunity to!

 

You’re ROUND: At least I am. I am 35 weeks and VERY round. Bending over? HA. That’s laughable. If I drop something, I just look at my husband and he graciously picks it up. My belly rests on the top of my thighs and feels like it’s not even apart of my body. I bump into things constantly because I’m not used to having such…girth to deal with. And people have started to stare at me and give a look of either sympathy or “WHOA look at the circus freak.”

Heartburn: The creeping fiery sensation is essentially non-stop. Tums help…kind of. In one week, I went through a large bottle of Tums Ultra 1000. There are times when no amount of Tums or ice water help cool my poor esophagus.

Swelling: I thought I would escape the wrath of the dread swollen cankles, but alas, I was wrong. When I returned to work as a teacher, my feet and toes turned into painful sausages. Propping up my feet and resting helps most of the time. Sometimes the swelling carries over into the next day. Right now, I can only wear one pair of flats and two pairs of sandals.

Excitement: My excitement to meet my little girl is killing me. Now that I know she will be here in about a month(ish) I am dying to see her face. Being pregnant is the hardest form of delayed gratification. Everything is ready for her and I can’t wait to see her.

Clothing: Invest in comfortable clothes that help you feel stylish. Some days its the only thing that helps me get through the day.

Belly Touching: I don’t mind belly touching and rubs from people that I know. Thankfully I have not experienced the dreaded stranger touch, but I’ve heard that it happens. There’s something about being pregnant that makes others think that your belly is no longer apart of you and not your property.

Comments: I’ve mentioned this in my last post, but most people have been extremely kind and helpful during my pregnancy. I described it to a friend like this: People are either kind or cruel, there is no in between. I think most of the time people don’t think about what they say and a cruel comment comes out. Every now and then I’ll throw a sarcastic comment in return to get the point across. Just learn to be really good at a fake smile and laugh, and let that hurtful comment roll off your round belly.

What They Don’t Tell You About Being Pregnant: Second Trimester

Ladies, the second trimester is the BEST. Period. By this time, my exhaustion had lessened and my energy had returned. I felt my best by about 16 weeks along, which is several weeks into the new trimester. Any nausea I experienced was mostly gone and my appetite was in full force. The best part of the second trimester definitely had to be the baby bump growing. But alas, the second trimester also had its downs…

Unsolicited Advice: Now that your bump is noticeable, everyone knows your preggers. Which in theory is would be good right? Well, most people just smile and tell you congratulations or something as equally sweet. Others don’t have as much tact or class. Once we announced the pregnancy, EVERYONE had something to say. I know most meant well and wanted to pass on their tid bit of wisdom from generations ago. On the other hand, several would just berate me with what I should or shouldn’t be doing. Listen, I visit a team of doctors that give me sound medical advice about what is best for my body and my baby. I’ll listen to them and my own body. Just be prepared, to smile, nod, and walk away.

Rude Comments: I have to say that so far, these have been few and far between. Again, most people I encounter are extremely nice and go out of their way to show it. As with life, there will be those rare humans who do not understand how to hold their tongue. When I was about 15 weeks, my bump REALLY popped out. By 19 weeks, I was fairly round and definitely pregnant. During those short weeks when baby was having a growth spurt, the same person would ask me if I was having twins. HAHAHA, hilarious right? NOPE. It made me feel insecure about my size. And let’s think about this logically. If the doctor’s hadn’t found a second baby at the 8 week appointment, there’s probably not going to be one at 17 weeks. USE YOUR BRAIN.What bothered me the most, was that this person didn’t just ask once, but multiple times.

The other comment that bothered me to the core I experienced recently. I was loading up a small cart of groceries into the back of my SUV. The man parked next to me exited his vehicle and upon seeing my bump decided to open his mouth. “Eating for two, huh?” I made a very obvious fake laugh, because being rude back isn’t going to accomplish anything on my end. These comments are hurtful and unnecessary. Would you say these things to someone who ISN’T pregnant? NO, because that would be rude. Apparently, being pregnant opens a door for others to say things that they wouldn’t ordinarily.

Emotions: Thankfully, I have fairly been on an even keel when it comes to all the extra hormones and emotions that come along with pregnancy. Every now and then they will get the best of me. Most of the time its due to being overtired or feeling uncomfortable from aches and pains. Just apologize for whatever you say or do and most people will be extra forgiving.

Every part of your body aching: Maybe its just me and the way my body carries the baby, but aches and pains are apart of my daily life right now. I can feel my hips pulling away from each other. My sides are stretching and the skin pulls. My ankles and fingers swell when I have been on my feet for too long. And I have rib pain that at a certain point just goes numb. Just buy yourself some Epsom salt to soak in the tub about once a week. This makes my skin soft, but helps with the pains. Also, invest in a prenatal massage session.

Questions: Everyone asks how you are doing and how you are feeling. To be honest, they don’t really want to hear exactly how you feel. They want to hear that you feel amazing and that pregnancy just “suits you”. Although you feel like crap and everything hurts, just smile and say “fine” or “good”. On the other hand, one of my friends was asked “How are you?” when she was about 37 weeks along. “Pregnant” was her answer. No one will ask you again if you tell them how you REALLY feel. Your choice!

Overall, I have enjoyed the second trimester. I have been able to accomplish a lot in terms of getting ready for baby girl. The nursery is almost complete and just needs a few finishing touches. I’m still working on getting the rest of the house set and organized before she arrives. It just takes a little bit more effort to accomplish a particular task these days.

Just remember that the most important thing is your health and your baby’s health. Take it easy, pamper yourself, and enjoy feeling those baby kicks!

 

 

What They Don’t Tell You About Being Pregnant: The First Trimester

This bean is my first pregnancy ever, which is exciting and completely terrifying at the same time. When Kenny and I first began considering starting a family, I read every article and blog about conceiving, early pregnancy symptoms, what to expect, and so on. I thought I was fairly prepared and knowledgeable about what it meant to carry a child. 

I was totally wrong. 

COMPLETELY WRONG.

Every mommy blog I read made pregnancy sound like sunshine, daisies and rainbows. And in the end, it has been the most amazing experience of my life. But it is not what they tell you and its never what you expect.

The First Trimester:

Finding Out: When you first suspect you are pregnant, you will do everything in your power to convince yourself that you are in fact NOT pregnant and there is just no way its happened. Even after having 3 weeks of the weirdest symptoms, you will discount everything you have read or known and brush off those symptoms as “something else”. For me, all of my symptoms had another explanation other than pregnancy. Ladies, those home pregnancy tests are very accurate. If you get a positive, you are most likely definitely pregnant. I was not convinced and it took a trip to the doctor for me to believe it. 

Cramping: As a woman, every month some of us deal with a certain amount of cramping. For those of you who don’t, we envy you. During the first 8 weeks, I consistently had a dull cramping feeling. It was uncomfortable and all I really cared to do was curl up in a ball and hold my belly. It was never worse than period cramps, which should prompt a call to your OB/ doctor, but it was uncomfortable enough for me to remember.

Round Ligament Pain: From what I understand, most women do not feel this particular symptom until the 2nd trimester. Basically, your abdominal muscles are stretching to make room for the growing uterus. This was one of the first symptoms I felt and ignored (because there was no way I was pregnant, of course) because it was so odd. It felt like my torso was made out of Stretch Arm Strong stuff and I was simultaneously being pulled in two different directions.  

Gas: TMI, but you will become a tooting machine. You will gross out even your husband who should win awards for the longest, loudest, and stinkiest of farts. You may also feel bloated. Very very bloated. I felt like I was walking around with a balloon in my belly. A balloon filled with stinky air. There’s nothing more to say about this other than to pick up an extra can of Febreeze at the store.

Exhaustion: I slept. A LOT. As teacher, I deal with a certain level of exhaustion as it is a physical, emotional, and mentally taxing job. But the exhaustion I felt in early pregnancy was unique. I typically would get home from work around 4:30 pm. By 6:30 pm, I had showered, eaten dinner, and decided to go to bed. 6:30 pm! And then I would sleep all night long. And wake up tired. And almost fall asleep during my planning period. And come home and do it again. It wasn’t up until about 15 or 16 weeks, well into the 2nd trimester, that my energy returned.

Eating: The best way to explain the intensity of the hunger I felt is to compare myself to a 15 year old boy. I was insatiable. There was no amount of food or snacks that could fulfill my belly. Cravings didn’t happen too much to me early on. I did find that I really wanted food that was warmed or hot, nothing cold. I also enjoyed things that were crunchy like chips, crackers, or cookies. 

 

I never wanted to be the pregnant girl who complained about how I was feeling. But I was fairly uncomfortable from the beginning. Thankfully, I missed out on the one symptom that seems to be the biggest sign a woman is pregnant: morning sickness. I did feel nauseous, but I never actually got sick. Trust me, there were a few times I high tailed it to the restroom. Although, by the time I reached the toilet, the nausea would pass and subside. 

I will be posting What They Don’t Tell You About Being Pregnant for the 2nd trimester shortly as I am almost finished with 27th week!

 

*This post is not meant to dissuade anyone from considering pregnancy or to scare my friends (lol). I thought I knew what it might be like to be pregnant, but there were so many things I was never warned about.*

 

 

 

Baby Moon!

Kenny and I began trying to conceive a child and we had a deal. When ever I did become pregnant, we would go stay at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort to celebrate. It is the one resort I have longed to visit for years. I would stand on the ferry boat to Magic Kingdom and admire the towering white turrets of the Grand imagining what would be like to live in a past era.

After careful planning and saving for many months, we made our dream a reality. We decided to celebrate our little girl and my 25th birthday. Kenny and I planned to stay just one night at the Grand Floridian. One night was all we could afford, but one night was all we needed.

It was truly magical. We strolled around the resort taking in the scenery and beautiful surroundings. The Grand really makes its visitors feel as if they are apart of the Victorian age. Our room had a secluded view of the Seven Seas Lagoon. Through the pine trees we could just see Cinderella Castle. Even better than seeing the castle was being able to hear the sounds of Main Street.

We booked dinner reservations at Be Our Guest restaurant. The restaurant has been open for 2 years and its popularity has made it difficult to reserve a table. After checking in, we were escorted through the Beast’s castle and shown into the West Wing dining area. Torn tapestries and linens draped the ceiling and walls from the Beast’s angry outbursts. The enchanted rose also is in this room which drops a petal every so often. Dinner was divine! The perfect flavors to bring to life the story of Belle and the Beast. For desert, there was only one clear choice; the “Grey Stuff”.

To end our evening, we had Fastpass+ access to view the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular fireworks. This allowed us the opportunity to have VIP seating for the show within the Rose Garden. This experience made the firework show I’ve seen hundreds of times seem brand new.

 

Though we spent only one night and two days at the Grand Floridian, it was well worth it. The summer heat did make it difficult for me to enjoy Disney the way we normally do. We just made the best of it and took our time, with lots of extra restroom stops for me! I’m just happy that we had the opportunity to enjoy this experience together before our Baby Girl arrives.

 

My Letter to You

Dear Lea,

Momma loves you. Daddy loves you. We love you and we have not even laid eyes on your beautiful face. You are already an amazing creature. You have come so far in your journey and we can’t wait to meet you.

All my life, I have dreamed of what my children be like. All I know of you is this blurry ultrasound picture that the doctor’s gave me. But I do know that I love your button nose. And I love the way you squirm around letting me know you are there. I’ve always been afraid of ending up alone. But with every little kick, I am reminded that I am never alone anymore. Even if everyone abandoned me, I’d always have you.

I love talking to you. I know you say “hello” back in your own little way. I love to sing to you and read to you. I can’t wait to share more stories with you. I hope that my favorites become yours too.

Lea, I just want to be a good mommy to you. You haven’t even laid in my arms and I’m terrified of failing you. At this point in my life, you are the best and most wonderful adventure to happen to me. I don’t want my insecurities and short comings to effect you. I just want to be your best chance. I hope you know that everything I will ever decide or do for you will be out of love.

Love. I thought I knew what it was, but I’m finding that I am only beginning to understand its true meaning. So far, I have discovered that love is making the choices that are hardest and putting you before myself.

Daddy is so excited to meet you too. He is going to be an amazing father to you. He’s looking forward to your first fishing trip. And maybe even hunting trip. If you want, of course. Daddy would do anything to make his girls happy. He’s pretty awesome and you’re going to love being wrapped up in his strong arms. I know I do.

Love always,

Mommy