Thoughts From My Pregnancy
To be 100% honest, I thought I would like being pregnant much more than I actually have. That being said, I am so so so grateful that it has been very smooth and uneventful. I have close friends who have had miscarriages in the past year, and I know how much of a blessing it is to have a healthy pregnancy. I have NO room at all to complain, but I figured I am not the only one who has had some of the following emotions or experiences, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts from the past 9 months.
1-The moment the pee stick says "pregnant" my life really did change. Everything shifts and while it doesn't necessarily feel real at first, I went through waves of fear and excitement like I never have known before. *side note, get an OB or midwife that you connect with. You will be so grateful the next 9mos.
2-Nausea in the first trimester was expected. But I also had it in the 3rd... beware! Cravings are not nearly as bad as aversions. I couldn't eat meat or vegetables until week 24.
3-I thought I would be able to run further into my pregnancy than I did. I ran every day until 18.5weeks, and then my SI joint started killing me. I had to take two weeks totally off because even walking hurt, and when I tried to start running again, I felt so out of shape that it wasn't fun at all. No need to force fitness while pregnant, do what you can to stay healthy and active, but give yourself the mental break if you need it. I miss running a lot, but I get outside for walks, pool, biking with Dillon on his runs, and that has been so helpful. Especially because my energy isn't nearly what it used to be and a 45min easy bike ride now is exhausting.
4-If you want to do a Babymoon, I definitely recommend it! Plan during the middle of the second trimester, it seems like that is the happy spot in pregnancy. We went to Europe and checked 6 countries off our travel list and made wonderful memories as a couple!
5-I'm a planner, and during the first trimester, I was so tired, that I spent a lot of time on the couch. I utilized that time to create my baby registry. The only issue, is that 5mos later when I had my shower, a lot of the products were out of stock, or there were new/better options on the market. So maybe don't plan as far ahead as I did because I had to redo my registry twice. (Also, I did Amazon and it worked so well. Def recommend it)
6-Listening to my body was so key. It's like running a marathon. You go through good and bad phases, and you have no choice but to keep going. Be kind to yourself, get the rest you need, and remember the important thing your body is doing.. growing a human!
7-Do things to eliminate stress in your life. To be honest, I hit a point right at the beginning of the 3rd trimester where I felt so overwhelmed, stressed, and out of control. I learned the hard way after a panic attack and several melt downs, that asking for help is part of parenting. A lot of what happens in pregnancy is preparing us for what our new life as a parent is going to be. I hired a house cleaner to come twice a month, I restructured my work schedule to be more manageable, I made sure to make time for myself to do fun things, and I relied on my friends and family to be there for me if I needed someone to talk to.
8-A friend of mine set up a meal train for me... this means that after the baby is born, friends can sign up to bring meals over for the next few months to help ease the work load while adjusting to life with a newborn. I def recommend you set one up for your pregnant friends, or have a friend set it up for you!
9-Plan a lot of date nights the last month. I have had so much fun and genuine appreciation for doing fun dates with Dillon before the baby's arrival.
10-Do what feels right for you in terms of prepping for child birth. I chose to not have a set birth plan because I've never done this before, so I don't know what to expect. I didn't want to have something structured and then feel like I "failed" if it didn't happen exactly as I imagined. It seems everyone wants to provide advice as to what you should do, but in reality, it's your body and your baby and it's up to you to take ownership and create the birthing situation you want without guilt. I'm so grateful for Dillon because he said he supports me and my decisions 100% throughout the labor and delivery.
I'm in the final week, and tonight, Dillon asked if I'm sad it's close to the end. My response, "NOPE. 39weeks has been plenty long and I am mentally and physically ready to move on to the next phase and meet this baby."