Did you enjoy being pregnant?
I didn’t.
Now don’t get me wrong. My husband and I worked really hard to get pregnant, and we were thrilled when we (finally) saw 2 pink lines on that pregnancy test, but once the excitement wore off and the reality of what a nightmare I was going to be for the next 9+ months set in, we were kind of over it.
And after my husband watched me endure 36+ hours of labor, we kind of agreed we wouldn’t talk about the whole thing again.
But then last week I ran into a friend of mine who is currently in the first trimester of her pregnancy, and she was full of all sorts of questions for me.
Did I experience morning sickness?
Did we find out if we were having a girl or a boy?
Did childbirth hurt as bad as they make it out in the movies?
Did I breastfeed?
It was as if we hadn’t spoken in the last 3 years, and I had an overwhelming urge to slap her. But then I remembered that, prior to getting pregnant myself, I never really took the time to listen to my pregnant friends either.
So rather than flicking her between the eyes, I gave her one of those smug looks moms give to women who don’t have kids.
You know the look I’m talking about.
And then I started to think of all the things she has yet to experience before she heads to the hospital begging and screaming for an epidural, and I kind of felt bad for her.
Because, even though pregnancy and childbirth is a miracle, it’s not all roses and sunshine, is it?
So, if I wanted to be completely honest with my friend, I would’ve sent her this list.
But I didn’t.
It just didn’t seem right.
1. Morning sickness. I’m not the puking type, so I figured I would bypass this whole morning sickness business. Boy, was I wrong. And because I have a family history of neural tube defects, I could not, under any circumstances, throw up my prenatal vitamins, so I sat in bed and swallowed puke every night for 10 solid weeks.
2. The constant need to pee. The good news is, I have yet to pee myself when I sneeze, so I figure I got off pretty easy.
3. Fatigue. I’ve done a lot of 30+ hour flights around the world in my life, and can assure you each of those trips paled in comparison to the misery that is first trimester exhaustion.
4. Constantly feeling “in the mood”. This was a cruel part of pregnancy for me since my husband was convinced the ‘Ole One Eye was going to do permanent damage to our daughter’s head.
5. The inability to drink. I’m a “go big or go home” kind of gal, so I never trusted myself to have so much as a sip of alcohol when I was pregnant. Turns out I’m much more pleasant when I have booze in my body. Who knew?
6. Feeling fat. I will never, ever, utter the words, “I feel bloated” to a pregnant woman again in this lifetime.
7. Maternity clothes. Think floral prints and large bows. It’s not pretty.
8. Sleeplessness. I am a stomach sleeper, so sleeping on my left side while acid crept up my throat and my child battled round after round of hiccups for 9+ months did wonders for my beauty rest.
9. Gas. Prior to becoming pregnant, my husband and I never passed gas in front of each other. Ever. I figured I’d regain my dignity after my daughter was born, but I blew my colon out during childbirth instead.
10. Constant worry. From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I worried about and researched everything until the moment my daughter was lying safe in my arms.
What was YOUR least favorite part about being pregnant?
Oh, and if you’re interested to know what I loved about being pregnant. click HERE.
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