Ok, so in my last post about pregnancy, I kind of just shared the story of our pregnancy thus far. A lot of people have asked me about what symptoms I've had and I have had a few. One of my friends asked me the other day, "Don't you just love being pregnant?!" I didn't exactly know how to answer that. I love that I am pregnant, I'm most grateful for it. I don't know if I would say I love being pregnant per se. They are just so many changes going on. If I could describe pregnancy in one word, coming from a rookie like me, I would say it is weird. Yes, it is cool and amazing and beautiful and all those things. However, in my day-to-day life, it's just weird.
Morning Sickness
Yes, this definitely exists. I started feeling sick around 5 weeks and I don't feel like it really went away until around 19 weeks. However, I don't know if I can 100% say it is gone, because I still find myself gagging at things every once in awhile and I still can't let myself get hungry or gagging will ensue. I didn't throw up too often. This is mainly because I hate throwing up so much, that I've kind of taught myself how to not throw up. Danny teases me that I have a phobia of regurgitating, this may be true. But almost every time I felt I was going to spew, I was able to hold it off. It usually required me to gag down some type of food in those moments. Gross. Also, I would say I had more evening sickness than morning sickness. If I got up and ate breakfast, I would be fine. However, about the time I left from work is when the sickness would come and it was really hard to combat. I would say weeks 10 - 13 were the worst. I felt nauseous most of the time.
Tiredness
It's funny, I don't think I really noticed the feeling tired part until it past. Part of it, is because feeling tired just kind of mixes in with not feeling well from the morning sickness. And honestly, fertility drugs really wore me down and made me feel tired, so I didn't feel too much of a difference with "pregnancy tired". I have only noticed a difference now that I'm actually feeling some energy come back. Just within the past couple weeks I've noticed that I actually feel like going to and maybe even putting on social gatherings. This is after 3-4 months of laying on the couch. Also, I'm finally doing some chores and cooking again. For months, I would just come home too exhausted after work to do anything and Danny had to take care of most of those things. We have always split up the chores, but he has definitely taken on the bigger load during the pregnancy. (But let's be honest, it's kind of good for him.) I also have to mention how my sweet younger sister, Noelle, has Danny and me over for dinner about once a week, so we get a good home cooked meal. She told me I took care of her when she was little so now it is her turn to take care of me. Aww, so nice. Plus, Noelle is really an amazing cook.
Smells
This is one of the symptoms that I find just bizarre. I don't have super pregnancy nose all the time, but when it hits, it hits hard. I went through a couple days at the beginning of my pregnancy where I thought all of our food had gone bad because it smelled so strong before I figured out what was going on. It's weird, because even nice smells can be incredibly overpowering. Danny was vacuuming up the pine needles from our tree after Christmas and the smell of pine was so overwhelming I had to bury my face in a pillow until he was done. (I didn't want to ask him to stop, because I was happy he was cleaning.) Also, Danny's favorite dish from our Thai food place of choice, now has to be eaten in another room from me because I can't handle the smell. I had a moment at work during lunch when a group of guys sat down at the table next to me. It smelled so strongly of "man", that I had to get up and leave. Those are just a few of my funny experiences with this now super smeller nose of mine.
Eyesight
Did you know pregnancy can change your eyesight? Luckily I had been warned about this beforehand. I went to the eye doctor last week and she found that my slight astigmatism moved from my left eye to my right, meaning I had to get a whole new prescription for both eyes with my new contacts. The optometrist said I need to come back after the baby to see if it switches back or stays that way.
Heartburn
Ugh, curse the heartburn, which is only supposed to get worse. I've had it on and off, usually at nights, throughout my whole pregnancy. Liquid Rolaids is my new best friend. I have to be careful with spicy food and tomato based food and pretty much eating anything after dinnertime. However, sometimes the strangest things will set the heartburn off, like granola bars or a piece of fruit. Weird.
Cravings/Food Aversions
I can't say at this point I've had any crazy, strong cravings. I do like getting frosties from Wendy's a lot, but I think that is more to reward myself at the end of the day. :) Also, when I was really sick, peppermint ice cream seemed to sooth my stomach better than anything else. However, because I ate so much of it when I was feeling sick a month or two ago, I can't eat it anymore. The other day I walked into Johnny Rocket's for lunch with a coworker and after smelling the fries, I knew I had to have some. Which is funny, because I haven't been able to handle greasy food very well, which I will discuss below. I would say I have had more food aversions than cravings. This baby does not like Thai or Indian food, so I've had to give up both during pregnancy. The thought makes me gag. I went through a phase where I found poultry disgusting, particularly chicken. I've gotten to the point where I can eat it again, but I still can't cook it. I've taken a liking to fresh fruit and I eat a lot of pears and apples. Generally, fried things and fast food hamburgers gross me out. I've had to get up and leave the room when fast food commercials come on the TV, because the close ups of the food will start making me gag. (So much gagging occurs in my life.)
Emotions
Fertility drugs also messed with my emotions, so I don't know if I've noticed this one significantly, but it is there. Like, if I watch the show "The Voice", I almost always get teared up for those who don't make it to the next round. Commercials make me cry. Oh and I was a basket case during the Olympics. I cried at almost every sport and medal ceremony I watched. (However, Danny did just mention that I always cry at the Olympics, so maybe that isn't something that different.) I'm not one who takes offense too much in life, but I've noticed I do get my feelings hurt more easily now. However, like I said my emotions have been on a bit of a roller coaster for well over a year now, so I don't think this has been a huge change for me and Danny. I was joking with my friend the other day, that I'm not sure I remember how I was before I was hyped up on hormones, because it has been so long.
Movements
I feel like I started feeling the baby a couple of weeks ago, just little flutters and wiggles here and there. The first time was when I was sitting on the couch working on my computer. I did what every girl would do, call her mom. The second time was while Danny and I were at the SLC temple. I later told Danny that our baby "leapt with joy" during our visit there and then laughed really hard at my own joke. Well, it was more of a wiggle than a leap. I felt him the most the other afternoon while sitting at my desk at work. I had eaten a big chocolate chip cookie at a work meeting an hour before and I gchatted with Danny to tell him our child was on a sugar rush, because he was a movin'! I don't feel him every day, but it does seem to becoming more common and is always fun.
Baby Bump
I feel like I started showing a little bump around 7-8 weeks. Granted, I had twins at that point and fertility drugs did cause me to gain weight before becoming pregnant. I did the rubber band trick for a little while with my jeans, but around 12 weeks I bought my first pairs of maternity pants and found out those are pure bliss. My sister Michele let me borrow most of her maternity clothes, which has been heaven sent. I've had a few other friends and family members let me borrow some maternity items as well, which I'm grateful for. I think I really popped out a couple of weeks ago (maybe around week 18) so there is no more question what is going on. Having my tummy grow so fast has been really perplexing. I have to retire more clothes every couple of weeks. I still get confused when random people smile at me and it takes me a second to figure out it is probably because my belly is poking out of my jacket. (Note: none of my jackets or coats zip up anymore.) Since I'm not one who generally enjoys being the center of attention, I tend to go red when someone out of the blue asks me when I'm due or what I'm having. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the caring, but for some reason it still surprises me when people ask. Also, I think the baby bump is starting to cause me to be more off balanced, which I was warned about. I was at H&M the other day and crouched down to check out some sale items on the bottom rack. I fell over backwards onto my bum. So graceful, I know. Good thing there was no one around to see it. Speaking of the baby bump, here are some pics:
Anyway, I'm about halfway there. I hope I haven't sounded too negative in this post. Pregnancy has been an interesting adventure. I get teared up every time I have an ultrasound when I see our little baby moving around inside of me. It just feels so surreal and I know everyone uses "miracle" to describe birth, but honestly, that's what it feels like to me. It is amazing to see how quickly babies progress and grow in the womb. We are looking forward to meeting baby boy when the time comes. Then the real adventure begins!
Morning Sickness
Yes, this definitely exists. I started feeling sick around 5 weeks and I don't feel like it really went away until around 19 weeks. However, I don't know if I can 100% say it is gone, because I still find myself gagging at things every once in awhile and I still can't let myself get hungry or gagging will ensue. I didn't throw up too often. This is mainly because I hate throwing up so much, that I've kind of taught myself how to not throw up. Danny teases me that I have a phobia of regurgitating, this may be true. But almost every time I felt I was going to spew, I was able to hold it off. It usually required me to gag down some type of food in those moments. Gross. Also, I would say I had more evening sickness than morning sickness. If I got up and ate breakfast, I would be fine. However, about the time I left from work is when the sickness would come and it was really hard to combat. I would say weeks 10 - 13 were the worst. I felt nauseous most of the time.
Tiredness
It's funny, I don't think I really noticed the feeling tired part until it past. Part of it, is because feeling tired just kind of mixes in with not feeling well from the morning sickness. And honestly, fertility drugs really wore me down and made me feel tired, so I didn't feel too much of a difference with "pregnancy tired". I have only noticed a difference now that I'm actually feeling some energy come back. Just within the past couple weeks I've noticed that I actually feel like going to and maybe even putting on social gatherings. This is after 3-4 months of laying on the couch. Also, I'm finally doing some chores and cooking again. For months, I would just come home too exhausted after work to do anything and Danny had to take care of most of those things. We have always split up the chores, but he has definitely taken on the bigger load during the pregnancy. (But let's be honest, it's kind of good for him.) I also have to mention how my sweet younger sister, Noelle, has Danny and me over for dinner about once a week, so we get a good home cooked meal. She told me I took care of her when she was little so now it is her turn to take care of me. Aww, so nice. Plus, Noelle is really an amazing cook.
Smells
This is one of the symptoms that I find just bizarre. I don't have super pregnancy nose all the time, but when it hits, it hits hard. I went through a couple days at the beginning of my pregnancy where I thought all of our food had gone bad because it smelled so strong before I figured out what was going on. It's weird, because even nice smells can be incredibly overpowering. Danny was vacuuming up the pine needles from our tree after Christmas and the smell of pine was so overwhelming I had to bury my face in a pillow until he was done. (I didn't want to ask him to stop, because I was happy he was cleaning.) Also, Danny's favorite dish from our Thai food place of choice, now has to be eaten in another room from me because I can't handle the smell. I had a moment at work during lunch when a group of guys sat down at the table next to me. It smelled so strongly of "man", that I had to get up and leave. Those are just a few of my funny experiences with this now super smeller nose of mine.
Eyesight
Did you know pregnancy can change your eyesight? Luckily I had been warned about this beforehand. I went to the eye doctor last week and she found that my slight astigmatism moved from my left eye to my right, meaning I had to get a whole new prescription for both eyes with my new contacts. The optometrist said I need to come back after the baby to see if it switches back or stays that way.
Heartburn
Ugh, curse the heartburn, which is only supposed to get worse. I've had it on and off, usually at nights, throughout my whole pregnancy. Liquid Rolaids is my new best friend. I have to be careful with spicy food and tomato based food and pretty much eating anything after dinnertime. However, sometimes the strangest things will set the heartburn off, like granola bars or a piece of fruit. Weird.
Cravings/Food Aversions
I can't say at this point I've had any crazy, strong cravings. I do like getting frosties from Wendy's a lot, but I think that is more to reward myself at the end of the day. :) Also, when I was really sick, peppermint ice cream seemed to sooth my stomach better than anything else. However, because I ate so much of it when I was feeling sick a month or two ago, I can't eat it anymore. The other day I walked into Johnny Rocket's for lunch with a coworker and after smelling the fries, I knew I had to have some. Which is funny, because I haven't been able to handle greasy food very well, which I will discuss below. I would say I have had more food aversions than cravings. This baby does not like Thai or Indian food, so I've had to give up both during pregnancy. The thought makes me gag. I went through a phase where I found poultry disgusting, particularly chicken. I've gotten to the point where I can eat it again, but I still can't cook it. I've taken a liking to fresh fruit and I eat a lot of pears and apples. Generally, fried things and fast food hamburgers gross me out. I've had to get up and leave the room when fast food commercials come on the TV, because the close ups of the food will start making me gag. (So much gagging occurs in my life.)
Emotions
Fertility drugs also messed with my emotions, so I don't know if I've noticed this one significantly, but it is there. Like, if I watch the show "The Voice", I almost always get teared up for those who don't make it to the next round. Commercials make me cry. Oh and I was a basket case during the Olympics. I cried at almost every sport and medal ceremony I watched. (However, Danny did just mention that I always cry at the Olympics, so maybe that isn't something that different.) I'm not one who takes offense too much in life, but I've noticed I do get my feelings hurt more easily now. However, like I said my emotions have been on a bit of a roller coaster for well over a year now, so I don't think this has been a huge change for me and Danny. I was joking with my friend the other day, that I'm not sure I remember how I was before I was hyped up on hormones, because it has been so long.
Movements
I feel like I started feeling the baby a couple of weeks ago, just little flutters and wiggles here and there. The first time was when I was sitting on the couch working on my computer. I did what every girl would do, call her mom. The second time was while Danny and I were at the SLC temple. I later told Danny that our baby "leapt with joy" during our visit there and then laughed really hard at my own joke. Well, it was more of a wiggle than a leap. I felt him the most the other afternoon while sitting at my desk at work. I had eaten a big chocolate chip cookie at a work meeting an hour before and I gchatted with Danny to tell him our child was on a sugar rush, because he was a movin'! I don't feel him every day, but it does seem to becoming more common and is always fun.
Baby Bump
I feel like I started showing a little bump around 7-8 weeks. Granted, I had twins at that point and fertility drugs did cause me to gain weight before becoming pregnant. I did the rubber band trick for a little while with my jeans, but around 12 weeks I bought my first pairs of maternity pants and found out those are pure bliss. My sister Michele let me borrow most of her maternity clothes, which has been heaven sent. I've had a few other friends and family members let me borrow some maternity items as well, which I'm grateful for. I think I really popped out a couple of weeks ago (maybe around week 18) so there is no more question what is going on. Having my tummy grow so fast has been really perplexing. I have to retire more clothes every couple of weeks. I still get confused when random people smile at me and it takes me a second to figure out it is probably because my belly is poking out of my jacket. (Note: none of my jackets or coats zip up anymore.) Since I'm not one who generally enjoys being the center of attention, I tend to go red when someone out of the blue asks me when I'm due or what I'm having. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the caring, but for some reason it still surprises me when people ask. Also, I think the baby bump is starting to cause me to be more off balanced, which I was warned about. I was at H&M the other day and crouched down to check out some sale items on the bottom rack. I fell over backwards onto my bum. So graceful, I know. Good thing there was no one around to see it. Speaking of the baby bump, here are some pics:
 |
| 14 Weeks. |
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| 18 Weeks. (Note, I took this pic after eating at a big family dinner, so I think I look bigger here then I do in my 20 weeks pic.) |
 |
| 20 Weeks. |
Though some things may be similar, every pregnancy is different too, to remind you that every person is unique. I can identify with your friend, because so many times I loved being pregnant, but I can also identify with the repulsion at even the thought of chicken (when I was pregnant with Becky), and the excitement of the baby leaping in my womb in the temple (with Mary the first time I felt her movement, and with others, picking up the pace whenever I was in a temple session). Whatever it is, it is a miracle, and we are so grateful that you are finally having this miracle in your life.
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