I love being pregnant. I really do! I love and enjoy pregnancy. After I had Ginny, I missed being pregnant and couldn't wait to do it again. The reason I love being pregnant is knowing that I have a little life growing inside of me. Feeling the baby move inside of me only makes it better.
However, I would not say that pregnancy has been all fabulous or that I have had easy pregnancies. In fact, pregnancy is not glamorous and not always fun.
I do find that when finding out you are pregnant, you "know" that there will be rough spots at the beginning but figure it will be a piece of cake after that. If you have had a baby, then you know that isn't necessarily true. If you have never been pregnant (and especially if you plan to become pregnant someday) there are some things that you don't realize until you get there. Surprising and sometimes unpleasant things. If you plan to be a mom someday, I encourage you to read The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy. Not only is the book funny, but it does prepare you in a way that isn't frightening.
My blog may not be quite as entertaining as the book, but I thought I would share my wisdom/experiences and what I faced through my last 2 pregnancies.
Morning Sickness:
Morning sickness is a misnomer. It doesn't just happen in the morning. For me, I would get sick after brushing my teeth (before eating breakfast). There is nothing quite like "losing" acid every morning. Then, I would be sick in the late afternoon and evening...unable to keep down dinner.
Additionally, morning sickness is NOT just a first trimester experience. Once you enter the 2nd trimester, it doesn't magically go away. It may start to taper, but it can last a few weeks into that 2nd tri. With Ginny, my morning sickness lasted until I was around 34 weeks along...way into the 3rd trimester. I "lucked" out this time around and was only sick until the 24th week.
That being said, there are some women who don't get morning sickness. These women infuriate me, in some ways. How can I be tortured so but they avoid it? My sister was one of those women. Grrr! However, at the same time, after 3 miscarriages, I found morning sickness to be reassuring. Weird, I know.
Extra Saliva, otherwise known as Drool:
It is a known fact that women, when pregnant, will often deal with the production of excess saliva. Apparently, women who suffer morning sickness are MORE likely to have this issue than women who don't get sick. The extra saliva can be fine when you are awake, but for me, it always gets bad when I'm sleeping. I am not normally a sleeping drooler, but while pregnant, I have found that drool is something I deal with....constantly. It is quite annoying.
Ouch...Don't Touch My Girls!
I have found that during pregnancy that my "girls" (i.e., my boobs) seem to become possessed. Apparently every woman has a different experience with this. I'm naturally large busted. While my "girls" did grow during pregnancy (and more so with BFing), they weren't especially sensitive during the first couple of months. Some women deal with a lot more pain early on than I did. However, what I deal with has been random pulsing and pain in one boob or the other at odd times. The worst is when I'm at Mass at I have a particularly painful twinge. That is not the time to call out in pain. Now that I have a toddler, I find myself defending my "girls" a lot. My lovely daughter has a tendency to kick one or both of the "girls" when I am changing her diaper or even she decides it is a good time to climb me when playing (her elbows are wicked weapons).
Spotting:
Spotting, quite frankly, freaks me out. I hate it. I have read that it is normal for women to spot. Before I got pregnant with Ginny, though, I lost 3 babies. With 2 of the pregnancies, spotting was a sign that I was losing the babies.
But....I did have "normal" spotting while pregnant with Ginny, in particular. Some women have very sensitive cervixes. I was one of these women. If I got an internal exam from my OB, I would spot. If I had intimate relations with my DH, I would spot. If you spot, discuss all your options with your doctor and let them know right away.
The Cervical Trampoline:
Speaking of the cervix, I did a lot of reading about what to expect as a pregnant woman. One thing I never read was how my cervix might someday turn into a trampoline for my unborn child. It was shocking (literally) and unexpected the first time it happened. My daughter, Ginny, kicked or stomped on my cervix (obviously, from the inside) a handful of times. It feels a bit like lightening and will stop you in your tracks the first time it happens (if it happens to you). I'm currently 8 1/2 months pregnant. This baby has acted like my cervix is a trampoline. I have gone through 2-3 hour time periods where she seems to be jumping up and down on it. Not fun.
Asthmatics, Beware:
One of the biggest struggles I have dealt with in both pregnancies is with my asthma. I was diagnosed with asthma when I was around 8 years old. Before getting pregnant, my asthma was completely under control. After, well, not so much. I didn't know this at the time, but approximately 1/3 of asthmatic women who become pregnant will have their asthma worsen. The good news is that 1/3 get better and 1/3 stay the same. I just happen to fall under that 1/3 group that got worse. I have had to go on additional medications to make sure my asthma stays under control and that my baby gets the air it needs. I look forward to giving birth so that I can get off the additional meds. :)
Where is the Bathroom? And Why Did I Have to Sneeze?
Throughout each pregnancy, I have found that it is important to always be aware of the closest bathroom. Beginning to the end of the pregnancy. It becomes even more important toward the end as your baby is likely to be pressing against your bladder constantly. Currently, if I am sitting I am usually fine, but the moment I stand up, I have to run to the bathroom. If I hear water running, I have to run to the bathroom. If the baby is particularly active, you got it....running to the bathroom. My daughter Ginny loved to kick my bladder, especially when I would stand at Mass.
The other issue along this line is sneezing (and laughing or coughing, etc.). Practice those Kegel exercises throughout your pregnancy. They will help you out, trust me. If I know I'm about to sneeze or cough, I apply those exercises to prevent any "accidents" from occurring. It gets worse the further along you go. From what I understand, it keeps being an issue once you are done having kids. Oh joy.
In Conclusion
While pregnancy may not be glamorous or fun (and I haven't mentioned the new pains you may have, the issues with the sciatic nerve you may face, or the inability to bend over), it is worth every thing you go through. For some reason, I love being pregnant despite all the crap I described above. Right now, my little one is dancing inside of me. I love "playing" with her a bit and feeling that movement. I love knowing that she will be in my arms soon. And, I imagine I will miss being pregnant again. Insane? Maybe, but a blessing I am quite thankful for.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Little Girls Don't Wear Red or Orange: Another Reason I Hate Shopping
I hate shopping!
It is true. I am not your stereotypical female. I do not like shopping, and never really have.
There are a few exceptions though. I don't mind grocery stores, garage sales, antique shops, and quirky, fun stores or even tourist trap shops. However, I am not one who can wander around for hours looking at every little thing. I am one who knows at a glance if I like anything. If I don't, I move on.
Just because I'm not a fan of shopping, though, doesn't mean I'm not good at it. I am quite good at finding decent deals and saving some money. After all, years ago I was a department manager at a Macy's. I know what to look for now.
I did have hope that having a child would have me enjoy shopping more. What could be more fun than shopping for cute clothes for your adorable little one? However, I still do not find shopping fun. In fact, if anything, I find it MORE frustrating and aggravating than ever. Quite frankly, I often finish shopping for my daughter pissed off.
Several months ago, I vented on the obsession of stores with selling pink and princess stuff for little girls. It is often difficult to escape this retail push to buy everything pink and purple for a baby girl (or even a toddler or a little girl). Don't get me wrong, I like pink and purple just fine. Ginny has quite a few things in these colors that I have picked up for her. However, I like the idea of having color variety in her wardrobe. Ginny looks pretty fabulous in orange, yellow, and red as well as a few non-pink and pastel colors.
When I shop for clothes for Ginny, I look for a variety of colors and styles. It is kind of amusing that if you buy something in red or blue or even brown, it will have pink or purple on it, somewhere (even though most reds don't go well with pink or purple). I can deal with that to a degree. However, I've recently hit a wall of frustration in trying to find socks and accessories in colors other than pastels, pinks, or purples. It infuriates me when all I want is a cute barrette or even a pair of cute socks in the color red, but they don't sell that for girls. They don't sell those items in green, blue, orange, or even yellow most of the time.
I spent an afternoon looking for those items in those colors and found nothing on the girls' clothing side of the aisles. All I could find were pastels and each had a hint of , you guessed it, pink. Grrr!! I eventually found some socks in those colors, but the socks were not cute. They were basic and solid, which is fine, and they were in the boys' clothing section. Not one hair accessory was available in those colors though. Not one.
Do store buyers really believe that girls don't wear colors other than pinks, purples, and pastels?? Do they not realize that other colors exist for girls? They must not, or they must believe they won't sell enough. They have gotten so in the habit of only selling those colors they don't realize the sales are good, not because of the colors, but because the choices are limited.
Until stores offer more color variety, I find myself, once again, hating shopping. Ugh.
It is true. I am not your stereotypical female. I do not like shopping, and never really have.
There are a few exceptions though. I don't mind grocery stores, garage sales, antique shops, and quirky, fun stores or even tourist trap shops. However, I am not one who can wander around for hours looking at every little thing. I am one who knows at a glance if I like anything. If I don't, I move on.
Just because I'm not a fan of shopping, though, doesn't mean I'm not good at it. I am quite good at finding decent deals and saving some money. After all, years ago I was a department manager at a Macy's. I know what to look for now.
I did have hope that having a child would have me enjoy shopping more. What could be more fun than shopping for cute clothes for your adorable little one? However, I still do not find shopping fun. In fact, if anything, I find it MORE frustrating and aggravating than ever. Quite frankly, I often finish shopping for my daughter pissed off.
Several months ago, I vented on the obsession of stores with selling pink and princess stuff for little girls. It is often difficult to escape this retail push to buy everything pink and purple for a baby girl (or even a toddler or a little girl). Don't get me wrong, I like pink and purple just fine. Ginny has quite a few things in these colors that I have picked up for her. However, I like the idea of having color variety in her wardrobe. Ginny looks pretty fabulous in orange, yellow, and red as well as a few non-pink and pastel colors.
When I shop for clothes for Ginny, I look for a variety of colors and styles. It is kind of amusing that if you buy something in red or blue or even brown, it will have pink or purple on it, somewhere (even though most reds don't go well with pink or purple). I can deal with that to a degree. However, I've recently hit a wall of frustration in trying to find socks and accessories in colors other than pastels, pinks, or purples. It infuriates me when all I want is a cute barrette or even a pair of cute socks in the color red, but they don't sell that for girls. They don't sell those items in green, blue, orange, or even yellow most of the time.
I spent an afternoon looking for those items in those colors and found nothing on the girls' clothing side of the aisles. All I could find were pastels and each had a hint of , you guessed it, pink. Grrr!! I eventually found some socks in those colors, but the socks were not cute. They were basic and solid, which is fine, and they were in the boys' clothing section. Not one hair accessory was available in those colors though. Not one.
Do store buyers really believe that girls don't wear colors other than pinks, purples, and pastels?? Do they not realize that other colors exist for girls? They must not, or they must believe they won't sell enough. They have gotten so in the habit of only selling those colors they don't realize the sales are good, not because of the colors, but because the choices are limited.
Until stores offer more color variety, I find myself, once again, hating shopping. Ugh.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Adventure at the Zoo
I enjoy living in the Midwest. The temperatures are perfect, except summer when I'm miserable and hot. :) The only big downside to living up here is that it puts me 1,000 miles away from my immediate family who all still live in Florida (I moved back up here over 3 years ago when I married my DH). I'm lucky that I have mobile parents who do come up to visit us fairly regularly. We try to make a trip down to Florida every 9-12 months or so. So, basically, we only see my sister, her husband, and my niece and nephew only once a year. :( A real bummer.
However, this year is an exception. My sister and her family flew up from Florida so she could attend her 20th high school reunion in St. Charles, Missouri. On Sunday, my family and I drove down to St. Louis to meet up with her. We were excited at having this additional opportunity to visit with my sister and her family.
The day started off great and almost destined to be good. As soon as we got off the exit to go to Imo's Pizza (awesome St. Louis-style pizza), I realized my sister was behind us at the light. What timing!! We had an enjoyable lunch at Imo's. My niece, Kendall (6), and nephew, Carson (5), were as energetic as usual. Kendall and Carson were thrilled to see Ginny again. They hadn't seen her since early June and were astounded at how much bigger she was. Kendall and Carson call Ginny "Baby Ginny." Their mom wonders how old Ginny will be when they drop that name for her. Otherwise, we caught up on their trip so far and how my sister's reunion went.
After lunch, we headed over to the St. Louis Zoo! I honestly adore this zoo. The location is beautiful, being in Forest Park. It is one of the best zoos out there, I think. Part of the reason I love it is because it is free to enter. Parking, on the other hand, can be free if you are lucky enough to find a parallel parking spot. However, finding one of those after lunch on a Sunday is nearly impossible so we didn't even try and paid for parking.
When we first walked into the zoo, DH went to change Ginny's diaper. I had planned on changing it at Imo's but there was no place to change a diaper there. Sigh. While Ginny's diaper was being changed, Kendall and Carson got their faces painted for the day. They looked lovely! From there we enjoyed looking at all the animals and spending time together as a family.
Kendall and Carson are really good cousins (Ginny has lucked out in the cousin department on both sides of her family). They spent time talking to Ginny and playing with her. Carson was especially attentive to Ginny. He would even walk beside her when she was in her stroller to help keep her company. Ginny didn't seem to notice the bigger animals, but seemed to enjoy the small ones, especially the monkeys and prairie dogs.
We did let Ginny get out of her stroller on occasion to toddle around. She was thrilled and often tried to "run" more than walk. It gave her a thrill to be out, about, and free. However, as any parent to a toddler knows, a toddler is not a pro at walking and tends to fall. Ginny was going down a bit of a hill and fell forward a bit, catching herself with her hands. Unfortunately, she rubbed her head along the pavement and scratched her head up a bit...ending up with a bruise as well. :( She was not upset, and this seemed to upset Carson too. He kept saying, "It's my fault." He had been walking with her and blamed himself. I reassured him that it wasn't his fault and accidents happen, especially with toddlers. Ginny didn't let the bump and bruise get her down for long and enjoyed the rest of the day.
We left the zoo after being there for about 4 hours and headed to Soulard to meet up with my Aunt Carol and Uncle Keith for dinner at McGurk's. Again, our timing was perfect. We all got to the restaurant, after parking in various locations, at the same time. Wild. We ate outside in the garden and had a lovely time. It was becoming quite clear, though, that Ginny was tired and done for the day. Ginny has a great disposition and is usually all smiles, but she was getting frustrated quicker than normal. My Aunt Carol kept her entertained so Ginny made it through just fine (Thanks, Aunt Carol!).
Once dinner ended, we all said our goodbyes. Chris, Ginny, and I needed to head home. When we got to the car, Chris changed Ginny's diaper and put her in her PJs. We made one stop for gas (after all, it is 20 cents cheaper in St. Louis than where we live in Illinois), then hit the road. Ginny fell asleep in minutes.
Today has been a day of recovery. Being 8 1/2 months pregnant, walking around a zoo for 4 hours is quite tiring. My plan has been to take it easy all day. Ginny, on the other hand, has been cranky most of the day. She is still tired from yesterday. Not only did she have a lot of activity, but she didn't get her usual 3-hour nap in for the day either. But, I would say, despite all that, the day was well worth it. I'm so glad that we got to spend time with my sister and her family. I wouldn't change that for the world.
However, this year is an exception. My sister and her family flew up from Florida so she could attend her 20th high school reunion in St. Charles, Missouri. On Sunday, my family and I drove down to St. Louis to meet up with her. We were excited at having this additional opportunity to visit with my sister and her family.
The day started off great and almost destined to be good. As soon as we got off the exit to go to Imo's Pizza (awesome St. Louis-style pizza), I realized my sister was behind us at the light. What timing!! We had an enjoyable lunch at Imo's. My niece, Kendall (6), and nephew, Carson (5), were as energetic as usual. Kendall and Carson were thrilled to see Ginny again. They hadn't seen her since early June and were astounded at how much bigger she was. Kendall and Carson call Ginny "Baby Ginny." Their mom wonders how old Ginny will be when they drop that name for her. Otherwise, we caught up on their trip so far and how my sister's reunion went.
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| Ginny and I at the zoo entrance waiting on Kendall & Carson. |
When we first walked into the zoo, DH went to change Ginny's diaper. I had planned on changing it at Imo's but there was no place to change a diaper there. Sigh. While Ginny's diaper was being changed, Kendall and Carson got their faces painted for the day. They looked lovely! From there we enjoyed looking at all the animals and spending time together as a family.
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| Ginny with her cousins Carson (in blue) and Kendall (in white) looking at the Red River Hog. |
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| Ginny toddling with her Aunt Amy and cousin Kendall. |
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| Carson making sure that Ginny had company |
We left the zoo after being there for about 4 hours and headed to Soulard to meet up with my Aunt Carol and Uncle Keith for dinner at McGurk's. Again, our timing was perfect. We all got to the restaurant, after parking in various locations, at the same time. Wild. We ate outside in the garden and had a lovely time. It was becoming quite clear, though, that Ginny was tired and done for the day. Ginny has a great disposition and is usually all smiles, but she was getting frustrated quicker than normal. My Aunt Carol kept her entertained so Ginny made it through just fine (Thanks, Aunt Carol!).
Once dinner ended, we all said our goodbyes. Chris, Ginny, and I needed to head home. When we got to the car, Chris changed Ginny's diaper and put her in her PJs. We made one stop for gas (after all, it is 20 cents cheaper in St. Louis than where we live in Illinois), then hit the road. Ginny fell asleep in minutes.
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| Ginny with her bruised & scratched forehead, clearly a bit cranky. |
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