This was me about a MONTH before I was due with my son. Which means I got bigger than this. A lot bigger. I actually stopped taking pictures because I didn’t want to be aware of how big I was getting. It’s not good when you enter the bathroom and utter, “Oh, my Jesus,” every time you see yourself in the mirror. Pregnancy, for me at least, was hell. I had morning sickness (which should be called all-the-damn-time sickness) from the day before I peed on the stick until I checked into the hospital for my scheduled C-section. Just for good measure, I vomited for the last time as we were getting dressed that morning. It was so bad that I woke up vomiting. As in, I was sleeping peacefully and the urge to vomit forced me awake, spewing vomit everywhere on my mad dash to the bathroom. Not so fun at 3 a.m. (And I know you’re glad you have the visual in your head. You’re welcome.) Then came the fact that I, for whatever reason, have big babies. As someone who only tops five feet when she’s wearing heels, I had the doctors all perplexed. When I went in to my seven month checkup, the doctors told me the baby weighed six and a half pounds. SIX AND A HALF POUNDS!!!! And I had months to go. Oy. I was extremely uncomfortable and the fact that my son basically ran out of room at about eight months just made it worse. All the squirming and wiggling he did would literally make my belly jump around and people would slowly back away from me like he was going to make his appearance at any moment through my belly. Perfect strangers would ask, “Are you okay? You look very uncomfortable. When exactly is your due date?” While I’ll tell anyone who asks that I hated being pregnant, it was only after my kids made their appearance that I began to marvel at what my body had done. I would tickle their fingers and think, “Holy crap, I made that!” I’ll gaze at my kids and see how eerily similar they look and think, “Wow, my husband’s genes are so strong.” It wasn’t until after the fact that I began to appreciate the act of being pregnant. So this one is for all the pregnant ladies: Even though your feet hurt, your back aches and you can’t get comfortable enough to sleep, know that you are performing a miracle. It might suck or you might love it immensely. Either way, you are truly blessed! Share your pregnancy story. Did you love it? Hate it? Felt so-so? Let it loose in the comments!
Ooohweee, u sure u ready for this? Lol. Let’s see:
– I spent a total of 16 weeks on bed rest and 50 of those days were spent trapped in a hospital.
– I got trans-vaginal ultrasounds from 14 weeks until I delieved @ 36 weeks I had to have weekly, sometime bi-weekly
– I had to have a painful amniocentisis
– I had to have a stitch put around my cervix
– I had to get a weekly hormone shot to keep my uterus relaxed
– I had to inject myself with Heparin twice a day which I can still see the bruises on my leg from the injection sites…that ish was painful!
– I also had to inject myself with insulin twice daily. So that’s 29 injections per week, unless I was in the hospital and they gave me more insulin
– I had horrible “morning” sickness and got a stomach virus twice…within a matter of weeks.
– I had to get 2 painful steriod shots for his lungs
I could keep going here but I won’t. Needless to say, I did not get to enjoy being pregnant. Only thing I liked is that I only gained 5 pounds and lost over 20 when we was born! I couldn’t enjoy wearing maternity tops to show off my nice round belly to the world b.c most of the time I was in a hospital gown or in bed. I didn’t get a chance to go to a lamaze class and experience what that was like, etc.
The crazy thing is that even after all that, I do miss being pregnant. Because I was so high risk I got to see my son and hear his heartbeat all the time. I miss having a hard round belly to rub on instead of this blubber I now have. I miss him being inside of me, rubbing on him, talking to him, when the kicks weren’t severe, etc. We will never have that type closeness again. I guess that’s why I like to cuddle with him at night or can’t let him spend the night away from me yet.
I watch my son a lot when he sleeps and just stare at him. I look at all his lil parts and think, “wow…u were once really inside me and I CREATED you”! If that isn’t one of the most fasinating things in the WORLD then idk what is. But no matter how much I miss those things, lets be clear: [In Chris Tucker’s voice] I will neva, eva, eva, eva, eva, eva have another child and go through that again!!!!!!!
Great post Young Mommy. I may have to come back to this and comment once I deliver the little peanut. Over the last nine months, I have had a great pregnancy. I am so lucky and blessed.
But now I’m scared that I’ll make up for an amazing pregnancy with a very long and painful delivery. It’s definitely keeping me up at night!! Will definitely let the blog world know when it does happen.
~ humps
Yep. I had hard ones too. My first one had me on bedrest for the first 5 months. Hard to do bedrest when you have to keep getting up to vomit. All-day sickness, faintheadedness, belly-button pain (which sounds hilarious, but it hurt like hell)…all of that. Second baby had me sick all the time, for almost all my pregancy. There are still some foods I can’t eat because of how it felt when I threw them up. And that was back in 2004. She was 11 days late. I’m small and skinny, but I make monster-sized babies. I remember the doctor kept saying I was measuring small, and I was like, “trust me, the baby isn’t small”. In fact, the second one was 8 lb. 5 oz. and the doctor had the nerve to tell me after delivering her, “You have a deep pelvic cavity, you’re made for babies. You should have more.” ARE YOU CRAZY?! Throw in postpartum depression and both kids having extreme colic and I don’t know how I’m sane enough to still be here. But, they are the best things that ever happened to me, and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything!
Awww, I love looking at baby bumps and stalking women while they breastfeed, lol. Before you call the cops and report me, just know that the lovely hospital where I delivered, which is suppose to be ALL about breastfeeding, gave my beautiful bundle of joy NIPPLE CONFUSION. I could have seriously hurt the entire hospital, but instead I sat there in my hospital bed and just cried and watch one nurse “accidently” pour out my breast milk TWICE. Bitch!…
Oh yeah, this is supposed to be about pregnancy stories/experiences, lol…
I really enjoyed being pregnant. I had no morning sickness, I didn’t get very big, which was a problem for other pregnant moms as they kept asking me if I was sure that I was as far along as I’d said AND by scaring me half to death that something must be wrong with my kid, and I never went into labor. I just walked in and came out four days later with my little girl.
Wait, don’t start hatin’ yet because as lovely as that sounds, I also…
-was hospitalized at 29 weeks for 4 days with a kidney infection and had to pass a kidney stone! I’d say that kinda makes up for never having experienced contractions because kidney stones are no joke, owie!
-had depression so bad throughout my whole pregnancy that I considered killing myself or her father, lol. I was gonna have to be one of us dammit!
-had trouble relating to the baby I was carrying until the middle of my pregnancy. I thought it was super silly to read to my belly at first, but I got over it.
And just like all of you mommies I wouldn’t trade the experience or my daughter for anything in the entire universe. In fact, I can’t wait to be pregnant again. So much so that if they manufactured sperm in a lab I’d be first in line to get knocked up, haha.
I enjoyed both of my pregnancies with my girls (and so far this 3rd one is easy breasy as well, with little symptoms). I’ve never had bad morning sickness as long as I kept food in my stomach, didn’t have complications, relatively easy and uneventful deliveries, etc.
The worst part is now small I am (like you, not even 5 foot) and how big my babies are (both of those factors apparently run in my family). My belly gets painfully HUGE because it has no where to go, to the point I can’t drive after about 8 months because I can’t fit in behind the wheel. And oh, how the belly brings the backaches and heart burn, which results in little sleep. But really, that’s the extent of my complaints. I’ve been sooo lucky.
I’m only 5 or 6 weeks now and while I’m excited about experiencing pregnancy again (because it’s amazing and beautiful aspects far out weigh the issues), I do dread those last 2 months especially while going to school full time! Last time I was able to take the last month of high school off and the last month of work off, so I’m not sure how I will manage this. Oy.
Anyways, great topic! Just how big was your baby boy when he was delivered?
wow! only women are built to handle the joys and pains of pregnancy…
with my oldest, i missed my whole first trimester (long story) and i was underweight so i had to do some catching up with my weight. i had a subchorionic hemorrage & i was on bedrest from week 26 to week 37, got the “sugars” a.k.a. gestational diabetes so i had to have this wack strict diet. (but i had some people sneak me foods i liked every now and then, lol)
and as you know, we were expecting twins really soon and they came last thursday. but before they did, i was on bedrest since february. my stomach was stretched to capacity to the point where i now have minor burns that i’m nursing as we speak. my body couldnt handle all of the baby weight, fluid, etc. they were good sizes and my doc said i was hours within rupturing if he had not delivered them when he did cuz my body just couldnt handle anymore and i was thinning out. but besides that, i was in the hospital since last tuesday to stop my contractions and i was going home thursday when they strated up again. they put me back on i.v. meds to stop them for the 3rd time, but it didnt take AND i had a reaction to it. my skin turned bright red, i broke out in hives, and was on FIRE!!!! i also have minor burns from that as well….but they are here, are beautiful and doing well. trust and believe tho, ABSOLUTELY, POSTIVELY NO MORE BABIES FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!
WOW! You just wrote my story. I’m 5’1 and gained between 50-60lbs with all three of my pregnancies. I was sooooo uncomfortable. My pelvis hurt like hell, I couldn’t sit, walk, sleep, anything. but i was on bedrest. NIGHTMARE!!
Why you gotta make me feel bad for complaining? LOL. I know you had a horrible pregnancy – I think that’s why your son is such a sweetie pie kid – PLUS he looks just like you!
@Leah – Aww, you have no idea how happy am I for you! I didn’t like pregnancy not one bit (well, except for the eating desserts part) but I LOVE pregnant women. Y’all are sooo cute!! I can’t wait to hear updates! And going to school while pregnant always sucks. I remember having to sit sideways in the desk and if a pen rolled off onto the floor? Oh, well, it would just have to stay there! LOL. But you’ll do fine I’m sure. Such a good mommy!
@Leah – Duh, I didn’t answer your question! He was a 9-pounder! My daughter was 8 pounds, 5 ounces.
@Ms. Bar B – No, morning sickness, huh?
*putting “Ms. Bar B on my list of mama’s who are gonna hear it from me*
Oh, wait, you passed a kidney stone?
*erasing her name off the list*
Never mind! LOL.
@ Kaye – Reading your comment made me realize I had forgetten some of the symptoms. I guess you really do forget, huh? I had that faintheadness stuff a lot and this babe also gave me heart palpupitations, as well.
Doctors really have no clue when it comes to the size of babies, do they? Mine kept saying, “Don’t worry, the baby’s measuring right on the money. Eight pounds, tops.” Um, yeah. (I LOVE my doctor though, don’t get me wrong.)
But they are miraculous little beings aren’t they? I’m so glad I had ’em!
@Humps – Don’t think because you had a great pregnancy (argh!! LOL) that you will have a sucky labor. One has nothing to do with the other. Whatever happens, you will be fine!
But the best thing about labor is that it doesn’t last forever, whereas I feel like pregnancy drags on and on. That’s the only thing that got me through labor with my daughter. I kept thinking, “Well, that’s one less contraction. One minute closer. One hour closer….” And so on and so on. You’ll make it through and then we can trade labor stories. (Trust me, I won’t scar you with mine just yet!)
@Mrs. W – Awww!!! The twins are here! Congrats!