The Preggo Post

Another beginning today. I would like to go back to September 2011.
                   this is going to be a long one.

    Finding out you are pregnant. i'd say 9 times out of 10 youll know. im unsure what the words are to describe it but something in you changes. i know that sounds like a "well yeah" kind of statement but its more than just the tiny creature attaching to your insides and taking over. its a feeling. i know i sound crazy but trust me. i STAYED sick. none of this after 12 weeks youll get relief. i was sick until mothers day. which in case you didnt realize is AFTER she was born. 

**here is the first of many things no one warned me of: 
           you can get so hungry you make yourself sick. PLEASE carry snacks! constantly. a baggie of crackers or chips in your purse is a great way to avoid this. otherwise, if you have luck like me you will go all day without eating and have no access to food outside of a vending machine and no you wont have any change.

anyway...i could go on for days. for those of you who know me, i LOVE a good coke. anytime day or night. there were days i couldnt even stand the sight of them. i think for 2 weeks all i could eat and enjoy was little ceasers cheese pizza and mountain dew. had to be little ceasers. i am aware MD is caffeinated, but when it came down to that or life threatening migranes, you can see what i chose. caffeine is not something, in my opinion, is an absolute necessity to go cold turkey on just because you are pregnant. to each his own but i think there are far more important substances to worry about when it comes to your diet while pregnant. such as folic acid and protein. we will get to that in a bit

one of michaels favorite stories to tell is the one about my hounddog nose, it is practically a super power. we went to wendy's i ordered a jr bacon cheeseburger PLAIN. he gets the bag in his hand gets it just inside the window and i smell lettuce. i say go ahead and send it back its not plain hes of course astonished and not believing me i said fine dont believe me just check it......sure enough, lettuce. michaels response?
                          Im taking you hunting

Nice right? God love him.

**another thing, people told me i would be tired, no one mentioned it would be a tired that i couldnt resist. first trimester, i was so tired i barely made it home from class and in the door before id fall asleep. exhausted constantly.

back to the gist of things! after christmas, sickness was a little better but i still couldnt eat meat. so my precious hubs made me eggs every morning so that i could have energy and take in enough protein. adorable, i know ;) baby girl started reallllllly packing on the pounds literally the week after the wedding. so grateful for that one. she literally popped up over night. trying to get dressed was ALWAYS my biggest battle. still is some days. i was trying to avoid buying maternity clothes if at all possible. they are expensive guys, and you dont wear them very long. 

     GO TO TARGET!!

cutest maternity clothes for the usual target prices! once i caved, i wished i had sooner, a maternity tshirt provided so much more support, i know its still a tshirt and on the hanger it looks no different but really just trust me. another thing i didnt know about or do until march, maternity panties.  JUST DO IT. please. and do it before 30 some odd weeks. my mood elevated by two notches at least. again, they dont look any different. they are annoying now that i am not pregnant any more so i boxed them up bc id grab them by mistake. but when preggo, they are one of the best purchases. 

**this paragraph read at your own risk. this may be offensive to some but this is true and its my experience. 

My only hope in posting this is that it will be useful to some of you and keep you from being too hard on yourself and knowing that you are a good person and mother. Maybe this will even help prevent postpartum in some of you. HAVE FAITH IN YOURSELF. you can do this even if you feel the way i did. You WILL get control of your hormones and it will be ok. give yourself the time you deserve.
 this is one of the biggest adjustments of your life.
yes everyone tells you that and you think you get what they are saying but you dont. i was so lucky to have a close friend in my life telling me its ok its still early. take a breath. let me be that friend to you. dont get down on yourself too early. you can do this!!!!!! 

Ever since i was little, i couldnt wait to be a mommy. pregnancy always seemed like the best thing since sliced bread. eat whatever you want, you glow, everything is perfect, you are growing your baby its beautiful!! all of which is not true. maybe its because i was living in lala land about pregnancy before but i was so surprised but let me help you prepare.

first things first. 

yes it is BEAUTIFUL. 

when you feel those butterflies that you know is your baby moving. it will take your breath away. when you see him or her move your stomach youll be creeped out but in a awesome way. youll love it and not be able to get enough of how amazingly creepy it is that you can see a little person slide across the inside of your body. you will love that feeling and that baby and that responsibility more than anything in the world. it is way more than worth it.

SIDE NOTE: it becomes a totally different love when that same baby is born. it doesnt feel like the same baby. you know it is but it evolves in an instant. more elaboration in the future when i tell you about april 24 :)

however, i was not a gloriously happy pregnant person. Braxton hicks start way earlier than you expect. you cant always eat what ever you want. if you find something that doesnt make you sick there is a major chance it will give you indigestion. you are incredibly clumsy. getting dressed for the grocery store is a hassle. showering is practically a sport. the list goes on.

i felt guilty when i was in a bad mood or so uncomfortable i didnt feel like moving. i felt guilty napping. i felt like i wasnt appreciating how lucky i was to even be pregnant. of course my sweet hubs came to my rescue again. he reminded me that while some people can eat whatever they want and dont have to worry about their baby's size or going to school etc and thats great! they have their own crosses to bear that you may or may not see. i should always be grateful and enjoy our baby but not to guilt myself over bad days or moods. everything in your life will be perfect because you are married and pregnant. to always remember that YOU ARE NOT YOURSELF. best words he could have said. i wasnt just me and i wasnt the only one in my body. its a hormonal battle! yes try to fight try to be happy of course, but its ok that you are cheery or gloriously happy constantly. dont let that get you down. you are not a bad or ungrateful mother (bc yes you are already a mother the minute you see two lines.) 

ENJOY being lazy when you can. ENJOY your naps. Enjoy those hormones as much as you dont want to. youll miss being pregnant, even i do!! 

as i reach the end of my preggo post, i will add the last few weeks and decisions when i post my april 24 post :) so many emotions and words of advice but i feel like this is a good place to stop before the big day of my baby girls arrival.

my last piece of advice for pregnancy (on this post) is 

           make daddy bear talk to your belly. 

he wont want to and at first you wont really want him to. seems odd. but your baby will of course recognize your voice. but it was such a blessing to see her react to his voice. after my c-section i saw her and took our picture etc (save details for tomorrow) and they took her to heater operating room. i could hear her crying and michael walked back over to her after checking on me said "heyyyy its okay" and she stopped. only for a minute or two, until they stuck her and started bothering her again but she stopped. i bet you can guess who started crying then. 

               it was amazing. 

she knew it was him and she stopped and thought hey i know that voice. of course she was a few minutes old she cried again. but the fact that his voice got her attention even if just for a minute made all the difference. for the two of us, having the feeling that our child knew her feet hurt or she was cold but she was not alone, gave us so much peace. 

love you all thanks for stopping by! see you soon :)