We recently arrived home from a fabulous Disney trip, and I’m working on a very detailed review for those interested.
But for today, I’d like to take a moment to complain about pregnancy. All right, not really complain, but “be real” about it. If you’re a man, or a young woman who has yet to experience pregnancy, you might not want to keep reading.
My first pregnancy, I started off overweight, I gained an exorbitant amount of weight overall, I developed carpal tunnel syndrome which made sleeping and working in my graphic design job nearly unbearable, and I had swollen ankles. Cankles. Gross. I also experienced some back pain. Looking back on it now, it would probably have been beneficial to contact a chiropractic for pregnancy.
After labor and delivery, it was again almost unbearable to nurse my little peapod because my wrists wouldn’t function properly because of the carpal tunnel. I was miserable. I began pumping so little Boo would reap the benefits of breastmilk, and that was awful, too! My boobs were the size of Mt. Everest (literally) and I could barely even hold him because they were so tender.
So this time around I vowed to myself (and my husband) several different things. First, I would not gain an insane amount of weight. I was miserable before I was pregnant, I was miserable during pregnancy and I was miserable for a year and a half after pregnancy — all because of weight. This time I started at a normal weight with a normal BMI, I was and have continued to run, and my weight gain has been slow and under control.
Second thing I wanted to do differently was drink water. I drank water the first time around but because I sat at a desk for eight hours a day I never felt thirsty. Drinking water became kind of a chore. This time I am busy, I have a preschooler to chase after, and I’m very physically active. So chugging glass-fulls of water has been no problem. My wrists are becoming increasingly tingly but I’m hopeful that it won’t progress much. And if it does, I guess I’m prepared this time.
Third thing to change is the nursing vs. pumping battle. If for some reason this little baby comes and I have any problems nursing whatsoever, I will not hesitate to go directly to formula. Is it ideal? No. Is it expensive? Yes. But I felt like I wasted so much snuggle time with Boo because of my pumping every second of every day, and I frankly don’t want to miss out a second time around. I’ve also done a lot more reading this time around as I don’t think I was fully prepared last time. Articles like; how to prepare for childbirth are easing my mind somewhat as I know what the plan is this time.
If this is indeed a girl, we are done. No more kids for us. And honestly, if it’s a boy, we probably won’t have another one anyway. Why? My body is wrecked.
Last pregnancy I was met with many odd afflictions and this time is no exception. Instead of cankles and weight gain, I’m now dealing with painful and unsightly varicose veins. And not just any varicose veins. Varicose veins in places they shouldn’t be! What started as a little swelling has since turned into so much swelling and pain that sometimes it’s hard to pee! When we planned our Disney trip I hadn’t experienced any veins or swelling. But as the trip neared, it was evident that something was going on. At my doctor’s appointment before our trip (about a month before), she suggested I purchase this lovely contraption called the Prenatal Cradle to hold up my uterus as it was probably putting a lot of pressure on my parts. At the time I never felt heavy or that it was added pressure, so the week before my trip I opted for a simple supporter from Pea in the Pod. It was small, and seemed like it would do the trick. I didn’t wear it until after we spent an entire day roaming the grounds of Epcot Center. I thought that for the next three days it would be pretty important to keep the swelling down and support my ever-growing belly.
Well it turns out that this darn band didn’t do anything. The drive home from Orlando (16 hours total) was slightly unpleasant. We took breaks every couple of hours, mainly because either Boo or I had to pee, and it didn’t seem too bad. But the days following have been hellacious. I had take the week prior to the trip off from running as I was sick with an extremely bad head cold and didn’t want to make it worse, and then the week of the trip we were slowly meandering the parks, waiting in line, standing for hours on end. So when I got back I thought to myself, “Selfie, you need to get your butt back on the treadmill and get some blood pumping.”
I don’t know what’s worse! Just sitting around and letting the blood pool and swell, or running and letting the blood pump and then pool and swell. Ugh.
I’ve run twice since we’ve arrived home. I have since ordered a lovely contraption (almost as cool as the Prenatal Cradle) called the V2 Supporter. It’s a female jock strap. It better work. I also added some compression hose to the order. I’m really counting on these items to control the pain. This is ridiculous. I mean, apparently these varicose veins aren’t uncommon especially during a second pregnancy, but my gosh do they make life uncomfortable. I guess it helps that I’m not alone but I still have yet to meet anyone else who has experienced this lovely side effect of pregnancy.
Yesterday I was out with a fever of unknown origin (literally, I have no idea why I had a fever) and was supposed to run today, but I thought better of it and took the day off. I woke up with my parts and veins throbbing. Where is my V2 Supporter?!
You know what else has been hard this pregnancy? I’ve been sick at least once a month. And not just like a little runny nose. Pregnancy hormones cause congestion, so when I’ve gotten a cold, it has been so bad that I can’t breathe or sleep at night. Last pregnancy I didn’t take any drugs. This time around I’ve taken Benadryl and Tylenol more times than I care to know.
Anyways, so that’s my pregnancy in a nutshell. This little girl is so low in my uterus that sometimes it feels like she’s kicking my leg. It’s so weird. Boo was way up high, right next to my sternum. There were several “races” that I was planning on doing this spring, even though I’m pregnant. I’m starting to wonder if I need to reel in the running agenda and sign up for some after Munchkin arrives.
I hope I didn’t scare anyone off from having kids. They really are cute. And funny as hell. So it’s totally worth it. It just stinks being pregnant. Feeling the baby kick is a really great feeling, too. I wish I were one of those ladies who was all like, “Yay! I love being pregnant! I feel so happy!”
SMH.
Ah, a day in the life…
