Let’s just get something straight from the start. I had a love/hate relationship with pregnancy. As you can see in the picture above, I grew tremendously during my pregnancy, close to a whopping 60 pounds. I’ve never told anyone that, so you’re welcome. And just so you know, I’m 5′ 2″ with about a two-inch torso (Okay, so I exaggerate, but you get what I’m saying). Seriously, I looked like a…I don’t even know, but it wasn’t normal-looking. My uncontrollable eating is one of the things I probably should have had more control over, but you win some, you lose some. Today, I’d love to share with you what my pregnancy experience was like and what I’d do differently next time. (If there is a next time. I can still feel my back ache just by looking at that picture. Yikes.)
Let’s start at the very beginning, shall we?
This was probably one of the sweetest days of my married life. In May of 2012, after a year-and-a-half of being married, we decided that we would go ahead and start “trying” to get pregnant. At the end of May, I had taken a pregnancy test (the week before this positive test), and it came back with a negative result. A week later, Aunt Flo still hadn’t shown up so I took another test on June 5. Tah dah! In the blink of an eye, my entire world changed. Of course I cried tears of happiness, and since I was by myself at the time, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I squealed, paced back and forth, talked to Chapman in doggy language, and gave myself a pep talk that I was in fact ready for this journey to start. Once MJ arrived home that day, I told him I had a surprise for him, showed him the ever-so-lovely positive stick, and his reaction and smile will forever be in my memory. We then made our phone calls to our family because we just couldn’t hold in our excitement and swore them to secrecy since I was only a day pregnant. We ended that evening by going out to eat to celebrate with mock-tails. It was perfect.
We were extremely blessed to get pregnant so easily. I have so many friends who have struggled (some still struggle) to conceive. I, being the worry wart that I am, thought that at 30, I would run into some hiccups as well. That was nowhere near the case. I am so thankful to God for His plan of letting me be Charlotte’s mama and having the ability to conceive without any problems.
The first trimester was a good one. I had minimal discomfort, but I swore I could feel swelling from the get-go. My sister thought I was a drama queen. A week after we found out that I was pregnant, I took a trip to New York with my sister and dad. My feet hurt so badly after walking around the city, but I’m sure they would’ve hurt badly even if I wasn’t pregnant, so maybe my sister was right. Just don’t tell her that.
Looking back, I feel like I was sticking my stomach out, but I really wasn’t. It did indeed look like I had just eaten too much, but Charlotte was growing as fast as she could in that little body of mine. I battled a tiny bit of nausea, but I never once threw up. I craved all things sweet, making MJ run out to get me Strawberry Quick and Eggo waffles. The only real symptom I battled was just being so tired all the time. Thank heavens it was summer, and I was on my break from teaching. I watched more TV than I feel comfortable to admit, but I really felt like I couldn’t do anything else. That first trimester is when I went research crazy and tried to learn everything about pregnancy and having a baby. I mentioned in my Pregnancy Must-Haves post that I loved my pregnancy journal. It’s been fun to look back and see what was going through my head every step of the way. I’m sure one day Charlotte will enjoy looking at it, too. I started that journal at 11 weeks pregnant.
At the end of the first trimester, we announced to the world (also known as Facebook) that we were pregnant. I felt like I was starting to show a little at this point, so I was comfortable with letting all my friends, near and far, know what was going on. Not to mention, we were about to go on vacation with my mom, and I knew we would be posting lots of pictures. I didn’t want people to speculate anything so out with news it was. First trimester weight gain = 5 pounds.
The second trimester was off with a bang. I had my first and last pre-natal massage in Kauai and thought for 2.5 seconds, “Hey, I LOVE being pregnant.” Ha! Then I grew. I started gaining a pound every week, or so it seemed. I had worn regular clothes during the first trimester, although most pants, shorts, and skirts had elastic waistbands. But as soon as that second trimester hit, it was, “Hello, maternity clothes.” As soon as I was 14 weeks, my belly popped. And the aches and pains slowly started to rear their head.
During the second trimester of my pregnancy, I went back to work, and the tiredness still plagued me. I also had trouble sleeping. I did notice quite a few psychological changes during this time, too, not just my growing belly. I was definitely more opinionated and vocal about such opinions. I typically wasn’t like that before pregnancy. (Surprisingly, it still hasn’t gone away. I call it the Mama Bear effect.) And I was overly emotional. That hasn’t gone away completely either, but it definitely has simmered down.
We were finally able to hear the heartbeat at our 16 week check-up. It was such a sweet, miraculous moment to hear the new life inside me. God is so good and such a wonder. I also started to feel flutters inside my stomach around the 17 week mark. Feeling the flutters and kicks was one of the coolest sensations I’ve ever experienced in my life.
At our 19/20 week appointment, we were able to find out the sex of the baby. I had a feeling that Charlotte was a girl since the day I had found out I was pregnant. But people tried to convince me that I was having a boy. I was ecstatic to find out that I was right. I had looked at an Old Wives’ Tale chart, similar to this one, and I had almost every sign to have a girl. The Chinese Gender Calendar was also right.
We had picked out a name for both a boy and a girl. But I am so glad my Charlotte Grace decided to join us. Her name fits her so perfectly, too.
Right at the end of the second trimester, the swelling started to get uncomfortable and really take on a new life of its own. I had to replace my wedding ring and band with this one below. With me always craving sweets, it’s no wonder I was gaining so much weight and swelling so badly. Also, whenever we would go out to eat, which was often since most days I was too tired to cook, I always asked for double the sauce on anything that came with sauce. Holy guacamole.
The second trimester was full of kicks and eating lots of sweets (and lots of anything really). It was also the time I registered for baby items. (You can see my registry list here and here.) Second trimester weight gain from beginning of pregnancy = 20 pounds.
The third trimester. Oh, the third trimester! I thought my pregnancy was going by really slowly up until this point. Then it went by even s l o w e r during this time, but the weight-gain was not so slow. The weight gain and swelling began to double every week after that. I’m not very good at math, but I’m pretty sure that is accurate. Ha! At 29 weeks when I had my gestational diabetes test done, I was certain that it would come back positive. But I was wrong. Thank the Lord for that. However, all it did for me was give me permission to keep eating everything in sight.
I had my pregnancy portraits done at 31 weeks, and that was just a bad idea for me. My face started to transform right around that time because of the swelling. OMG, the swelling! I only thought it was bad during my second trimester. I hadn’t seen anything yet! My third trimester was also right smack in the middle of the holidays and during my baby showers. It was the best and worst time to be pregnant. Best because I craved everything that was served on a holiday or party platter. Worst because it made me gain weight like nobody’s business.
Have I mentioned the swelling yet? Let me tell you, my nose, cheeks, hands, feet, gums (yes, even my gums), earlobes, everything: swollen. You name a body part, and it was swollen. However, every time I brought this up to my doctor, he said it was normal. What does not normal look like? That’s what I want to know.
You see that 38 weeks pregnant lady in that mirror picture right there? Who is she? I have no clue.
MJ was gaining weight with me. (Sorry, babe.) Although I was giving him a run for his money on the scale. I weighed more then than what he weighs now. That makes me want to cry.
These pictures hurt me. They hurt my heart and they make me sad for that girl. It’s all right, sister! If this is you, too, I feel your pain.
I had the worst ailments during the last trimester. During New Year’s Eve, I had an upper respiratory infection and double pink eye, not once but twice. I then had a coughing attack that made me hyperventilate and almost throw up, but it did make me pee my pants, at work no less. Why? Probably because my tongue was swollen and I couldn’t swallow correctly. Who knows? I stopped working at that point at 39 weeks. It was time.
During the Christmas season, everyone told me I would deliver early. I think those people were just trying to be nice and trying to send me good vibes because it looked like I needed to deliver. But that wasn’t the case. Charlotte took her time (like she does with most things these days), and she decided to come late. I did end up having a C-section, too. I’ll share her birth story in a few weeks. Third trimester weight gain = 40 pounds + (previous trimesters weight gain of 20 pounds).
Looking back, I try and tell myself, “Ehh, it wasn’t that bad.” But no, the extreme weight gain really did me in. My doctor never scolded me about my weight gain, not even after bringing it to his attention every single appointment. I never had high blood pressure either. I was “healthy,” his words. But the swelling though. Sheesh. It only got worse before it got better. Thankfully, everything went back to normal soon enough, albeit a new kind of normal.
Knowing what I know now, here are some words of advice that I wish I would have taken and will hopefully listen to if I am ever privileged enough to do this the second time around.
1. Exercise. You will be tired, but force yourself to stay active. Your body will thank you.
2. Watch what you eat…even in the second and third trimester. It will be hard. But again, your baby and your body will thank you. Just say no to the extra side of sauce, girlfriend!
3. Be kind to yourself. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Your skin will change, your weight will change, and so will your attitude at times, but it’s all temporary. Your body will morph back to that old you soon enough. (At least your hair will be beautiful during pregnancy. It was in the best shape ever.) Hang in there! You can do it!
4. Soak it all in. You are so blessed to be going through this process. Even though it may physically be uncomfortable, it could be so much worse. A million things could go wrong during pregnancy, but think about the million things that are going right.
Even though I’ve done a lot of whining, my pregnancy is one of my biggest accomplishments in my life, and I have some of the best memories during that precious time. I am so proud to have carried my little love for 41 full weeks. My back ached, I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t see my swollen feet, and I could barely waddle to the car in the end, but I would do it all over again and again knowing that I would have this little girl in my life. She is my heart. The love that I know now does indeed make any and all of the uncomfortableness worth it.
What did you love or not love about your pregnancy? Anything you would do differently knowing what you know now? Feel free to share below. :)
This post made me smile. I remember all of these photos and awwww-ing at each one! (Although I can't imagine how much your rib cage and spinal column hurt throughout the second and third trimester.)
However, your little body did well — look at the precious little girl it developed!
Aww, thanks for that! It made me aww and cringe and that same time. Ha!
But I am so glad it brought Charlotte into the world for sure! :)
I'm 5'2" (and 3/4) too… notice I included the 3/4? Every little bit counts when you're as small as us. Anyway, I don't know exactly what I gained in my pregnancies… I didn't weigh myself but at the end I remember doing the math at my weigh in and my first was about 40 lbs and my second was about 35 lbs.
Your tips are solid. Exercise is key! I did yoga and a lot of walking. I ate healthy most of the time (outside of my regular snack of peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.
What a journey you had! Thanks for sharing (and for linking up at the SHINE Blog Hop).
Wishing you a delightful day.
xoxo
Thanks for that! I hope if I get pregnant again I can heed my own advice. ;)
I just found your post and I loved it. I am currently pregnant with my first child (due February 11!) and I feel like I am going through the journey very similar to how you did. I try to incorporate as much exercise into my day as possible, but having a desk job definitely hinders that, and my love of food is overwhelming! Anyway, thanks for sharing and helping me see there are others out there struggling through just like me, but it is most definitely worth it in the end haha!
-Chelsey Sommer @ ablessedsommerhome.com
Absolutely! So happy you found me, Chelsey! Pregnancy was hard for me. It’s not an easy journey, but I look back now, 21 months after my sweet girl’s birth, and it truly is worth all the pain, aches, and bloatedness. Hang in there! I know exactly what you are going through! :) Be sure to check out my New Mama series, too. It’s all my stories and tips and tricks I’ve learned about getting through pregnancy and the first year with baby. :) Blessings to you and your family!
I just found your post and I loved it. I am currently pregnant with my first child (due February 11!) and I feel like I am going through the journey very similar to how you did. I try to incorporate as much exercise into my day as possible, but having a desk job definitely hinders that, and my love of food is overwhelming! Anyway, thanks for sharing and helping me see there are others out there struggling through just like me, but it is most definitely worth it in the end haha!
-Chelsey Sommer @ ablessedsommerhome.com
Absolutely! So happy you found me, Chelsey! Pregnancy was hard for me. It's not an easy journey, but I look back now, 21 months after my sweet girl's birth, and it truly is worth all the pain, aches, and bloatedness. Hang in there! I know exactly what you are going through! Be sure to check out my New Mama series, too. It's all my stories and tips and tricks I've learned about getting through pregnancy and the first year with baby. :) Blessings to you and your family!
I just found your blog and I loved this post! We are 14 weeks along and a lot of people have predicted boy for us but my husband is absolutely sure its a girl. The exercise thing is so hard. I think about doing something every day but by the time I get home, I just want to nap :(
thanks for share..visit tips pregnancy here..
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