Pregnancy Stinks
Pregnancy Stinks! The Ups & Downs of Being Pregnant
It might be all you can think about. The joys of being pregnant, the wholesome glow and the amazing way it feels to carry a life inside you. The baby gently nudging you, holding your own stomach and being able to eat anything and everything that you want. Then, somewhere around the halfway point when you lose sight of your feet you realize what most mothers do – pregnancy stinks!
Not being able to see your feet, tie our shoe or paint your nails is annoying. Not being able to lift things or scrub the floors without becoming tired is frustrating. Growing out of clothes faster than a newborn, swollen foot, irrational mood swings, being weighed every time you turn around and anxiety about the future can make anyone irritable. Not to mention, the one time in your life when you should be able to eat three quarts of chocolate mint chip ice cream usually means that you are craving pickles or peppers instead. Feeling as though you are a moving billboard that invites strangers to stop and chat just so they can tell you some crazy pregnancy story that doesn’t interest you a bit can make you feel like you are on an episode of the twilight zone or have you looking for the nearest hidden camera. Definitely, pregnancy can be hard.
There are millions of things that no one tells you about. They fail to mention the aches and pains or the fact that sleep as you knew it is over for good. They fail to mention that your body changes to an unrecognizable size and shape and they fail to mention that the hormonal fluctuations can be hard to comprehend. They also fail to mention that pregnancy can drastically change the relationship you are in and that suddenly you become matronly rather than appealing. Pregnancy causes a shift in the emotions and viewpoints of every one you know and every one who knows you and every relationship from your parents to your in-laws is suddenly weighted.
Another not so great aspect of pregnancy is of course the fear that the impending birth can cause. At the third trimester, it suddenly hits you that the days are going by faster and that soon, you will be in the midst of labor and delivery. What to expect, what to feel, what the baby will look like and what kind of mother you will make envelop your thoughts causing uncertainty and overwhelming stress.
Luckily, the ends justify the means. Pregnancy is a long road that is preparatory for the new life that will begin once you give birth. Pregnancy makes you responsible and shows you first hand that your life has large implications than you might think. Pregnancy can be wonderful, when the little baby moves and can be much like the transitional state of becoming a butterfly. It helps you deal with your own childhood and breeds optimism for changes you can make in a child’s life. By far the best part, is that just when you think you cant love another, love more, love enough – pregnancy shows you that you can and that every day you will love a bit more than the day before. Yes, pregnancy stinks sometimes – but most things worth having in life aren’t easy and pregnancy definitely is one of them.
