"Do You Like Being Pregnant?"

This is another post I've been wanting to write for awhile, and figured I'd better get to it, since my days of actually being pregnant are numbered!

"Do you like being pregnant?" or "What do you think about being pregnant?" is not a question I've been asked a lot, but it's one that makes me think a little bit.  When reminiscing about pregnancy, some women will get a far-off, starry-look, smile wistfully, rub their bellies and coo, "I loved being pregnant."  Others will flatly state that they were sick and uncomfortable their whole pregnancy, and hated it.

My answer is, "It's ok."  This annoys Kevin, who sometimes gets frustrated about my lack of enthusiasm about things.  I guess, though, it's more accurate to say that is has its pros and cons.

Pros:

• People are nice to you.
• Maternity clothes are cute.
• As my belly has gotten bigger, my butt looks smaller.
• You can wear tight clothes and it's cute, because you're supposed to have a big, round belly.
• Feeling baby grow and move is pretty cool.
• Having a little person growing inside of you is kind of fascinating.

Cons:

• Having nausea for 3 months (I know some people have more!) straight
• Heartburn
• Back pain
• Can't sleep on my belly
• Since July, can't sleep on my back, either.
• Rolling over in bed is an Olympic feat.
• Muscle soreness in parts of my body that I didn't know had muscles that could get sore
• Bending down and picking things up can be excruciating.
• Realizing how much you rely on abdominal muscles for lifting and carrying things, because, where did they go?
• Not being able to eat/drink particular things
• Belly gets in the way of everyday activities, like cooking, washing dishes and even showering.

Despite definitely being uncomfortable, I know that I've had a much easier pregnancy than many women, both in terms of medical risk and discomfort.  So, even though I do a lot of complaining in my head and to my husband, I remind myself to be grateful that I haven't run into major issues.  And let me tell you, even though my back and leg pain can be grimace-worthy at times, I would take it a hundred times over that first-trimester nausea.

Now, looking back at the pros/cons list - even though the quantity of the "cons" list beats out the "pros," the vice versa is true when it comes to quality.  Having a baby grow inside of you is just pretty darn cool.  I would do it again.  Maybe even another two times.  At least, the pregnancy part - I'll have to let you know about the labor and delivery part.  I will tell you, though, that the cons are significant enough that there is no chance that we would ever be the Duggers or anything.  One more time, yes, Two more, maybe.  Spending the next 20 or so years of my life pregnant (assuming I was young enough that it would even be possible), ABSOLUTELY NOT.

So, we're within in the two week window!  Think good thoughts for us, and we'll see what happens!

Dropping the Baby, Reprise

Ok, so this is the photo I posted last week, questioning whether the baby had dropped:

However, I suspected that it might have appeared that way because it was the first photo I've taken in awhile without my maternity belt, which holds up my belly and takes pressure off my back.  So, the next day, we took another picture with the belt on, to see if my belly still looked low.

It's definitely up more than in the previous picture, but is it still lower than before?

It's hard to tell in this shirt. I haven't noticed the other signs of the baby dropping, such as "lightening." I'm still hungry a lot, and I still get out of breath quickly.  But anyway, does it matter?  Baby will come when he or she comes, right?  Here is this past week's photo:

Dropping the Baby

Over the past two weeks, two people have suggested that it looked like Baby was dropping.  Really?  I couldn't tell anything.  I figured I was probably just getting bigger.  So, I can't say for certain, but I think Baby might have really dropped last night.  Or be in the process of dropping.  I don't know how it works; I'm waiting for a midwife to call me back.  Tell me what you think.  This is from a few weeks ago:

...This is probably about 2 weeks ago:

...And this is from last night (I'm just 35 weeks):

At first, I thought my belly might just be a little saggy because I'm not wearing my super-sexy Gabrialla Maternity Support Belt (which has been miraculous in saving my back, but does not look nearly as neat and tidy as this one):

Not me.

But then I've been having some cramping all day that suggests something might be different.  Now, I'm going to tell everyone not to worry; that, from what I read, Baby can drop anywhere between 2-8 weeks prior to labor (I'm hoping to be right in the middle of that), and the first is usually farther out.  However, I am freaking out because I AM NOT READY FOR THIS BABY TO BE HERE. I just ordered a cradle mattress today!  I still have 2.5 weeks left of work to do!  We have to paint clouds on the ceiling of the nursery, wash baby clothes, and pick out cloth diapers!  Just typing those last three sentences gave me heartburn.  That, or the big bowl of chili I had for lunch. 

I've had several firm discussions with Baby about how he/she needs to stay in my belly for at least three more weeks.  We'll see how well Baby listens.  :-)

Birthin' Babies

I've been rolling around a post in my head for awhile about my desire for a natural, unmedicated childbirth, but haven't quite gotten to it.  But the fact that I've been tearing up over a stranger's pending birth experience since yesterday has inspired me to finally get this out.  This internet stranger, MODG, has been hoping and trying fervently for a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section), and despite her best efforts through diet, acupuncture, etc, it looks like she will have to have a scheduled Cesarean next week.  Her heartbreaking account and expression of her desire for a natural childbirth really resonated with me, and while it really captured my feelings, I still want to articulate it for myself.

(This could be a long one!)

Roadside Find Into Barnyard Treasure

Kevin's parents magically find all sorts of treasures on the side of the road.  We've been offered a sewing desk and concrete forms, just off the tops of our heads.  I don't know if it's a New Jersey thing, or if his parents just have the right kind of luck.  In any case, their most recent find ended up being a real treat for us: a changing table.

Kevin and I never planned on purchasing a changing table - we have an old, low dresser that we planned to paint and put rails on to upcycle into a changing table.  When they found this beauty on the side of the road, though, we knew it would be easier and nicer than our idea.

After a little research, Kevin's parents discovered that this changing table is actually part of the same collection as our crib!  You can't really tell from the photo (maybe a little on the front left rail), but it's pretty banged and scratched up.  That was okay, though, because it needed to be painted white to match the crib, anyway.  Kevin's parents were nice enough to paint it before they came down this past weekend to help us with the nursery.

We popped on some custom knobs I ordered from Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PATRINASPLACE

And, voila!

Kevin and me and the changing table

Kevin's parents and the changing table

We're still going to paint that old dresser white, and just use it as a dresser.

By the way, do not be thrown off by the blue room!  It's blue, like the sky, not like a baby boy!  That's not to say that we are not having a boy; just that you shouldn't think that we know something you don't.  If you haven't guessed, we're doing a farm animal theme.  More pics to come as we actually get the thing together, but if you want a better idea, check out my Pinterest board.

Meanwhile in Columbia, MD...

Tuesday's election and this image:

reminded me that I wanted to write a post about the Virgin Mobile Free Fest that my friend Danielle and I went to last month.  The only reason I wanted to go was to see Ben Folds Five, but there were a two other acts that Danielle wanted to see, and luckily, they were on right before and right after Ben Folds.  It ended up being a lovely, sunny autumn day and I enjoyed all of the performances.

Now, what does that have to do with the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado?  Well, anyone who has been to the venue that hosted Virgin Mobile Free Fest knows that you would be hard pressed to attend a concert there without catching at least a whiff of the sweet herb.  I can tell you that I've never been to one, and Virgin Mobile Free Fest was no exception.  Luckily, especially now, it's never been more than a passing sniff, which makes me chuckle, but I've never experienced any effects from it.

But here's the funny thing.  Late in the afternoon, as Danielle and I started packing our things to leave, a young woman, probably in her early twenties, turned around and said something to me.  I thought she said, "Are you guys leaving?"  I was a little befuddled, because she was sitting literally four feet in front of us, and I couldn't imagine why our spot would be more appealing.  I decided what I heard didn't make sense, so I asked her to repeat herself.  Turned out she was asking, "Do you have any weed?"

I just looked at her, bewildered, shook my head, and said, "No," laughing.  Because:

1. If you've ever met me, you know that I don't exactly give off a pot-smoker vibe (or do I?), especially now that I am a working professional in my mid-thirties, and not to mention that:
2. I was, at the time, very (I think) obviously seven months pregnant. 

I will say, though, that I was flattered that she thought I was so hip that I might just be stashing some Mary Jane in my Vera Bradley bag.  Either that, or she was really desperate.

Anyway, here is what about seven months pregnant looked like, if you're interested:

Not at the concert.

"Pretty good, I just have a little cold."

For the past week, the title of this post was my answer to the previously-mentioned question, "How are you feeling?"  And, aside from the sore throat, sniffling and coughing, I did feel pretty good.  I was actually kind of amazed at how good I felt.  See, in May, during my first trimester, I got three or four colds in a row.  My colds always run the same course: sore throat, runny nose/stuffy head, coughing/itchy throat.  In May, each time the itchy throat started to fade, it would turn into a sore throat and we'd start all over.  So, I had waves of a cold for about six weeks straight.  I'm guessing it was a combination of weather changing and my compromised immune system.

Having a six-week cold that you can't take medication for is no fun; what made it even worse was the first trimester complaints that accompanied it - the exhaustion, nausea, and lack of appetite.  I was in a complete yucky haze.  So, just having just regular cold symptoms was not that bad!

Some people have asked me if it's worse being sick when your pregnant.  Other than that first trimester crap I had, no, not really.  I didn't feel any sicker this past week than I have with any other cold.  The thing that makes it harder is that I can't load up on cold medication to get me through the day.  According to the advice of my midwives (this is not my medical advice, please consult your physician!), with a few exceptions, I can take almost any single-symptom medication.  So, obviously, I shouldn't take my favorite Aleve Cold and Sinus with cough syrup (which might be a questionable combination under normal circumstances). And, of course, I shouldn't take more than one single-symptom medication at a time.  So, I have to decide which is worse at any part of the day - the sinus pressure and stuffiness, or the coughing?  Do I want an expectorant or a suppressant?  Is it less than four hours until bedtime?  If yes, then I probably want to wait until bedtime so I can sleep okay.  Which I guess is another challenge to being pregnant when sick - I don't get as good of sleep as I usually do.

Luckily, this hasn't been to terrible of a cold - I've actually foregone the meds a lot, deciding to only take them if I really couldn't sleep or function.  Although they say it's technically "safe" to take certain ones, I can't imagine it's the best thing, especially if you can avoid them.  I'm feeling more or less better now, though, so I'll have to find a new answer for next week. :-)