What I really think about pregnancy

Disclaimer: Don't feel obligated to read this, ...its long and about being pregnant...and I'm probly gonna complain a little, okay maybe a lot, but I haven't wrote much about being pregnant, so....here it is: the good the bad and the ugly...(please remember anything I say may or may not be the hormones!)

Lets be honest, I'm pregnant. That isn't hard to for me to remember (even though I've forgotten a lot of things the last 9 mos). I am ~39 weeks and I am huge. What is hard, is being pregnant and optimistic and motivated at all(notice the amount of blogs done by myself the last 9 mos). The countdown is getting closer though, so there is finally a light at the end of this tunnel which will be April 12th but hopefully sooner. But don't count on it...I am not that lucky.

Anyway, I have decided to write a blog to capture my real take about being pregnant. Its mostly so I don't forget these things in case I ever think about having another pregnancy, but also so it is recorded--since I have barely recorded anything since being prego and someday someone(like my kids) might just want to know; again I blame the lack of posts on the lack of motivation. If you ask my husband, he'll tell you pregnancy is a horrible thing that you finally get a kid out of in the end, but you just have to stand with your wife(or stand your wife(who is not really herself)) for a long 9 months. Thats probly cause he just hears me complain about it. All the time. Don't blame him, I don't. But lets start at the beginning...

I, after about 18 mos after having Ady, think I finally got over the horrible pregnancy she was and could at that point start not being completely opposed to having another kid. I don't know when things completely changed to deciding to have another one, but eventually they did because of one main reason, and that is that Ady needs a sibling. I like how my sister-in-law, Natalie, put having another pregnancy "It's best for our family." Thats how I feel. Pregnancy is just another necessary evil to have a sibling for Ady(it sure is a long necessary evil--at least I'm not an elephant, they have even longer 22 month gestation periods). The scriptures sure have it right when it says Eve would bear the burden of having children. I know, I know the saying...The best or most worthwhile things in life are the hardest. I guess it makes sense that because the thing is hard it is of more worth. Just makes me wonder though....How come some people seem to have such easy pregnancies? Its not like their kids aren't worth as much? Answers anyone?

Well, when I finally became pregnant, at least this time around I felt I knew what was coming. Sidenote: nobody told me the first time around about all the crazy and problem pregnancy things(okay, I was probly a bit naive too, but that maybe a little bit of a good thing cause sometimes it is better not to know what you are getting yourself into) Anyway here is a list of what I thought and what I was really getting myself into.

I THOUGHT I was going to be sick for the whole first trimester, maybe even longer; I figured the sickness may be even enough to have to take a few trips to the hospital for dehydration after not being able to keep anything down for days.

REALLY, I was sick, for about 4-5 months, but never was so sick to become dehydrated. People told me my second one would be better. I wish I had believed them. They were right. Maybe it was partly that I knew a little better how to take care of myself, or cause it's a boy, or who knows, but whatever it was I am grateful! Don't get me wrong...I was still sick and miserable a lot-vomiting, feeling nauseous, etc. but it wasn't as bad nor as much as the first time. I had saved all my sick leave for this purpose--and its a good thing too, I used it all but 1 hour.

I THOUGHT I would have horrible heartburn again

REALLY...I was right. I love Tums, actually, I have a love/hate relationship with Tums, they are my salvation, but they sure taste nasty after so many months of eating them like candy. (hope that wasn't the reason I had to have my Gall Bladder out 3 weeks after giving birth to Ady, but there is no gall bladder now, so that can't be effected anymore...hope nothing else is effected this time though)

I THOUGHT pregnancy would cure my acne again...

REALLY, It has now gotten rid of any acne...but I'd forgotten it took till halfway thru the pregnancy to do that.

I THOUGHT I would not have food cravings...in fact all food would just taste blah and my cravings would be more like "Okay, I think I can eat a plain baked potatoe and not puke"

REALLY, I found out that even though I have not liked to eat orange juice and raspberries my whole life, they actually taste pretty good to me now. However, I am still waiting to see after the baby comes if EVERYTHING tastes better like it did last time. Food just doesn't sound that appealing to me in the current state.

I THOUGHT about naming the baby.

REALLY....Adam picked out the name we think we will use. He just had to wake me up in the middle of the night to tell me it-ya know, in case he forgot the name he liked.

I THOUGHT having a baby would be so exciting

REALLY, I am really excited to meet our new addition, but this one is the second and we've been thru this before and its taking a long time.

I THOUGHT we can do this again.

REALLY, I hope I'm right, but I admit I am a bit nervous. I don't know why, we've been thru this before.

There are several more weird things that have happened expectedly or unexpectedly (huge blue veins, constipation, depression, hormones, bad circulation, more stretch marks, getting kicked, and the plain uncomfort of having what feels like a watermelon in your stomach) I'm not gonna write a whole paragraph about each of those. However, the one thing I seem not to have a problem with that others do is swelling! Yay--I didn't complain in that last sentence! Really I'm not trying to complain as much as be informative, but I know it sounds a lot like it. I just really want my body back! I am even ready to not use the "pregnancy excuse" anymore.

Although we've been through this pregnancy thing before, there definitely has been some new encounterings with health issues. Since this is already an open book about me...its continuing to be that, just a warning...

At the first Dr. appointment I couldn’t remember for sure and figured my due date should be about April 16. By the next appointment we figured my due date really should be April 9; we had an ultrasound that showed the baby being closer to the 16 date, but the Dr. said we could use the 9^th. I was happy with that until they gave me the 4 quad screening test, which is done from the 15-20 week stage. The test came back positive for a chance of Down Syndrome or Spina Bifida. That led to some interesting conversations and worry. The next step was to have an ultrasound to see if there were any signs of defect, I guess some people abort babies with those problems. That’s what the technician asked about at the ultrasound. We were just surprised cause we would have our baby no matter what. The ultrasound looked normal, and we even got to find out the sex was a boy(2 weeks earlier than normal). But they determined that the baby was not 15-20 weeks old at the time the test was taken, i was 14 weeks. So I retook the test. This time the test came out fine. But they did move my due date back. This time April 15^th was marked as the day. Fitting for me…the accountant having a baby due on Tax Day!

Things progressed I didn’t lose weight this time in the beginning when I was sick, I’m sure I’ll regret that later. Next I contracted a UTI. I got over that. Next we moved. We had found out that because I had previous insurance I could get insurance in Utah, this and having been blessed to be able to save enough money, I decided to quit my job and we moved back to Utah as soon as Adam graduated. I put obtaining insurance and a Dr. off till after the holiday and missed one Dr. appointment. The concern was actually because I was 30 weeks along at that point that many clinics wouldn’t take me because “they don’t take new patients that are that far along in their pregnancies.” Stupid liability issues-what do they expect? If you are pregnant you can’t move or change Dr's ever? Even if you had a previous OBGYN?

Anyway, I finally found a Dr. I even like her. She knows how much I don't like being pregnant. Things continued to be fine other than a couple minor things- the normal not feeling good and I contracted a yeast infection-my first-medicine got me over that. I've been having contractions on and off for months now. We just moved again when my parents rented their house out, the contractions get worse when I try to help and lift too much, but they eventually calm back down. I never had a contraction with Ady until they induced me... I'm not getting my hopes up, but it could mean I am progressing? I have dilated to a 3(I was at a 1 for a month with Ady).

We are almost to the end and they did another ultrasound to make sure there is enough amniotic fluid. There was, and we were reassured it is a boy. They tested for Strep B. The test was positive. Now I get to have antibiotics during the birth too. My Dr. scheduled my induction for the 12th, if it is not here yet. I cannot wait.

It seems that this time around, quite a few of my friends were pregnant as well, instead of just a couple, but they all just seem to be having their babies before me. I am getting jealous they are no longer pregnant and have their bundles of joy already. I am also thankful though, that we are in this together. I also want to put in here a thank you to all my friends and family who have helped out or support us. We are always grateful for that. I am especially grateful for Adam and Ady...they are ever supportive of me, and keep me going, everything from Ady talking to the baby-aka-my belly and telling it to come out, to Adam moving us twice, doing more than his share, and just listening to my complaints and continuing to encourage me. Thanks guys...you are way better than Tums!

Well, this is basically what I really think about my pregnancy, I know alot of people probly have it worse than I do, and I should just be grateful for a healthy baby. Its just hard to have an open mind about others worse problems when it is your trial and it seems so hard at the time. Now that I've got everything off my chest about it, maybe I can be more grateful and less selfish. Time will eventually pass. I will eventually not be pregnant and the best news: Only 1 more week!