Pregnancy pros and woes
Being pregnant is a wonderful, amazing time. It's a time of big change, not just to your life but to your body as well. There are so many brilliant things about being pregnant, but there are some real pains too. For example...
Your nails grow REALLY fast. This is great if you have always wished for lovely long manicured hands. Break a nail? No worries, give it a week and it'll have grown back! My finger nails have never been longer and stronger than they are now. I'm having to cut them regularly, which is one for the books as usually I just file them down once one breaks and pings off! But it's also a pain in the arse when it comes to toe nails. Mine are now growing at an alarming rate and I can barely reach to cut them without bending my knees at odd angles around my growing bump! I'm guessing at some point in the near future hubby will be tasked with tackling my super strong toe nails. Thank god he doesn't get grossed out by my (scarred and slightly swollen) feet!
You can eat loads more without feeling guilty! Ok, within reason... I mean, you're not supposed to eat enough for three people or gorge on MacDonalds and chocolate (ok maybe chocolate a little... right?)... but now I'm pregnant I can't stick to my pre-pregnancy diet choices. No longer can I think "I'm really not hungry, what's the point of eating lunch if I don't feel like it, I'll just skip it, maybe I'll loose a couple pounds". It's now three meals a day with snacks in between, and if you want a second ice cream, well... it's a craving and it's for the calcium, right? On the downside, you're constantly starving hungry, and as bump grows, you can no longer cram a huge bowl of pasta, ice cream and that huge milkshake you REALLY fancy, into your poor squished stomach, as there just isn't room. Try it at your peril! You'll be reaching for the Gaviscon in no time!
You get a wonderful pregnancy "glow". Well, apparently according to my friends and colleagues. They all comment on how wonderful my skin looks and how healthy I seem. Maybe it's true, but the downside (for me anyway) is that a lot of my "glow" is down to my can't live without MAC foundation and lots of blusher! Since getting pregnant, my skin has turned to that of a pre-pubescent teenager. My back is covered in pimples and really gross sore spots! After years of exfoliating and finally getting spot free skin on my back and arms, BAM! I got pregnant and it flared back up. I'm praying that it'll all calm down once baby arrives. Grr.
You save so much money on the heating bill! I seem to be running hot ALL the time. At work, I'm constantly opening windows, complaining it's stuffy and warm in the office (most likely to the extreme annoyance of my colleagues), and at home the central heating has barely been used, even though April and May have been pathetically rainy, damp and cold. Poor hubby just has to bung on another pair of socks and a jumper. If I do relent and turn the thermostat up, it's off again within an hour. The downside? I am constantly HOT! You have no idea how annoying it is to have to continually put on and take off a winter coat everywhere you go. Lugging it around shopping centres is a pain in the arse, and most of the time I just give up walking round shops and leave as I'm too sweaty and bothered to want to browse more than 10 minutes. I get sweaty and uncomfortable and have to wear several layers so I can strip down when I get a flush.
You get to experience the miracle of feeling baby kicking. Bean kicks a lot these days, and if she stops, I start freaking out. I can even SEE my belly moving when I'm sat on the sofa. It kind of twitches and moves, sometimes even squirms. It's AMAZING (if not a little bit freaky too). I love feeling her kick and prod around in there, but it is also a teeny weeny little bit annoying when she decides to boot my bladder (usually when it's full) or kicks and jabs in the middle of the night waking me up. I reckon she's getting me prepared for her waking me up to feed her when I'm super duper tired!
I'm sure there's going to be lots more amazing wonderful things for me to blog about once I hit the third trimester, along with plenty of me to grumble about... but I wouldn't want it any other way :)
Your nails grow REALLY fast. This is great if you have always wished for lovely long manicured hands. Break a nail? No worries, give it a week and it'll have grown back! My finger nails have never been longer and stronger than they are now. I'm having to cut them regularly, which is one for the books as usually I just file them down once one breaks and pings off! But it's also a pain in the arse when it comes to toe nails. Mine are now growing at an alarming rate and I can barely reach to cut them without bending my knees at odd angles around my growing bump! I'm guessing at some point in the near future hubby will be tasked with tackling my super strong toe nails. Thank god he doesn't get grossed out by my (scarred and slightly swollen) feet!
You can eat loads more without feeling guilty! Ok, within reason... I mean, you're not supposed to eat enough for three people or gorge on MacDonalds and chocolate (ok maybe chocolate a little... right?)... but now I'm pregnant I can't stick to my pre-pregnancy diet choices. No longer can I think "I'm really not hungry, what's the point of eating lunch if I don't feel like it, I'll just skip it, maybe I'll loose a couple pounds". It's now three meals a day with snacks in between, and if you want a second ice cream, well... it's a craving and it's for the calcium, right? On the downside, you're constantly starving hungry, and as bump grows, you can no longer cram a huge bowl of pasta, ice cream and that huge milkshake you REALLY fancy, into your poor squished stomach, as there just isn't room. Try it at your peril! You'll be reaching for the Gaviscon in no time!
You get a wonderful pregnancy "glow". Well, apparently according to my friends and colleagues. They all comment on how wonderful my skin looks and how healthy I seem. Maybe it's true, but the downside (for me anyway) is that a lot of my "glow" is down to my can't live without MAC foundation and lots of blusher! Since getting pregnant, my skin has turned to that of a pre-pubescent teenager. My back is covered in pimples and really gross sore spots! After years of exfoliating and finally getting spot free skin on my back and arms, BAM! I got pregnant and it flared back up. I'm praying that it'll all calm down once baby arrives. Grr.
You save so much money on the heating bill! I seem to be running hot ALL the time. At work, I'm constantly opening windows, complaining it's stuffy and warm in the office (most likely to the extreme annoyance of my colleagues), and at home the central heating has barely been used, even though April and May have been pathetically rainy, damp and cold. Poor hubby just has to bung on another pair of socks and a jumper. If I do relent and turn the thermostat up, it's off again within an hour. The downside? I am constantly HOT! You have no idea how annoying it is to have to continually put on and take off a winter coat everywhere you go. Lugging it around shopping centres is a pain in the arse, and most of the time I just give up walking round shops and leave as I'm too sweaty and bothered to want to browse more than 10 minutes. I get sweaty and uncomfortable and have to wear several layers so I can strip down when I get a flush.
You get to experience the miracle of feeling baby kicking. Bean kicks a lot these days, and if she stops, I start freaking out. I can even SEE my belly moving when I'm sat on the sofa. It kind of twitches and moves, sometimes even squirms. It's AMAZING (if not a little bit freaky too). I love feeling her kick and prod around in there, but it is also a teeny weeny little bit annoying when she decides to boot my bladder (usually when it's full) or kicks and jabs in the middle of the night waking me up. I reckon she's getting me prepared for her waking me up to feed her when I'm super duper tired!
I'm sure there's going to be lots more amazing wonderful things for me to blog about once I hit the third trimester, along with plenty of me to grumble about... but I wouldn't want it any other way :)
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