Ok, so maybe EVERY person who says they loved being pregnant isn’t lying. A lot of women go through all of their pregnancies with no complications or pain of any kind. As you may know, that has not been my experience.
If I had a dollar for every time a woman has told me that she loved being pregnant, or that pregnancy was “the best nine months” of her life, I would have a LOT of dollars. I imagine almost every pregnant woman would have quite a few dollars from her friends, family, and STRANGERS telling her this.
Here’s the thing: I do not love being pregnant. I hate it, if we are being honest. I have had morning sickness throughout the entire pregnancy. I have had horrible pain in my back and from Round Ligament Pain. I cannot sleep more than 4-5 hours per night. There is not a position that I am comfortable in. I have sleep apnea due to pregnancy. I have Gestational Diabetes. I have had sciatic nerve pain throughout pregnancy. In fact, the ONLY good thing about pregnancy (for me) is that I have not gained a single pound thus far, due to the strict diet I am on for the Gestational Diabetes. It truly drives me crazy when other women approach me to tell me that they loved being pregnant.
Another thing that has been happening as of late: women have approached me telling me horror stories of what happened to their sister/friend/cousin during pregnancy or labor. I’ve heard all about rare conditions and happenings. Here’s the thing: I have anxiety, and I tend to worry about things that are completely out of my control. I hate being told these horror stories! I have a hard enough time just worrying about my health and the babies health while she is inside me, let alone all of the things that could possibly go wrong during labor, postpartum, or for the next 20 years of my child’s life. Because yes, I will be worrying about her for every bit of that time and longer.
The thing is, I feel obligated to listen to the people telling me these things. I feel like I have to put on a smile when people ask how I am feeling. Nobody wants to hear that I’m working on day five of a migraine, and I can’t take anything for it because I’m pregnant, and NO Tylenol will not make it go away. Nobody wants to hear me say, “Well honestly I’m a little depressed that I can’t sleep beside my husband at night because I have to sleep in the recliner due to my sleep apnea.” And if ONE more person argues with me about how to manage the gestational diabetes I might lose my mind.
If you have had an easy pregnancy, please keep in mind that a lot of women do not have easy pregnancies. We do not want to hear about your smooth sailing. If you had a horror story of a labor, please do not share this with your pregnant friends. We are trying our very best to make it to the end, the rainbow at the end of the storm, when we get to hold our sweet babies and all of the pain melts away when we see our babies faces.
Love to all,
Tiffanie
Tiffanie Talks 