Pros & Cons of Pregnancy

Journal entry from April 3^rd - Pros & Cons of Pregnancy – (14 weeks pregnant)

Pros:     

• I don’t have to suck in my gut
• I get to eat what I want without dieting
• My husband has been extra nice: massaging me, worrying more about my health, etc.
• I get to go shopping for baby items, maternity clothes, etc.
• Everyone seems to be a lot nicer to me
• I’m growing a baby inside of me… Such a miracle! (And this makes up for ANY con on my list!)

              

Cons:    

• Morning sickness
• Exhaustion… Sometimes I get tired just talking!
• Clumsy. I was clumsy before I was pregnant, but now I’m walking into walls on a constant basis
•  Forgetfulness. I will be in mid-conversation when I have no idea what I was saying. and I forget simple words.
• I have to be careful what I eat (no sushi, certain cheeses, and the worst: my steaks must be well-done)
• I still have to force myself to eat
• No alcohol
• I can’t color my hair (well, I think I can, but I don’t want those chemicals on me!) – It wouldn’t be a big deal, except that my grey hairs are showing through!
• Prenatal vitamins (make me nauseous!)
• Weight gain (although I haven’t gained any as of my 14 week visit – I actually lost a pound)
• The fear of something bad happening to the baby
• I question EVERYTHING I do, eat, smell, etc… “Is this bad for the baby??”
• ACNE! I have more pimples than an entire high school chess team. Seriously!
• Right now, I just look fat!
• None of my pants are fitting me, even my “fat” pants are too snug to button up.
• Those that know I’m pregnant tend to look at my belly before acknowledging me!
• The constant questions: “How are you feeling?” “Is it a boy or girl?” “What are you going to name it?”

Things I’m grateful for during this pregnancy:

• Pickles! – self explanatory
• Chinese food delivery – for those nights when I just don’t feel like cooking
• Technology (ultrasound) – for the peace of mind that the baby is doing well
• My friend, Rebecca and my sister in law, Virginia – Because they’ve saved me a bunch of money by letting me borrow their maternity clothes
• My health – my body is giving my baby a safe home
• Prenatal vitamins - (while they make me nauseous, they also give the baby the vital nutrients I may not be able to give him/her every day)
• That there’s only one baby in there – I admire and respect my friend, Amber, for her ability to carry quadruplets (yes, four babies at one time – she’s my hero!), and I have no idea how I’d be able to do something like that. I’m having a hard enough time with only one bun in the oven!
• My job – They’ve been flexible with my doctor’s appointments
• My doctor – Clearly I like and respect my doctor; I’m willing to drive 50 minutes to see her!
• My husband – he’s been great so far: giving back massages, dealing with my mood swings, etc. He’s even packed on a few “sympathy” pounds to make me feel better… He’s looking a little more pregnant than me right now – it’s really cute!
• My family – Their excitement makes me happy! This baby will have so many people that love him/her and that is such a blessing!! See my blog from March (http://johnsonblogsquad.blogspot.com/2012/01/telling-grandparents.html) to see their excitement!
• My nephew, William – I’ve been watching him grow, and I realized at the same time next year my child will be that age, and everything becomes so real! (William was born October 17, 2011 and my due date is October 2, 2012, so they will be exactly a year apart!!!) That’s another thing I’m grateful for: My baby will be close in age to its cousin – how awesome is it that they get to grow up together!?!?
• Prayer – The power of prayer has really helped, not only prayer that I have a healthy pregnancy and baby, but also prayer when I have one of my mood swings “Dear Lord, grant me the strength to NOT hit my husband for laughing at me because I ran into the wall.”
• That I’m technically considered “high-risk” and have to see a specialist – while it sounds like I shouldn’t be grateful to have a high-risk pregnancy, I’m grateful because I get to see a specialist (more often than just regular visits) that keeps a close eye on my health and my baby, which really puts my mind at ease… so far everything is going great! And I get more ultrasound pictures than a normal pregnancy!! Disclaimer: This part may be a little TMI for some (mostly guys)… (To anyone curious as to why I’m considered high-risk, they are concerned about my cervix from a past surgery, so they are keeping a close eye on it to make sure it does its job!) I’ve had two appointments now, and at the first appointment the technician said I had “enough cervix for everyone in the waiting room” and the doctor said “if every woman had a cervix like yours, I’d be out of a job”. And at my second appointment the technician said “You have enough cervix to stretch from here to Dallas.” Trust me, this is all GOOD news! LOL! (If you want to know what a cervix is and its importance, Google it!)

Photo taken April 12, 2012 (Approximately 15 weeks)

Baby J is approx. the size of a navel orange. Average size: 4 inches, 2.5 oz.