With one week, to go until my 8th month, I've decided to allow myself one whole post where I can talk about the negatives of being pregnant...and these are some of the things that you never hear people talk about after having a baby. I think it's because the glory of the baby overshadows all of the discomfort of being pregnant! But as a solace for other expectant mothers...you are not alone! Here are some of the negatives of being "3rd trimester" pregnant:
- Exhaustion comes back into play during the third trimester. You're exhausted your first trimester - feel great your second trimester - and then BOOM - you have to force yourself to wake up in the morning and to get off of the couch in the evenings and on the weekend during your third trimester.
- Baby's foot being "stuck" under my rib. I'm 5'3" (sometimes I'll stretch it to 5'4")....Morgan is not an exceptionally large baby (remember, she's in the 49th percentile)... However, my torso is not exceptionally long... Since Morgan is already head down...she likes to tuck her little toes underneath my ribcage...and it feels like a stick under my rib cage all day!
- Hemorrhoids....ick. nuff said.
- Not being able to sleep at night...you would think because of the exhaustion listed above, I'd pass out every night and not wake up until morning, but Morgan likes to kickbox right as I try to fall asleep...plus I get up several times a night to potty.... boo.
- Being STARVING...but only able to eat about 5 bites before you feel like you're stomach is going to explode because you're SO full! It's a bummer because the food smells SO good - but you can't eat to your hearts content anymore...
- Itchy tummy! With the skin stretching like crazy, it will dry out and itch, itch, itch. But don't scratch it - that can make stretch marks worse!
- Stretch marks.....oh stretch marks. Mine aren't horrible...but there's definitely a few there. I've tried cocoa butter, vitamin E, baby oil.....you name it, I've tried it. And honestly....if you're going to get them, you're going to get them and there is not a product out there that can save you.
- Forgetfulness. I spent over 20 minutes yesterday afternoon trying to remember for the life of me the name of the kennel where we take Honey so I could make a reservation when we go to Nebraska in a few weeks. I've also spent 25 minutes trying to think of the last name of a coworker I've worked with for the last 2 years....it finally came to me out of nowhere. One time, I was phone-screening a candidate and forgot what the starting pay for the position was...and I had to call the candidate back 2 hours later to let them know the rate!
- I get about 2-3 bloody noses every week. According to "What to Expect" this is completely normal. Yuck.
- Leg cramps in the middle of the night. Oh the joy - Not only do I wake up several times a night to go potty...but now a shooting pain in my calf wakes me up at night as well.
- Everyday activities are getting harder and harder! Transferring clothes from the washer to the dryer is the hardest chore now...the tummy gets in the way of reaching far down into the washer. Plus bending up and down and up and down. Whew!
- I'm already tired of my maternity clothes....and I still have two months to go! :)
And ok....now I am done complaining. I know Morgan is worth every bit of discomfort! :o)
