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| 40 week mark....little did I know I would go on to 41 weeks! |
I was terrified to become pregnant and now that my pregnancy is over, I have to say that many of the things I feared or was told were either BS or just didn't happen to me.
I stayed very active. I worked fulltime, attended my final semester of grad school, completed an internship, and graduated all while trying to sell my house.....And worked out almost daily.
Sure everyone is different but here is what I found to be true and what I found to not be true....
FALSE
1. No exercise.
- total BS! I worked out my ENTIRE pregnancy. Ran up to 28 weeks and walked after that. Still walking (4 miles today with 12 days to due date). Also did body pump 3 days a week, just lower weights and at 20 weeks no abs or chest (lying down on back).
2. Your hair gets thicker and doesn't shed.
-I have extremely thick hair, always have, and it still sheds just as much as it did pre-pregnancy.
3. Back pain/Sciatica
- Didn't happen to me- guessing because I worked out and kept core strong I was able to easily support the huge belly.
4. You cannot sleep.
- Slept just fine FOR THE MAJORITY OF MY PREGNANCY once I got the body pillow (which I discussed in an earlier post HERE). Towards the very end, it did become harder to get comfortable- awake or asleep!
5. You are tired all the time.
- Again BS. I was tired in the first few weeks of the first trimester (probably because I was sick) and now towards the end I am noticing I am more tired (probably because I am huge) but I was not tired for a majority of my pregnancy.
6. You will swell up- both your hands and feet.
- Up until last 2 weeks, I was still wearing my wedding ring and my shoes fit just fine. After long walks I noticed swelling, but so does my husband and he is not pregnancy- it is because it's 100 degrees out. Since I was a week late, I def noticed it at the very end.
7. Summer heat will kill you or you will be hot.
-Maryland heat and humidity is hot for anyone. Being pregnant doesn't make you hotter.
8. You will have weird cravings- ie pickles and ice cream.
-Gross and untrue.
9. You are skinny- you will be all belly.
- Nope- try belly, boobs, thighs, and face. Yes- it is mostly belly, but it went other places too.
10. Your boobs will hurt badly and leak milk all over.
- My breasts hurt in the first trimester, but that went away around the same time the morning sickness did which was 10 weeks. It felt like the soreness of PMS.
-NEVER LEAKED, EVER while pregnant!
11. You cannot keep your beauty routine (color hair, nails, whiten teeth, spray tan).
-Yes you can and yes I did. All were deemed safe by doctor.
12. You will pee your pants- like when you sneeze, cough, etc.
-Happy to report this is untrue! Yes you will have to go more as baby grows and presses on your bladder and you are drinking a crap ton more water, but I never peed my pants!
13. Moody
-Not true. Yes I was more emotional, but I felt really happy & excited throughout my pregnancy. People at work even commented that I was being strangely nice!
14. Bad skin- face
-At first I noticed some skin issues, but I had also just started a new line of products. I stopped and went back to my old routine and my skin cleared right up and stayed amazing throughout.
15. Stretch marks- everyone gets them.
-NO THEY DO NOT! At 38+ weeks I have none!! I used lotion twice a day beginning of my pregnancy and never stopped. My doc has even commented how I have NONE!!
16. Your nose will get wider.
-Total BS. Didn't happen and the doc said it's a myth.
17. You can't have sex.
-Yes you can and yes I did.
18. You can drink wine.
-I didn't drink a drop of booze....did not want to even take the chance. What is one glass of wine anyway? The health of my baby was way more important to me.
TRUE
1. Weight Gain
-This is obviously not a surprise and I was told early on by my doc, a pound a week was a good number/goal for me with my starting weight. Went a total of 41 weeks and one day- gained 45 lbs total.
2. Food Aversions
-I was DISTUSTED by meat for months. The look, the smell, the thought of it- grossed me out. I began to eat yogurt and beans as other sources of protein. After a while it didn't bother me and I went back to eating meat.
3. Morning Sickness
-The first few weeks of pregnancy were ROUGH. Constant headache, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain- like a permanent hangover. Luckily by week 10 I was back to normal.
4. People are nice to you.
-This is totally true. Total strangers will hold doors for you, ask you how you are, etc. It was a strange thing to get used to, but was nice.
5. People ask you questions.
-And it does get annoying answering them (especially from strangers and especially towards the end of your pregnancy). Some questions are so weird, like "are you having him normal?" Referring to if I am delivering vaginally or by C-section- either of which is NORMAL and will be decided by my doctor and the baby's position- not a choice. Or "are you breast feeding?" Again, no ones business but my own. And my favorite, "are you returning to work?" Having a baby that costs money, not delivering a trust fund.
6. People share their stories.
-Everyone wants to share their story- either how they delivered, their pregnancy, or their wives (or just someone they may know) story.
7. You need maternity underwear.
-I did not buy any maternity underwear. I did switch from thongs to briefs about 20 weeks in, but nothing maternity.
8. Increased urination
-Yes. You drink more water and baby sits on bladder. True!
9. Skin
-Although my face looked great, my back broke out which never happens. Around 36 weeks, it finally began clearing up.
10. The GLOW
-Many people told me I had the glow. I think my face was just puffier which filled in some fine lines, but hey not a bad side effect. I noticed fine lines were less noticeable, prob because of the weight gain.
11. Pregnancy brain aka forgetfulness
-VERY TRUE. Maybe because you are preoccupied & stressed with the idea of a human growing inside of you that you will deliver and care for, but I became very forgetful during my pregnancy.
12. Constipation
-Occurred when taking OTC prenatal vitamins. Once I switched to prescription, I was fine.
13. Heartburn
- Very mild and was really like acid reflux. It happened when I ate stuff with tomato sauce- so I avoided it and was ok. Tums helped too.
