As I am writing this, I am 7 and a half months pregnant sitting on my sofa with my aching feet propped up. I am going to be completely honest with you and tell you that since the beginning of my pregnancy, I have not been one of those women that “loves” being pregnant. I’ve had countless women come up to me and say, “Don’t you just love how you feel being pregnant?” And I always answer, “I am excited to have my baby boy, but pregnancy is hard and it’s not glamorous.”
While reading this, I want to make sure you understand how excited I am to bring our child, Everett, into this world. The thought of holding him after delivering him is really what keeps me positive and is my motivation. I am so excited to be a mom!
I’ve learned quite a bit about myself since I’ve been pregnant. I’ve learned that body image is a very real thing. When I first started putting baby weight on in the first trimester, I really struggled with it. I felt like I was not myself and like I had no control over my body. Partner this with hormones and exhaustion and I was crying to my husband weekly about how I felt.
Starting in the second trimester, there came an epiphany: this isn’t about me. Carrying my child is about him and how I can get him into this world as healthy as possible. A number on the scale and backaches are nothing compared to having a healthy baby. The miracle of childbirth is such a wondrous thing that I am still wrapping my mind around. When I catch myself getting negative about myself and my body, I am now working on focusing on my baby instead of myself. Working out (with modifications and lower impact movements) helps my mood tremendously and I would recommend that to every pregnant woman that is able to do so.
Something else I’ve learned while being pregnant: accept help from others, and even ask for help when you need it! Before I was pregnant, I basically wanted to do everything myself. My husband has a job that requires him to work a lot of hours a week and this made me more independent around the house to take care of things.
One Saturday morning when all I really wanted to do was rest and watch a couple of movies, I committed myself to working on the nursery and putting together some of our registry items. This was after grocery shopping, cleaning the house, prepping something in the crockpot and working out, OH! and “Shouldn’t I walk the dogs, too?” I was used to doing all the things at night after work and on my days off. Now I get overwhelmed and tired more easily so I ask for help. My husband, bless his heart, does work long hours but he’s not pregnant and he is willing to help as much as he can. All I have to do is ask for help.
I’ve also learned something amazing in this pregnancy journey and that is that I have an amazing support group. My family and friends have rallied beside us in every way and are always there offering support. The outpouring of necessities from our registry has me overwhelmed with gratitude. It’s amazing to think our child is already so loved before even coming into this world!
To wrap this up, being pregnant is not all fun and games. There are backaches, achy feet and too many people touching your belly. However, even more than that, there is love all around. I’ve learned to love my body and the miracle it is growing. I’ve learned that it’s okay to ask for help. These important lessons will carry me way past my pregnancy!
