The Best and Worst Things about Pregnancy

I’m now in my 38^th week of pregnancy, and in a couple of days my baby girl will be out to see the world. This got me thinking about the things I will miss and those that I’d definitely feel relieved about not having to experience after my delivery. Let’s start with the positive side of it.

The Good Moments

Baby in the Tummy

I will definitely miss feeling my baby’s movements inside of me. I’ve always felt of it as something very magical, having something living inside you; a second heartbeat that sort of connects you to something infinite. Plus, on the practical side, a baby inside you is of course easier to take care of than one that’s outside and crying. :)

Getting Ahead in Lines

Of course, being pregnant also gives you special privileges, the best for me being the fact that I don’t have to stay in long lines. This is something I’ve always hated doing, and I really don’t look forward to having to go back to lining up to pay the groceries or deposit in banks.

Less Eating Guilt

Although it is advisable for pregnant women to eat healthy and in proper portions, it is also considered normal to deviate from the nutritious food regimen from time to time. Pregnant women can ask their husbands to buy them ice cream and French fries without any guilt if the so called “craving” takes over. I’m sure once the baby is out, it will be a different story since I’ll also have work cut out for myself to shed a couple of pounds.

The Terrible Times

Cramps and Other Aches

I’m sure many can relate when I talk about body aches, although pregnant women would often differ in terms of this experience. For me, experiencing cramps started even before I found out that I was pregnant, this was on my 8th week. I thought I just lacked stretching exercises. After I found out that I was pregnant, I learned that it was quite normal to be experiencing this. Still, waking up at the middle of the night with tight leg or thigh muscles is a definite bummer that I will not miss. This goes with other aches, such as the soreness of hips and pressure in the pelvic area, as well as the discomfort of contractions.

Stretch Marks and Other Physical Changes

Being a first time mom, the only physical change I expected to happen was to have a bigger tummy and breast size. Unfortunately, along with these came unappealing changes such as having stretch marks, swollen fingers and ankles, and skin discoloration. Sadly, my doctor said that the stretch marks will remain even after pregnancy, although it would be a lot lighter and less noticeable. At least the skin discoloration and swollen extremities are supposed to get back to normal after some time.

Frequent Bathroom Breaks

With the baby getting bigger, its push on your bladder makes you have to go more frequently. This is especially tiring thing when it happens up to five times at night (since you also have to drink lots of fluid). It disturbs your sleep plus being heavier makes it difficult to get up from bed.

Pregnancy is a bit of an adventure. Other pregnant women would probably have a longer list of best and worst moments than mine since the experience is unique for everyone. For one, I didn’t experience that much morning sickness that many supposedly had. However, I’m sure a lot will be able to relate with some of the things written here, and those who haven’t gone through the experience will at least have some idea on what to expect.