I think I have been pretty lucky with the my pregnancy so far. I am 33 weeks (that is one week away from 8.5 months for those who were about to google it) and I keep waiting for all the nasty pregnancy symptoms to happen that you always hear about. Things that I have heard can happen in pregnancy but I have yet to experience:
– uncontrollable farting/peeing your pants. For real. Apparently this happens to some unlucky ladies.
– waddling. Has not happened to me yet but I think it might show up sometime soon.
– leaky boobs. I get why this has to happen, but it has not happened for me yet.
– random belly rubs. Maybe I have a pissed off look on my face that scares people away or something but I have never had anyone come up and try to feel my stomach. Not even coworkers. I think my mom has even only really felt my belly a handful of times.
– crazy hormones. I don’t think anyway. I am pretty sure Brian would tell me if I was acting loony.
Some symptoms that I do have:
– braxton hicks contractions. These mainly happen on my lunch time walk breaks. Usually they aren’t too bad but yesterday I had to stop and sit on a park bench for a bit too get them to ease up. They don’t hurt necessarily just are really uncomfortable. Also, on my walks my calves cramp like crazy. The left side especially goes hard as a rock and it doesn’t matter if I stretch before, during, or after my walk, it doesn’t lessen. Needless to say I make quite a sight limping around all sweaty and out of breath with a big bump and a bright pink coat. But hey at least I am getting some exercise 😉
– painful baby positions. Usually it doesn’t hurt, like sometimes he is so low that it is just uncomfortable, but last night it felt like he was laying on my hip bone and the pressure hurt whenever I stood up.
– heavy belly. Most days I don’t even notice it, but other times my belly feels HUGE and really heavy. I have become the cliche pregnant woman who needs help getting off the couch. But hey its an extra 20 pounds in there. It’s not light!
Most symptoms I had heard about before and prepared for them (even though the first time my feet completely swelled up in under 1 minute still scared the crap out of me), however there were some things that have really caught me by surprise since becoming pregnant.
1. Your belly will attract things to it like nothing. Every day I get something on my belly whether it be water, bits of food, grease (when walking too close to a hinge), dirt, etc. Further, you will bump into things/people with your belly. It sticks out farther than you think!
2. You don’t realize how much stuff you drop in a day until it is nearly impossible for you to bend down anymore. I drop AT LEAST 3 things a day and every time it is now an Olympic event to retrieve whatever it is. Picture lots of deep squatting and grunts.
3. When you are getting up 2+ times a night just to pee, it becomes possible to do the whole process of walking to the bathroom, doing your business, and walking back to bed with your eyes closed. And yes, it is indeed possible to briefly fall asleep on the toilet.
4. You thought when you were 20 and going out dancing at a club that you had “absolutely nothing to wear”? Well try having 1/8 of your wardrobe not even close to being able to fit you and then talk to me about having nothing to wear.
5. You will have super dry hands. This really caught me off guard but totally makes sense when you think about how many trips to the bathroom I make in a day and wash my hands every time. Holy man though. Be prepared.
Every day my body surprises me with something different during pregnancy, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. This has honestly been such an awesome journey and I can’t wait to meet Baby B. Some symptoms are pretty uncomfortable but considering what your body is doing in 9 short months, it seriously blows my mind.
xo T