Motherhood Begins

I think I became a mother as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I knew my life was never going to be the same. I was going to have 40 weeks, give or take, to adjust to my new role. I won’t say being pregnant is the easy part of motherhood, because it’s not, but this part of motherhood is all contained within. You can still live your life with some minor adjustments.

While I had a lot of expectations about the kind of parent I would be, I didn’t really have a lot of expectations about how being pregnant would go. I knew I would probably have morning sickness, I would gain weight, and I would be tired. That’s about it. I couldn’t be disappointed in my pregnancy because I didn’t have any dreams about a magical experience. I knew it would be a tiring and amazing journey.

Did I have morning sickness, or as I like to call it, all-day nausea? Yes. I was nauseous for most of my pregnancy, but I never threw up. I think I got a break around months 7 and 8, but it came back in the end. Did I have weird food cravings? Not really. I craved carbs during the first half and salty things during the second half. I stayed largely vegan (except for the occasional cookie) during my pregnancy. The smell of meat has made me feel sick for years and it definitely still grossed me out when I was pregnant. I never craved meat or fish or eggs or cheese. (Side note- my doctor was fine with my vegan diet). These things I expected.

What I didn’t expect or really know about was the raging heartburn I would get and the intense hip pain that would keep me up at night. Even after eliminating the usual heartburn offenders I still had it. I swear, even water gave me heartburn. Tums didn’t cut it, so it was Zantac 150 all the way. Tip- get the name brand. The generic did nothing for me. As for hip pain, I never got much relief. The body pillow did nothing to help. All I could do was toss and turn and try the couch. I never tried getting a massage or a chiropractic adjustment because I just kept thinking it was going to go away.

Want to know the best way to get rid of both heartburn and hip pain? Deliver your baby! As soon as I gave birth I immediately noticed that my heartburn was gone. The hip pain left too. I know, not much comfort if you’re still suffering, but it does get better.

Oh, and one other thing. You know how you’re supposed to get beautiful, healthy hair when you’re pregnant? That didn’t happen to me until month 8. I actually lost hair those first few months! I was so disappointed! At least I got to enjoy my luscious locks for a few months before it started falling out again once my hormones adjusted after delivery.

Overall, though, my pregnancy was smooth with no complications. It went how I thought it would. It was amazing and annoying at the same time. How was yours?