10 Things About Pregnancy I Won't Ever Take for Granted Again
I am nearing 7 months of pregnancy. I have done this three times now, and it’s finally dawning on me that while I love being pregnant and find the miracle of birth exactly that — a miracle — there are things I certainly won’t miss. When I’m not pregnant, I think about how glorious pregnancy is. God is funny like that — to help our bodies forget how much pain we endure for nine months.
Thus, I bring you the 10 things I won’t ever take for granted again when I’m NOT pregnant:
1. The ability to bend over. Dude. I can barely do anything in a forward motion. I have to do the unbecoming man-squat thing.
2. The ability to paint my own toenails. Now, I can do it because I’m determined to not pay for a pedicure, but it’s not easy. And it doesn’t look so fabulous. But they’re pink, and they’re painted.
3. Sleeping in any position I want. For the last few weeks, I’ve had to sleep basically sitting up. My hips hurt so badly that if I twist them the slightest bit to sleep on my side, I live in agony for the rest of the day (or week).
4. Running. Ok, I hate running. Like, hate. it. But, since I can’t do it now, I miss it. And I regret stopping before I became pregnant with #babyflash. I whined and complained about how much I dislike it — but now, it’s all I want to do.
5. Getting up with no hesitation. I can’t get out of a chair easily. I have to do that thing where I rock back and forth a couple of times to get the momentum going. I need one of those chairs like my grandmother had that lifted her in a seated position until she was on the floor and able to walk. That thing was awesome.
6. Drinking caffeine. I know I can have some, but I don’t want to take chances. I prefer to be as healthy as I can force myself to be for my baby. But I do miss my sweet tea. You just can’t get decaf sweet tea at restaurants.
7. Sneezing, coughing, or laughing without fear. I don’t think I need to explain this one too much more.
8. Walking without a waddle. It’s so bad that both of my children are imitating me. Miss Sassy Pants, at 8, is doing it for fun. The Animal, at barely 21 months, just walks around looking like Frankenstein’s monster. I couldn’t figure out why. Then, he was following me today, and I realized he was mocking me.
9. Raging hormonal mood swings. I’m a woman, so these do happen even when not pregnant. But, wow, are they crazy these days. And I laugh at the dumbest things and then I have this awful ugly laugh face that I don’t even want my husband to see. It’s really that bad.
10. Wearing my wedding rings. I’m at the point where they just don’t fit without fear of having to be cut off. I bought some alternates to wear for the duration, but then my finger turned green. I’m just going with no ring for now.
Despite all of the joys that surround pregnancy (and the utter excitement about bringing a new life into our family), there really are some down sides.
What about you? What did you miss most while pregnant?
