This post is a rant about the unpleasant side of being pregnant.
Pregnancy is long and your body goes through so many changes. Your hormones are all over the place and so the mood swings can drive you and your loved ones crazy. I was always worried that something would go wrong with the baby, that I am not eating enough, or eating something that could potentially harm him. This constant worry was very tiring, and as I understand most moms go through these emotions.
In addition to the emotional stress there were also a lot of physical challenges and limitations. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I was running the washroom every hour day and night. Because of this, it was difficult to get a good night sleep. I would wake up 5-6 times a night either to run to the washroom or because my legs cramped up. The cramps were very intense. They started at the back of my calve muscles and move to the front of my ankles, and to the bottom of my feet. The only thing that saved me was taking a warm bath.
Sleeping was getting more difficult and uncomfortable as pregnancy progressed. Turning side to side was painful. It was not easy to even find a good position to sleep in. I had four pillows around me at all times to support my back, hips, knees, and one pillow to hug. There was no room left in bed :)
My back also started bothering me half way through pregnancy and intensified in the last trimester. I was planning to take long walks as a form of exercise, but couldn't walk far due to debilitating backache.
My whole life I loved painting my nails. I think I treated it almost like meditation. When you paint your nails, you have to slow down, put aside everything else, and concentrate on one task. I also love the smell of nail polish. However being worried that the toxic fumes can somehow harm my baby, I decided not to do my nails until the baby is born. And so I did not paint my nails the whole duration of the pregnancy. It was tough.
In order to avoid stretch marks on my belly, I started a new evening self care routine that included putting coconut oil all over my belly, hips, and boobs. I splattered tons of oil on myself (which by the way helped as I have no stretch marks now) and had to wear a night gown to bed so that oil didn't rub off on the bed sheets. That was at first for me, and both I and my hubby didn't like this change because we both like to wear nothing to bed.
A couple of times during pregnancy I came down with a cold. Those were miserable times as I was not allowed to take any medication. I did not realize how much I relied on taking a simple sinus medication when sick. My nose was running so much, I went through four kleenex boxes in one day.
Overall, I consider myself lucky as my morning sickness lasted only a few week, and even though I had some down moments, my pregnancy was relatively easy and with no major complications.