Pregnancy is one of the greatest gifts a woman can experience. And with the good comes the bad…. There are many things/items/experiences you have to temporarily give up for the health and safety of your baby. Then as the pregnancy progresses, there are certain things you can no longer do because of health complications or the overwhelming growth of your belly. Many are frustrating….. Many you just have to sit back and laugh at. That is the point of this post, to sit back and laugh. Because at this point in my pregnancy, that is about all I can do!!!!
So here is my ode to things that are almost within my reach:
– Caffeine! Oh how I have missed my morning coffee! I’m sure many are thinking, “why not just drink decaf?” IT’S NOT THE SAME!!! And with my coffee, I have missed my occasional coke and definitely have gone through withdrawals of sweet tea. My husband has jokingly said after the baby is born he is going to hook me up to an IV of sweet tea.
– Sushi – this one wasn’t really that hard to give up, I’ve just missed it. I am very much looking forward to a sushi date with the hubby after the baby comes.
– Rare Steak – this one has been extremely difficult. I feel like I need to give a dissertation about how I normally order my steak, but since I am preggos how I have to order it now……
– A really good Club Sandwich – I guess you don’t realize how much you like something until it is taken away. That yummy ham and turkey…… But alas, deli meats are not allowed.
– Being able to sleep on my stomach. I never thought I would miss that….. But I can’t sleep on my back and the bigger your belly gets, the more pressure gets put on your hips. To the point – it’s just not comfortable.
– Which leads me to my next one – being comfortable period. I know in the grand scheme of things this is all just a small price to pay for the having my son.
– Being able to wear shoes. My feet are now two different sizes and so swollen, all I can wear are flip-flops. I honestly don’t see how some pregnant women are able to wear high heels.
– The ability to get up on my own. As I stated earlier, my belly is overwhelmingly big. Hence making it very difficult to get up from the sitting position by myself, or if I’m laying down to the sitting position. And with this one – being able to roll over on my own. I feel like I need a crane just to get me to move……
– Showers and shaving my legs…. Yes, after a certain point, you can’t bend over anymore making it very difficult to shave your legs on your own. And how I would love to be able to take an hour-long hot shower….. By Myself!!!! But I can’t stand up on my own for very long…
– Bubble baths! They are soo soothing and relaxing. And the hotter the better. Not only can I really not fit into a bath tub right now, I definitely can’t get out of one!
– Sleep!!! Now, I’m sure many moms are laughing at this one – what makes you think after the baby is born you will get any sleep?? It has to be better than what I am getting now. I am lucky to get a good hour and a half stretch of sleep. Maybe this is nature’s way of preparing me for the baby….
– Spicy Foods! You have NO idea how much I have missed this. But my acid reflux has just about been the death of me, so no spicy foods during this pregnancy. I’ve craved a lot of pasta, and it feels so naked eating pasta without red pepper flakes…
– Being able to do Housework. Yes, yes, yes – I am crazy! But when you cannot do anything at all because you are bedridden, the smallest bit of work seems like a luxury. I am actually looking forward to vacuuming!!
– Cooking!! For anyone that knows me, knows how painful this one has been. At the beginning I could cook, but as the pregnancy progressed and I became more and more bedridden, I can’t stand on my feet for longer than a few minutes. Having said that, my husband has been an excellent sous chef. Even though we have different definitions of what is considered “easy” or “simple”.
– Being Able To Take Care of Myself – I am forever grateful to my husband and my mother for doing such a wonderful job of taking care of me. Monik has literally worked around the clock to make sure I can just relax (as much as a pregnant woman can relax…). But there comes a time when you just want to be able to do things for yourself. And my time is near!!!!
– Exercise – do you know how hard it is to be pretty much 9 months pregnant on New Years? First every other commercial is some type of weight loss ad. Second, everyone talks about their personal fitness goals and then posts their progress (while you have to sit on the couch, feeling fat, continuing to gain weight, and can’t do anything about it because you are on bed rest). It will feel so good to be able to exercise, to work off some of this stress (and extra weight!!!!)
– Glass of Wine. Crazy enough, what I have craved more than a glass of wine is a glass of champagne. I honestly don’t know why….. Alcohol was probably the easiest thing to give up while pregnant. Maybe because I have never been that big of a drinker. Having said that, I do enjoy a good glass of wine with dinner from time to time. Or one of my mom’s mango margaritas!!!
– Being “Normal”. I think my husband will appreciate this one more than anyone. I have always been a pretty tough chic, so it was a hard adjustment to cry at a kleenex commercial. I even cried watching the movie Reel Steel! My hormones went off the chart! And you can’t really control them. So for all you people out there around a pregnant woman – give us a little bit of an emotional break please. We don’t want to be hormone crazy just as much (if not more) that you want to deal with it. I promise!!
– Having Clothes that FIT!! Can I get an Amen please??!!!! I am surprised that some designer has not figured this out with maternity clothes. The average woman does not have a ton of extra money to buy new clothes every other month. And they way they design maternity clothes, they do NOT grow with your overwhelming belly. To make things worse, these last few weeks when you feel the worst, nothing fits! This is one time I will say I do not feel like, have the energy for or even longing to go shopping for new clothes. I know it will be awhile before I can fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes, but I can’t wait to have something that will fit!
– Being Able to See My Feet!!! Enough said on this one.
– Not Having to Get Up Every Hour to Pee. Well no wonder you can’t get any sleep, you have to use the bathroom every hour because someone special is using your bladder as a punching bag.
– Saying Goodbye to Back pain! I’m sure with taking care of a newborn, my body will find all kinds of new aches and pains. I’m banking on getting rid of some of this back pain. All of my weight gain has gone to my belly which has put an intense amount of pain and strain on my back.
– No Longer Being a Weeble Wobble! Your center of gravity is completely off; and it doesn’t help that you have what feels like 80 pounds in your stomach pulling you forward.
– I saved the BEST for last! The most important thing that is almost within my reach is holding my baby boy for the first time. Everything I have gone through to get to this point is far worth it. And it will be any day now!!!!
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