pregnancy 101 (my version)

Well, I just realized I wanted to share my experiences, musings, questions and whatever’s about this scary and crazy ride called pregnancy :)

Foreword. This is my second pregnancy. My first pregnancy, sadly, ended up in miscarriage in March of 2009. Now I have someone I call “my one missed angel” up in heaven who now cares for his baby brother.

Symptoms and side effects. For me, pregnancy has both the yucky and cutie side. What I always bear in mind is that pregnancy is such a beautiful thing, and beautiful things come with small and big sacrifices.

I blame all of these to pregnancy hormones: increased vaginal discharge (Ooops, sorry, I hope you’re not munching on something while reading this. But yes, I needed to invest in pantiliners.); constipation (Ooops again! I told you, pregnancy has the yucky side.); heartburn (There were days when that burning sensation in my chest and throat is just too much. Aaargh!); breast changes (I needed to get new bras, which are a size bigger.); round ligament pain (The pain is tolerable, though.); fatigue (I’m too tired to explain…); shortness of breath (especially now in my 3rd trimester); frequent urination (That GTG feeling!); forgetfulness (What am I writing about again?!); leg cramps (which make me cry in the middle of the night); and backaches (a good excuse for a quick massage).

And there are those stretch marks (I did not know I have these until one day, Irvin looked at me quizzically and said, “Ay, ano yan?” I wanted to cry when I saw my abdomen in the mirror.) and skin darkening.

But lucky me, I have not experienced morning (or for others, all-day) sickness. No nausea, no fainting, no dizziness. No bleeding gums or nosebleeds. No extraordinary cravings (lucky husband, too!).

Sleep. During my 1st trimester, I had trouble sleeping because I had to run to the bathroom to pee every so often. During my 2nd trimester, I fall asleep easily but wakes up during the night, usually with a grunt of pain, because of leg cramps. Now that I’m in my 3rd trimester, there were nights when sleep would elude me - sometimes because the weather is too hot, or because the baby kicks too much, or because I have a lot of things in my mind.

Baby kicks. I was on my 18th week when I felt him move, but I was not sure then. January 30, I am sure, it was definitely my baby! Feeling my tummy and seeing the “wave” is so much fun, it has become a bonding time for me and Irvin.

Emotions. Super happy one moment, crybaby the next. I am charging pregnancy hormones for these times. (I can imagine Irvin rolling his eyes upon reading this. I admit that there were times I was SO mean to him. Sorry!)

Worries. I asked Irvin once if there had been a time when he worried that our baby would have an abnormality or an illness upon birth. He said none. So is it part of motherhood or am I just being a nonsense worrier?

Baby name. I was on my 5th month when we started scouting for a baby name. I didn’t realize it was so difficult – exchanging text messages, browsing through baby names websites, listing viable names. We settled with a name, actually two names with our initials R and E, by February 17 (we became tired of researching for a name).

References. I was lent a copy of the book What to Expect When You’re Expecting, but when I saw that the book is okay, I decided to buy one. One colleague also lent me a copy of The Smart Mom’s Guide to Pregnancy and Baby’s First Year, this one is very helpful also. My favorite website is www.babycenter.com.

Postscript. I am currently on my 32nd week. A few more weeks and I will be embarking on a lifetime journey of motherhood - crossing “decision” lanes, driving along potholed roads and steering towards responsibility and growth. Well, wish me luck!