.Motherhood Musings- Tres

Coping with Pregnancy Tidbits

I have been blessed that my first pregnancy has been pretty tame.  Today is my due date, it's nearly over, and only recently have I started to feel slightly miserable.  As mine comes to a close within the week it's fascinating the continuum I'm on ranging from utter relief to nostalgia; I anticipate that much of parenting will be on this continuum. I've so enjoyed this experience and don't take it for granted regardless of the ups and downs as God never said it'd be easy to bring life into this world. I also can't wait to meet this little person that love created and see in her some of the things I love most about my best friend.

So, I previously said I didn't expect you to take my advice.  I absolutely stick to that... except for what I'm about to say.  This is probably the most important thing I learned in coping with becoming a mother.  Ready?  Stay away from forums when you're pregnant!!!! Don’t even peek! Unless you want to be utterly traumatized and experience anxiety in trying to figure out how to live the next {almost} 10 months in a bubble. People attempt to be helpful there, but all it did was make me feel like I wasn’t on track, that I was different, that I was out of the loop, or that I was doing something wrong that I couldn’t fix... over and over. Leave advice-seeking to experts you trust who know how to present the information the most helpful way to you. Not by scaring the bejesus out of you for saying that at any moment I could have an incompetent cervix that would just release my still-cooking baby into the cold harsh world nor that at 18 weeks someone else’s baby just stopped growing for no reason whatsoever so “be careful.” What am I supposed to do with that information except beg G to get us our own heart monitor? Which he subsequently refused and reminded me that doctor’s orders were to “Get off google.”

I wasn't big into all the pregnancy aids like the fancy pillow you sleep with or anything but I found three products that were invaluable during this pregnancy: Palmer's cocoa butter, cocoa butter body oil, and a portable fan.  The debate is still in question whether cocoa butter helps avoid stretch marks, but my mom swore by it and insisted I start using it my first trimester before I even started showing.  The jury is still out for after baby comes, but as of now there are no marks to report!  Also, a random thing I experienced mostly through my first and second trimester was itchy skin.  I have never had that problem and at times it felt like I was going to claw my skin off, so using body oil was a major relief.  Lastly, my fan.  That's pretty self-explanatory that I run at a much higher temperature than usual due to all the extra blood flow, and instead of using baby's college fund trying to keep my entire house cool or stripping off clothes in a public setting, a portable fan that I carried with me to work and back increased my comfort level tenfold. 

Also, just as a general rule, anything but positive or reassuring statements should probably be left to discussion with others, not the mama-to-be. She's got enough confusing/conflicting/ever changing emotions and thoughts running around.  Here are a few interesting things people said to me throughout pregnancy:

1. I can't even tell your pregnant!
2. Congrats on the pregnancy... kids are a pain.
3. Should you really be drinking that {cup of coffee/coke/anything caffeinated}?
4. How much weight have you gained?
5. You're never going to need that.
6. You'll never rest again.

I'll allow you to come to your own conclusions of how I felt about them.  Any interesting pregnancy symptoms you experienced, lifesavers throughout the process, or entertaining interactions with others?

 * In case you missed Motherhood Musings Part One and Two
** Picture taken last week