Pregnancy- not like the movies

       In movies, there always seems to be a comical scene with morning sickness and vomit that is followed by the epiphany of the woman finding out she's pregnant. Before being pregnant, I associated certain things with pregnancy; morning sickness, vomiting, then the image of a woman with a huge baby bump ready to burst, and the long painful delivery. It's a huge leap between the first episodes of morning sickness to the 8 month when the woman is noticeably pregnant. I realize now there's a lot they don't show you in movies and pregnancy is much more exhausting that I ever could have imagined.
          Although I did get nauseous and have food aversions, I never had the need to run to the nearest trash bin or toilet and expel my breakfast. I know it varies from pregnancy to pregnancy and there are those women that do spend a good portion of their day hugging the porcelain god. For me it wasn't like that. Some might think I'm lucky, but I still had the nausea and queasy feeling and sometimes I wondered if I wouldn't feel better if I had up chucked. I don't know if pregnancy vomiting gives you the same relief as hangover vomit. I imagine it would be similar and that the outlet would ease the sick feelings much like they do after a night of too much drinking. Either way, I didn't have the stereotypical morning sickness experience. Unfortunately, I did have every other symptom you could imagine.
        So what is it really like being pregnant? Well it's a list of things you can't do... can't drink, can't smoke, can't eat sushi, can't snow board, can't .....do anything fun for the next 9 months. Then again with all the symptoms of pregnancy it's a wonder women leave their house at all. It seems a good 7 months is spent feeling sick from all the symptoms and body changes.

Here's a list of pregnancy symptoms (mixed from all three trimesters): 
   These vary not only from woman to woman but from pregnancy to pregnancy, so thankfully you might not get all of these symptoms but I'd say there's a strong chance of experiencing more than half (at least that has been my experience)

• Missed period
• Fatigue (<-- such an understatement)
• Sore breasts
• Nipples poking out/ erect
• Frequent urination
• Nausea and vomiting/ morning sickness
• Heightened sense of smell (which often leads to gagging and nausea- at least it did for me)
• Food aversions
• Food cravings
• Weight gain
• Weight loss (with all the morning sickness some woman lose wait because they have a hard time keeping food down)
• Body temperature stays high (it elevates during ovulation and often stays higher after)
• Bleeding or spotting 
•  Vaginal discharge
• Abdominal pain
• Gas
• Constipation
• Hemorrhoids 
• Mood Swings
• Headaches
• Nasal Congestion
• Bloody nose
• Lower blood pressure
• High blood pressur
• Excess saliva 
• Anxiety 
• Depression
• Difficulty sleeping 
• Weird dreams and/or nightmares
• Back pain
• Pelvic pain/ groin pain
• Round Ligament pain
• Heartburn
• weakened immune system (more change of colds, flu, etc)
• Breathlessness (feeling winded from activities like climbing stairs or even just walking)
• Decreased sex drive
• Increases sex drive
• Breasts growing in size by a cup, two, or more 
• Growing belly 
• Dark patches/ Melasma on face
• Linea Nigra- faint, dark line down the abdomen
• Stretch marks
• Gum problems (increased blood circulation can soften your gums and cause minor bleeding when brushing or flossing)
• Dizziness 
• Leg cramps
• Increased risk of bladder and kidney infections
• Hair growth and not in places you want it (face, back, etc)
• Swollen feet, ankles, and hands
• Spider and varicose veins
• Difficulty sitting, standing, putting on shoes,... hell difficulty doing anything when there is a massive belly in the way.
• Balance issues
• Braxton Hicks contractions

And besides all those there is the added risk of developing other conditions such as gestational diabetes or anemia. 

         Sounds horrible, doesn't it? I'm not going to lie- it is. I spent the first three months like a zombie. I had zero energy and honestly I don't know how I made it to work and lasted the day. It drained any strength (what little bit that I had). I would come home from work, skip dinner, go straight to bed at 6:30 and sleep all night (minus those annoying bathroom wakes... to go pee for the millionth time) only to wake up the next morning and still feel completely exhausted. No one warns you how exhausting it is growing a person.

         So why do women do it? Honestly because we don't have a choice... you suck it up and hope that what everyone says is true and it will get better and even if it doesn't get better you're told that it will all be worth it. That once you see your baby you will forget all the pain, sickness, and troubles of pregnancy and childbirth. I'm not so convinced about all that but it's too late to turn back now. So for now I have to believe and power through it.