The Summer of Pregnancy
Because it's summer and it's hot, but we're the children of summer.
24ish WEEKS... 15 WEEKS TO GO.
24 weeks and I'm ready to have this kid already. Summer days will continually pull at my soul and the desire to be outside doing all the water things will always be a big part of my life. There are some things I do miss doing that I'm not able to do either at all or in the capacity that I would like to:
-Swimming
-Running
-Exercising
-Doing none water activities with the kids because Baby Girl gets too hot
-Laying out
I'm over having to wear belly banded clothes. I miss normal summer clothes. I miss not having to worry about TSA at the airport because I'm pregnant and have to do security differently.. especially since we already have to do it differently with Micah. I miss being able to sit comfortably in chairs. I miss being able to sleep through the night because I'm not being woken up by something growing inside of me. I miss not having to worry about tripping or falling or someone jumping on my stomach. I miss having 10 minute showers vs 20 minute ones now. I miss not having to worry about 1,000 appointments and taking vitamins and foods that I can't have. I miss not having to worry about an upcoming surgery and recovery time.
"Yeah, but you're having a baby". I get that. I have two other kids so I'm highly aware how it all works. That doesn't mean I have to act like I enjoy not being able to do or have all the other stuff. It's OKAY to not be excited about pregnancy. I'm excited about Baby G, but that doesn't mean I have to act like all the stuff before having her is super awesome. I think it's crazy that we have to act like just because we're having a kid we have to be on our best behavior and have the best attitudes because some women can't have kids or some women have harder pregnancies. It's not okay to say that what each individual person is dealing with isn't valid. For example, if I had a cold, it's not okay for someone to say "Yeah, but you don't have pneumonia so you should have a better attitude." Trust me, I'll have a better attitude when you don't say those things to me.
SUPER GLAD WE INVESTED IN A BIGGER POOL.
HOW THIS MOMMA IS STAYING COOL THIS SUMMER.
SUMMER BODY LOOKS DIFFERENTLY AFTER HAVING KIDS.
Most pregnant women try to hide their bodies because for some reason it looks "inappropriate" to look pregnant. With my first two I was WAY more self-conscious because that's just how everyone makes you feel.
Between constant weight questions, any and all bodily questions (how am i feeling?, am I throwing up?, how's my sleeping going?, what food aversions do I have?, are my feet swollen?, is my belly button sticking out yet?, how often am I having to pee?, do I have swollen ankles yet?, can I still wear my wedding ring?, do I have stretch marks?, what lotion am I putting on my belly?, what kind of bras am I having to wear now?, am I starting to have a hard time shaving?, is it REALLY medically necessary for me to have another c-section?, etc. etc. etc.), you basically want to wear a snuggie and pretend like you're invisible. It's like the second you become pregnant, your body becomes public property and everything that happens becomes public information. Seriously, who decided that this was publicly acceptable to ask someone that's expecting. So if everyone thinks that questions like these are socially acceptable to ask because I'M pregnant and they have the right to know, then it's personally acceptable for me to wear what I want because I'M pregnant and I want to be comfortable during MY pregnancy.
If you're super offended by this, then you won't mind if I ask you super personal "no one else's business" questions after you ask yours. If this seems "aggressive" it's because it's MY body and gets treated like it's everyone else's to know everything about just because I'm pregnant. If something is wrong or wierd or whatever and I want to share, then I will. If I don't then I won't. If it'll help I'll even supply some appropriate pregnancy related questions:
-Are there any foods/drinks that you'll have that she really responds to or starts kicking like crazy after you've had them?
--->Excellent question! She goes bananas after I drink water and that's what I primarily drink in general, pregnant or not. There's not too many other things that I can think of that she goes crazy after I've had them.
-Has this pregnancy been different than your others?
--->Actually it's been pretty consistent with my pregnancy with Micah. He was a really strong kicker, which made things really uncomfortable because it would hurt. Especially when he started kicking my nerves because then I couldn't breathe and the pain in my chest made it feel like I was having a heart attack.
-Do you have to deliver via c-section this time as well?
--->Yes, because of issues delivering Micah and Kenley (both needing to be c-sections) doctors feel that it would be in my and baby G's best interest and health to not have that strain on my body with going into labor. (For those that want to challenge if having another c-section is what the doctors should really do...PLEASE DO NOT QUESTION MY HIGHLY EDUCATED DOCTORS. YOU WEREN'T DELIVERING MY CHILDREN. YOU DON'T HAVE MY CHARTS. YOU WEREN'T IN THE ROOM. Yes, some doctor's may be out of touch medically, and want to just do what they know, but if I feel that my doctors are competent professionals then that's what matters.)
-Have I had difficult recoveries after having c-sections?
--->I actually haven't. The recovery time is 6 weeks. I stop taking the pain medicine probably within a week. The only reason I say that the recovery time is really more like 8 weeks is because wearing things like pants or anything that even slightly sits right where that incision is is ABSOLUTELY THE WORST. Not to mention things like sneezing, coughing, hiccups, twisting, stretching.. there are just a lot of little things you don't think about that affect that area that actually do. After 8 weeks or so, there's not really any pain for me even if I sneeze or cough or something. I think it really "helped" that I had an emergency appendectomy when I was in college to prepare me for all these c-sections. I am already having a lot of tenderness where my c-section scar is because Baby Girl is getting bigger and it puts a lot of pressure on where that incision is.
-Do you have anything from your previous pregnancies or when the kids were younger that you can still use for Baby Girl?
-->Super question! Actually we have quite a few things.. even a few clothes... except newborn and the 0-3 month sizes (Kenley was born in May in Florida so they aren't going to work for a baby born in late October in Indiana). We still have Kenley's crib and mattress and sheets and things. But we have set up a registry so that 1. if we think of anything (cause we WILL forget) we won't forget to get them... 2. if someone wanted to snag Baby G something they can see what we NEED because babies grow so fast there's not really a need to have a ton of stuff and having to return or exchange things when you have a newborn is the WORST. If anyone does want to check it out, link is below!
WHEN YOU MAKE A TENT W/ YOUR BEACH CHAIR.
YES, BABY GIRL STAYS COOL WHEN NOT IN THE POOL.
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