The Best & Worst Parts of Pregnancy

Motherhood Maternity Dress, Lily’s Kloset Heels (old)

It’s Thursday and I’ve decided to make it Throwback Thursday’s on the blog. Throwback Thursday’s will be dedicated to recapping my a bit of my pregnancy journey since I didn’t get a chance to while I was pregnant. I have pictures and the experience so I figured why not! Today I’ll be sharing my favorite and not so favorite parts of pregnancy. Let’s start off with not so great and save the best for last!

The Not So Great Parts of Pregnancy

Before I get into the not so great parts, I do want to acknowledge that being able to get pregnant and carry my baby girl was truly a blessing which I don’t take for granted. This is just my experience. When I was pregnant, I actually felt guilty for “complaining” about the things I was going through. Why? Because no one really told me about these things. I rarely hear them discussed. But, it’s not complaining. I really enjoyed being pregnant. And I’m sharing my feelings in case another woman also has these feelings. P.S. it’s okay to have these feelings.

1. Being sick all the time. I was sick my entire pregnancy. Yes, you read that right. I’ll have a separate post going into detail about things and things I did that gave me relief. I literally was vomiting the week before I gave birth. And this wasn’t “morning sickness “. I’m not sure who gave it that name. I was nauseous ALL day long and vomited once a day most days in my 2nd and 3rd trimester. In my 1st trimester I vomited every day, multiple times a day. The most I vomited in one day was 6 times.

2. No energy, always tired. The first trimester I had absolutely no energy. If I had it my way I would have napped all day, which is actually what I did on the weekends. People kept telling me in my 2nd trimester I would back my energy back. I got a little energy back in the middle of my second trimester during the 3 weeks I wasn’t sick, but that was very short lived. This is why my blog didn’t get updated.

3. Couldn’t eat what I want. I sure did miss having sushi. But most of all, I missed having a cold turkey sandwich. I also have a mean sweet tooth. At first I wanted shakes, ice cream, and other desserts. But, every time I would have one of those it either came right back up or made my nausea way worse.

4. Can’t fit anything. Well this could be good and bad. It was a struggle getting dressed in the mornings. After a while I felt like I was repeating the same maternity dresses. On the plus side, you get to go shopping for a new mini wardrobe. For me, it was very mini since I knew it would be temporary.

5. Can’t do things I usually do. At a certain point in my third trimester, I couldn’t shave, lotion my legs, or put on shoes. Then I eventually need help getting out of the car and had to learn how to roll out of bed.

As previously stated, being able to carry my daughter was a blessing. I was completely amazed by what my body was able to do. I couldn’t believe I was actually growing life inside of me.

The Best Parts of Pregnancy

1. Growing a life. It’s an incredible feeling to know your baby is developing inside of you. I used apps to track her growth and development. I found joy in knowing which body part was developing each week and what size she was.

2. Feeling her kick and move. The first time I felt my daughter move my heart started beating fast and I smiled. Then I started looking forward to her movements. I would play back with her through my tummy. It’s how I knew she was okay. She would move so much every time I ate. I can even adequately put it into words. It’s truly an incredible feeling.

3. Complete strangers being kind. I have never seen complete strangers be so kind! They would run (literally) to open doors for me, let me use the restroom first instead of waiting in line. I also got to board the plane first. Not to mention that my growing bump became a conversation starter. Everyone had to know how far along I was, the baby’s gender, if I had a name picked out, etc.

4. Amazing hair and skin. My hair really flourished during my pregnancy. It was both longer and thicker! And it looked so healthy. During the first trimester I had pregnancy acne. But the glow in my 2nd and 3rd trimester had me completely shook. It was the best my skin has looked since entering puberty, no joke!

5. Even more spoiled by my family. Now just when I thought I couldn’t be any more spoiled, it definitely increased during my pregnancy. My mom did everything for me. My brother, along with friends and family checked on me often. My co-workers were so understanding and the sweetest.

By far, the best parts of pregnancy outweighed the not so great parts of pregnancy. Even with being sick all day, I’m so happy and grateful for my experience. I learned that I’m even stronger than I know, reminded how great God is, and that my body can do some truly amazing things.