Oh the Changes You Make

One of the girls I nanny mentioned to me this week, "lots of things have changed since baby has been in your belly".  She mentioned how I can't pick them up any more, and I can't push them on the swings too long (I get stomach cramps), etc. and it got me to thinking about all the things I've had to change in my life since becoming pregnant.  

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I bought prenatal vitamins and started taking them.  I'm not someone who enjoys taking pills every day, but I knew this was something I needed to do.  Thankfully, since this pregnancy was planned, I was already taking folic acid before I got pregnant (not every day, but when I remembered) so I just had to switch pills and remember to take them every day.  I still struggle with remembering to take them, but I still miss about one day a week.  But I'm trying!

I also changed how I was eating.  This was partially because some foods made me feel nauseated, and partially because I wanted to be healthy for baby.  There's a lot of stress in the first trimester to do everything you can to prevent a miscarriage (which is ridiculous because most miscarriages happen because of abnormalities with the growing baby and nothing you did).  I stopped eating a lot of sugar.  I have a major sweet tooth, but I got stomach cramps when I ate sugar while pregnant (still happens if I have more than a little), so that gave me withdrawal headaches for a few days.  I started drinking more milk, stopped drinking caffeine (for the most part), and tried to only eat when I was hungry.  

On top of all of that I've had to change how I sleep (positions, time, pillow placement etc.), how I walk (loosening joints and ligaments=wobbly Jess!), how/if I lift things, what products I clean with, what I wear, how I bathe, the list goes on.  I can't even imagine what it must be like for people who drink lots of coffee or alcohol, or even smoke before becoming pregnant.  

I think these reasons (along with morning sickness that won't go away and many aches and pains) are generally why women become sick of being pregnant.  It's having to change so many things in your life to accommodate this tiny little human growing inside you.  And you can't even know the effects of your sacrifices until after baby comes out.  It's maddening!  These are the things I've been struggling with the last few weeks.  I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end (and it was very gratifying to see our baby's perfectly formed skeleton on our last ultrasound) but it's hard to sometimes remember everything you are supposed to do/avoid (especially with pregnancy brain).  

I'm sure anyone who's not a first-time mom can tell me that the good moments you have with your child will overshadow any discomforts or inconveniences you experienced during your pregnancy, so I hope for that time to come.  I love this tiny baby inside of me already, and I bond with her every time she kicks me when I poke at her.  I just hope that I can be the mom she needs and focus on the good things for her.