9 Pregnant Thoughts
How I’m almost five months into this pregnancy is beyond me. Someone asked me how far along I was last week and I told her, “Four months.” Then I realized I’m actually closer to five. Whoa!
These are some random thoughts I’ve had over the last several monthsāactually some are more like tips for me to remember the next time I get pregnant, but I thought I’d share them here.
1. I wish I made freezer meals the second I found out I was pregnant. It never crossed my mind that I wouldn’t want to even walk into the kitchen or that I opening the refrigerator would make me gag during my first trimester (actually, the freezer had a wicked stench, too). There were seriously more than a few times when boiling water for pasta was too challenging, so I opted to eat crackers for dinner instead. Next time I get pregnant, my husband deploys, and I’m living in a foreign country, I plan on having lots of meals already prepared.
2. Invest in toilet paper and put more than you think you’ll need in every bathroom! I knew pregnant ladies go to the bathroom a lot more, but getting up to pee four times in the middle of the night was more than I bargained for. True story: I once ran out of toilet paper during one of those 3 am pee-runs and there was no way I was going downstairs to scrounge up another roll. Invest in extra toilet paper. You’ll thank me in the middle of the night.
3. Start slathering on that cocoa butter! Bright red stretch marks around your belly button at 13 weeks when you’re still down two pounds is very hard to deal with. Even though I was using the cocoa butter I already have permanent marks of Pickles’ early existence. (Have you seen the following picture? Read the quote. It makes every single stretch mark I have and will get completely worth it.)
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Cassie Fox, you have a gift with words. |
4. Say yes to (almost) anything you’re invited to. Honestly, leaving my house during the first trimester was the absolute LAST thing I wanted to do, but I knew that accepting my friends’ invitations for dinners and luncheons meant I wouldn’t have to cook for myself. I sucked it up, slapped my face a few times, popped some peppermint candies, put on a (somewhat) happy face, and went out. Luckily, all of my friends out here knew I was pregnant before the third-month mark, so they were all extremely empathetic about what I was going through.
5. Ask for help. I couldn’t stand the scent of chicken or onions, but I was going to a party and really wanted to make my Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas. I was going to suck it up, plug my nose, and cook the poultry, but then I realized I could ask for help. I felt so silly calling my friend to see if she wouldn’t mind cooking and shredding the chicken, and dicing up the onions for me, but having her help me with those steps was such a blessing.
6. It’s okay to cry at the drop of a hat and freak the heck out about all the changes and things to come.
7. Bagels and cream cheese, cereal, oatmeal, grilled cheese, potatoes, quesadillas, toast, rice, mac ‘n cheese, and anything else that’s starchy, white, and totally bad for you will be your best friend. Seriously. Say it with me: “Carbs are your friend.”
8. I still haven’t read any of the pregnancy/baby books I own or friends have let me borrow. They’re sitting behind me on a
bookshelf collecting dust. I use the pregnancy apps on my phone to tell
me what’s going on each week. I’m pretty positive my husband knows more
about what’s going on and what will happen with my body than I do. I’m
sure I’ll pop open a book or two…eventually.9. Apparently feeling like you’ve been kicked in the crotch
is “completely normal.” So is belching like a frat boy. Pregnancy is
attractive, let me tell you.
Can you relate to any of these? Pleeease tell me I’m not alone!
Ahh the joys of pregnancy…here I am at almost 10weeks post birth (how did that happen??) and I must say I have forgotten almost all those crazy things that come along with pregnancy!!! Enjoy your last few months!!!
#1 ā great idea!! Though remind yourself to cook a wide variety of foods since you'll never know what will sound good š
And I'm right there with you on #5 & #6. But I can't agree with #7 ā this second time around, it was protein that made me feel best! Every pregnancy is different, you never know what's going to sound absolutely disgusting the next time around!
Seriously so true! I totally remember the bagel+cream cheese days! Ugh, and cooking oil! Man am I glad that nausea phase is long gone!
I also have found it very hard to read actual books! I got part way through TCOYF through TTC, bits and pieces of pregnancy books; I'm trying to finish a nb care book right now…
It's been a life saver having my mom near by and dh being so supportive about all the "attractive" parts of pregnancy š
YAYYYY 5 months! š it's going to keep flying by!
#4, #5, #6, #7 and #9 are all huge yeses for me.
I don't plan freezer meals as-is (my attempts in the kitchen are measly at best), but I have to say that we were so fortunate that people all around us brought us food. (My MIL lives down the street, so she cooked for us quite a bit). But #1 is a good idea if you have the energy to go ahead and pre-plan!
I was a freak about reading the baby books. I read ALL of the baby books at first. And then a few months after he was born, I quit and absolutely refused to read anymore. They made me crazy. I constantly thought something was wrong or that he wasn't meeting his milestones fast enough. If the books make you crazy, ignore them! Only you and your husband know what's best for your family.
Haha, so much to look forward to š I love reading posts like these because most people don't talk about the somewhat unpleasant things in pregnancy!
I am feeling thirsty a lot, This is my first pregnancy.
Pregnant Weeks
Yes to everything!
Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Freezer meals for pregnancy is a fantastic idea! There were many nights we ordered pizza or I had my hubby pick something up because I couldn't pry my toosh off the couch. Of course, I had the luxury of having my hubby here with me. Totally doing that next time I'm pregnant, though. Because the first few weeks you feel okay and then suddenly – WHAM! the nausea and exhaustion hit.
And yeah, hormones are evil and carbs are your best friend. š Stretch marks also suck. I'm still waiting for mine to stop being pink. Sigh.
Omg i have yet to become a mom…but i like this post. im scared of stretch marks!
Jess, do you realize it has been 54 years since I was last pregnant – I don't remember a thing except that I was BIG and FAT and WADDLED when I walked. It is so much fun to read all about your adventures in pregnant land. Keep up the good work and can't wait to see that GREAT GRANDBABY OF MINE!