Reflections

So I'm at about 33.5 weeks right now...nearing the end of my pregnancy and I've been reflecting on the ride it's been (so far). Here are some things I have learned:

People are WAY nicer to you when you are pregnant. I have had more conversations with random strangers in the past few months than I care to count. It seems everywhere you go people want to know what you are having, when you are due, would you like a hand with your bags, are you feeling okay, would you like a seat, etc. Chivalry is alive and well....if you are expecting.

Strangers can get too personal. The Flip side to the random conversations, are, of course, the people who get a little too personal. Belly touching aside, I get a little weirded out when someone I don't know starts asking me personal questions about me, my unborn child and my husband. As a matter of fact today, some lady (who I have never met or spoken to before today) called me at work from the DC CAP unit...she had heard I was pregnant and wanted me to SEND HER PICTURES when my baby is born. Um,... how about, NO. I don't know you, you don't know me - why on earth would I send you pictures of my brand new baby? That's a little weird to me.

Heartburn/Acid Reflux is the pits. I never had heartburn before I was pregnant. So after six weeks of a hacking cough which started resulting in a revisit of breakfast/lunch/dinner - I went to the doctor to see what in the heck was wrong with me....his diagnosis: Acid Reflux. This is a whole new world of ickiness that I hope goes away as soon as the baby comes out...it sucks.

You can still do push-ups when your pregnant! I have kept up my pre-pregnancy workout routine for the most part (minus the running, unless it's in place and I can get to a bathroom pronto) but as I have gotten larger, it's been harder to do some of the more intense stuff. Plus with this nasty acid reflux cough, I've had to really watch my exertion rate so I don't have a coughing and vomiting fit. So I bought a Pregnancy workout DVD designed for the 3rd trimester....the cardio is ridiculously easy, but I was amazed to find that I was not "overdoing it" with my push-ups....they are part of they preganancy DVD!! Granted, we hugely pregnant women cannot get down as low (our stomachs kinda get in the way) but we can still do them!!

Pregnancy prepares you for the demands of motherhood. This is something my pregnant friends used to tell me and I never really understood or appreciated it until now....granted I have not had the child yet, but I know what they mean. Between 3 or 4 potty breaks in the middle of the night, countless changes of sleeping positions, leg cramps, and now with the acid reflux, coughing: I'm averaging about 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night and I am still able to function the next day...in fact, most days I feel really quite rested despite all of my late night/early morning activities.

Everyone has an opinion about YOUR baby. Whether it's a stranger in the grocery store, an acquanitance or a close friend or relative, everyone seems to want to put in their two cents about YOUR child. For the most part, this advice is welcomed...at least on my part. But sometimes, just sometimes, it can get a little annoying - especially when it's something that scares the H-E-double hockey sticks out of you. I understand, labor and delivery is no picnic, but do you have to tell me about the time when..*horror story of choice here*..?

Pews were not designed for pregnant women. Hard seats in general were not designed for pregnant women, but I was amused at discovering how uncomfortable pews are given the fertility rate of LDS women....I had never heard a complaint about them before. I have since discovered that many preggo ladies bring pillows along...I am too forgetful to bring a pillow so I just sit in the lobby on the nice big comfy couch. Granted, my seating discomfort only just started - so it's more of a late-term pregnancy thing - but it was still surprising to learn.

Pregnant women lose a lot of things during pregnancy: thier toned ab muscles, their memory, their feet, the ability to shave their legs properly...but one thing that I found while sitting in Relief Society last Sunday, was that my lap has disappeared. I used to be able to set the hymn book on my lap and juggle the Missionary Calendar and the RS Roster with no problems. Last Sunday, however, as I set my hymnal securely on my lap and opened the Roster, I found that no sooner had I set the hymnal on my lap, then it was in the floor. As for the other things I am missing, I am looking forward o their return....my toes (from what I can see of them) look hideous....I will be scheduling a pedicure sometime in the near future to take care of that problem -- the technician will just have to overlook the splotchy shave job on my legs.

Consignment is the way to go! I am fortunate to live in a place where Consignment sales are a HUGE thing. There are so many here - they are seasonal - and they last for a week - so it's almost like the Fair coming to town....it's very a very exciting event. Baby clothes are ridiculously expensive for the amount of time baby spends in them. I'm sorry, but $30.00 for a baby outfit (cute or not) is a little much for me. I went with some pals to a consignment sale and I got Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Baby Gap, and Old Navy clothes for my baby girl..some that still had tags on them - all for around $1.50 - $8.00 each. E-bay is another great outlet for baby clothes/shoes. They are only in these clothes for a couple months at a time....why break the bank?

Being pregnant is cool. Yes, pregnancy can be the pits sometimes...the nausea, fatigue, the growing belly, the added weight. But how cool is it to have that little person inside of you? Granted the kicking made me a little queasy at first and it still freaks me out at times....but now that I am accustomed to it, it's kind of neat feeling that little person move around in there. Seeing the baby on the ultra-sound and hearing the baby's heartbeat is just the icing on the cake....it's so flippin' awesome. Plus, you are automatically inducted into a club of all the women who have come before - you share a little bond with each one of them because you've all "been there".