Being that this is my first pregnancy, and with twins no less, I have started to realize all the different quirks and changes that happen to you when you are making another human being, or more. Some of this might be considered TMI, but it's all true and can happen to anyone expecting a bundle of joy. I'm sure many women can relate to these events, and if you haven't, than considered yourself blessed! Lol. If you read on, you have been warned :)
1. You will get bigger! In female terms that means fat! It might not happen right away and if you're lucky it'll only be your stomach and your boobs, but no one goes through pregnancy without having to size up in some aspect. Having started out over weight prior to learning I was pregnant, my OB recommended that I didn't lose nor gain too much weight. My OB group didn't want me to diet and lose too much weight because of the babies. As it turned out, I ended up losing about 7-10 pounds during my first trimester due to morning sickness and have now started gaining weight in my second trimester; primarily in my boobs and belly as the babies grow. I have gotten away with not having to buy any extra maternity clothes except for a belly band, but it might soon be time to start.
2. You will feel miserable! Some days will be better than other and thanks to two horrible words = morning sickness! Actually, I know some lucky ladies that don't experience this, and those of us that do love to hate them! The on and off nausea was probably the worst part of my first trimester. Thankfully, it was never so bad too the point of puking in the toilet, as I have a bad aversion to vomiting. The bad part for me was being nauseous at night, which was helped with a magic pill called Unisom :) Coming into my second trimester, the nausea is all, but gone. My stomach still gets upset easily and is more sensitive than BC (before conception), but its not constant.
3. The first toy you will ever give to your unborn child is your bladder! For me, Baby A is the one closer to my cervix and therefore closer to my bladder. He/she is also the more wiggly of the two according to the sonograms. This means they are the primary culprit for all those bathroom breaks I take throughout the day and night! I swear I wake up at least 4-5 times throughout the night to pee! And I annoyingly have to go every 1-2 hours at work! I am a bathroom break away from putting in a foley catheter at times because I'm so tired of having to pee all the time! The fact that your need to drink lots of fluids and water doesn't help.
4. You will nap more now than when you were a kid. I was sooooo fatigued during my first trimester and it has only gotten slightly better into my second. I could sleep all night and still be exhausted during the day. Of course it's not the best sleep since you wake up so much to pee. Find time to nap and rest when you can. It's one of the few times in your adult life where you have an excuse to nap as much as possible :)
5. Cravings vs food aversions. One of the questions I get asked most is if I'm having any cravings yet. Honestly, the only thing I really crave throughout the day is dim sum and bubble tea, but then I'm always craving that even when I'm not pregnant. For me, it's more about the foods that I cannot tolerate. So far sweet potatoes, Cinnamon toast crunch and tuna fish are not as palatable for me as they used to be :( My stomach also gets easily upset at random times it seems. I'll be okay eating a meal one day, but trying to eat leftovers the next day is a no no. My go-to food that has always been a safe choice for me = peanut butter and crackers!
6. Vaginal discharge. I said it. Ladies you know what I'm talking about. If you think that just because you're pregnant that you don't have to wear pads for 9 months... Wrong! And if not handled properly, you can get another ugly side effect of pregnancy... Yeast infections. My personal advice, give your girls parts a breather from time to time. Say goodbye to cute silky panties and become one with your cotton granny panties. Invest in some pantyliners if needed. Eat lots of yogurt if your appetite can handle it. And worst comes to worst, ask your OB for some diflucan or go to CVS for monistat cream. Having never had a yeast infections before in my life, monistat was a life saver in getting this under control ASAP!
7. Back pain. As you tummy gets bigger, this not-so-fun side effect increases. Most women's frames are just not used to they're stomach becoming the size of watermelons or bigger, and have to constantly carry around the equivalence of that weight. It's like carrying around a weight of 10+ pounds in your mid section for 9 months. Plus the growth of your belly throws you spine's alignment off. Yoga. Back strengthening exercises. Exercise in general. Not gaining too much weight (thought for some of us this is not an option). Massages. Rest. Heat pads. Take care of your back! Working in healthcare, many will tell you... you only injury your back once. It's never the same afterwards.
8. Sleeping can suck. You'll crave rest and just being able to put your feet up, but lying in bed is not always as comfortable, especially as you advance in your pregnancy. Say good-bye to sleeping on your back and definitely your stomach! Say hello to lying on either your left (most recommend) or right side, which is not always so comfy. You will wake up to an arm falling asleep every now and then. Invest in a pregnancy pillow or at the very two king/body-sized pillows. One for the front and back. Oh, and as your belly gets bigger... rolling from side to side in bed will sadly become more challenging.
Hope some of these help or at least were interesting. Honestly, you can read all the pregnancy book and websites, as well as all of they advise people will give you, but they're nothing compared to experiencing everything yourself. Just like everyone women is different, no two pregnancies are ever the same!
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