Pregnancy Symptoms

So now that it's ultimately confirmed and I fully understand that I am pregnant let's start with the symptoms that go along with pregnancy. I had heard you get some cramping, like a period. Your breasts will become sore and you may experience fatigue. You could also develop some cravings and have the occassional emotional reaction to a less than dramatic situation. You could also experience morning sickness that could range from queasy to toilet hugging. You may develop gas (above or below) due to your intestinal track slowing.


REALLY???!!! Let me debunk these myths individually:


1. MYTH: Cramping like a period.
    FACT:  Something is inside/outside my uterus pulling and pushing to make room, like a dog stretching it's legs.


2. MYTH: Your breasts will become sore.
    FACT:  I believe someone used my breasts as a punching bag continuously for 2 days while I was sleeping and now I am stuck with the ramifications.


3. MYTH: You may experience some fatigue.
    FACT: While I haven't experienced falling asleep in between appointments, which happened frequently to a woman whose story I read in a book recently,  I do require a minimum 8 hrs. + nap or 10 straight hours of sleep.


4. MYTH: You could also develop cravings.
    FACT: If it is chocolate, looks like chocolate, smells like chocolate, is shaped like chocolate, has a dash of chocolate shavings in it......GIVE IT TO ME and no one will get hurt. ;0) Thank you.


5. MYTH: You may have an occassional emotional reaction to a less than dramatic situation.
    FACT:  (Sniffle, sniffle) "No, thank you. Just throw it away. It's ruined. There's just not enough foam on my latte. No really. I don't want it." (dramatization)


6. MYTH: You could also experience morning sickness.
    FACT: It doesn't have to happen in the morning! It can come on when you're at work during the day, walking the dog in the afternoon, when you're going to bed at night. I refuse to call it m-o-r-n-i-n-g sickness. Be prepared. Have bland snacks (crackers, dry cereal, carrot sticks) on hand all the time that can help neutralize the nausea. If your "morning" sickness comes with food revisited, be sure to carry an emergency kit with disposable bags, wipes, toothbrush, mints, mouthwash.


7. MYTH: You may develop gas.
    FACT:  Let's just say, if you do, try to be a lady about it.


Now that you know my take on these pregnancy symptoms, I will tell you that while these feelings are new and when they're happening to you, possibly annoying; they're really not that bad. You just have to take the ebb and flow of each day and know that you are a vessel for that beautiful baby and try to minimize your stress with these symptoms and try not to complain frequently because:
1. no one likes a constant complainer
2. this is an amazing experience that only us women are "lucky" enough to go through.
Remember that there are many women that would give their left arm to get pregnant.  Also, when you think about complaining about your now "huge rack" or needing another cookie, remember no one did this to you. It takes two. So sit back, relax, have another scoop of Monkey Tracks ice cream and enjoy the ride.

What the Heck is Going On?!

Ok...so upon sharing our news with immediate family and a few close friends, I am coming to understand that all the traditional symptoms of what I thought were going to be "another period" were really signs that I was pregnant: cramping, tender breasts, fatigue, minor crankiness. Dang, good thing I took the test (well...5 tests). I would've continued to try to stifle my uncomfortable situation with glasses of wine and a jump start of caffeine in the morning.

So, first things first. Finding out that I'm pregnant. When hubs approached me on lovely V-Day, asking me to take a test before we started out for a hike with the pups, I thought, "Ok, no big deal. Just take this test, be on your way for a much needed day outside and then have a delicious dinner and hearty glass of wine with the fam for a great Sunday. No biggie."

"Wait! What the heck?!! What does that say? Is that two lines? No. It can't be. I'm totally cramping and going to start my period any moment. Ok. No big deal. I'm sure there's another test around here. I'm sure...where IS IT??!!! Where is that damn test?!! Ok. Here we go. One more time. Wait! What's that?! A faint horizontal line with a punchy purple, vertical line. What does that mean??!! Where are those directions?! Let the test sit flat for approximately 3 minutes...blah...blah...blah...ok, if the test shows a positive sign no matter how faint, the results are.........................................P O S I T I V E! Holy crap!"

This is when hubs comes to the door, knocking and asking what's going on. "Ummmm...." is all I could get out. He looks down at the tests in minor disbelief and glances back at my pale face asking if I'm ok. We hug and I tell him I need more tests. With the dogs already in the truck, I decide to head to the store myself and buy two more. Needless to say, the results were the same. Same faint horizontal line with a striking vertical line.

So now on my second day of knowing I call Kaiser for an appointment and they inform me I need to take a test in their lab before they will schedule me. I go down on Monday afternoon, pee in the cup and impatiently await the "24-hour" results. When I finally got them on Tuesday evening confirming a positive test and received printed results is when I finally believed it.

My First Pregnancy Post

So...Happy Valentine's Day to us! We've been together for 7 years, living together for 5, married 23 days and now...we're pregnant!! We started trying on our honeymoon and what do you know, it worked. We are elated, but shocked at how quickly it took after being on the pill for 15 years, only off for a year and trying for a few days. We are very lucky I realize to be "Fertile Myrtle" and "Sure Shot Johnny" as my mom lovingly refers to us. I understand that there are couples that try for years to try to get pregnant with no success.

As I started to come to the realization that I am pregnant, I had an overwhelming number of questions, concerns and emotions (no doubt). This blog will serve as my outlet for the plethora of questions, blunders and misconceptions that I have about being pregnant. Please enjoy my ride of emotions, ridiculous questions, disgusting sharing and silly antics. I welcome you to share your advice, stories and delicious recipes including chocolate (first craving!).

Disclaimer: The opinions shared via this blog are not necessarily coming from the logical side of my brain at times, nor does my husband necessarily share in the opinions or possibly support my ranting on about the millions of nonsensical things that I have found to obsess about during the next 9 months.