I remember a year or so back when Matt and I were talking about trying for a baby and how excited I was about the prospect of being pregnanct and having a new addition to our family. We were even more excited when we managed to get pregnant right away, as we were told it takes an average of 6 months. But I was not prepared for what my body would be going through physically as I grew a human being inside me.
First of all - there was morning sickness. Nausea for 8 weeks straight. I seriously missed out on Christmas as I couldnt eat very much of anything over the holidays. But I managed to get through it with a smile on my face for the most part. Although I have to admit... gagging in a public bathroom in the middle of nowhere while driving to Kapuskasing for Christmas wasnt too much fun. I have to admit, I was pretty proud of myself that I managed to fly across the country and then drive 8-10 hours at the height of my morning sickness.
Then came exhaustion. I was put on bedrest to get my energy levels up the week before our performance of Macbeth which I had been working on since fall. Horrible timing... but I guess I brought that one on myself really. What? 12 hour days arent a good idea for a pregnant woman?
Next comes the backaches, overly tight stomach, stretch marks and watching the scale climb higher and higher to numbers you have never reached before. "I weigh HOW much!?"
And then, the big day arrives, and you are in labour. Pain you could never have imagined, along with nausea, more exhaustion, and being naked in front of more people then you ever imagined.. After your little one arrives you cant believe that you just pushed that big baby out of your body. For the next 24 hours you deal with exessive blood loss, discomfort from stitches or whatever else may have happened to you during delivery. But at the same time you experience pure joy and happiness because you have finally met that person you have been growing for 9 months.
But its not over. You go home, continue to heal and try to adjust to the body you have been left with thanks to your darling child. I have been very lucky. I only gained 25 pounds in my pregnancy, and I lost 20 of them within the first few days of being home from the hospital. I then proceeded to lose the final 5 over the next few weeks. So my body should look like it did before right? WRONG! I have been left with this (as a friend so lovingly called it) the 'pregnancy fanny pack.' Yes, I have been told it will tighten up once I am past my 6 weeks postpartum and am able to get back to working out regularly. But in the meantime, it is very frustrating to try and find clothes to wear. I may have had a meltdown or two of crying,"I have nothing to wear!!!" My maternity clothes are too big and dont sit right on me, and my prepregnancy pants are about 2 inches too small around my middle. Oh, and shirts are too tight thanks to breastfeeding. *sigh* Not fun! I know, this will all improve in time, but its frustrating and it got me to thinking about how much our bodies go through for our children.
So, is it all worth it you ask? Absolutely!! And I plan to go through it all again a few more times to add more members to our family. Its just crazy to think about. And it gives me so much more respect for other woman who have gone through this journey of childbirth. So to all you moms out there - you are superheros in my books!
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