There is this phenomenon on Facebook right now about writing out a list of 25 random facts about yourself. If you are friends with me on Facebook, you can see my list. I am fairly sure Kerry has not written a list. Recently, I started a random list of 25 things about pregnancy. So here you go and I hope you enjoy (and I hope it does not scare anyone who is contemplating pregnancy).
1. Baby kicks can hurt. In the beginning, it is really cool to feel a slight flutter and you are not quite sure if that is a kick or just some weird shift in your internal organs. Also, it was fun to see Kerry’s face when he felt her kick for the first time. However, Baby V now has mastered the kick to my lower right rib and it sends a jolt. The kind of jolt that can wake me from a deep, deep sleep. I am a punching bag from the inside at the moment. I think she has made impact with at least one kidney, a few ribs and a bladder. It is still cool to feel her moving around but it can hurt.
2. My nose runs all the time. It is like permanent allergy season without the feeling of crud. I wake up congested and nostrils sealed. Everyday.
3. My belly button has a strange purple ring around it. I asked the doctor and he said it was hormone related. Also, he told me that I should be happy I still have a belly button. Some women’s belly button will flatten out or just pop out.
4. I love fresh fruit. I guess this is my only true pregnancy craving. We have spent a small fortune on clementines, tangerines, pineapple, oranges, apples, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. Some of these are hard to find in January. But they are so good. I have already had a banana and a tangerine today. It is only 10 am. Even the chewable vitamin C tablets I eat taste good.
5. I still get weirded out when random strangers or people I don’t know that well or people I know but don’t want to discuss certain topics with- try to have conversations with me about breastfeeding, cloth diapers, natural childbirth or co-sleeping.
6. I think co-sleeping is weird. This is my opinion and I won’t change my mind. I saw a story on the news where a father rolled over on the baby and the baby died. End of conversation on co-sleeping. Not happening. I don’t want to hear your justifications and I won’t judge you if this works for your family.
7. I believe in the power of painkillers. Better living through chemistry. I am not ashamed of this fact.
8. Naming a child is hard. It is permanent and a big responsibility. I mean, they could have this name for a really long time.
9. This is the first time in my life that I am totally and completely responsible for another person. It is scary.
10. I believe that modern medicine is a wonderful thing but did not know before getting pregnant that there is not a lot doctors can do about lots of pregnancy related issues. Miscarriages just happen, chromosomes don’t always cooperate, complications just have to be waited out.
11. People tend to over share about their pregnancy, birthing, child rearing, etc. When this happens around me the voice in my head just starts saying, ‘la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la,’ to try and drown it out. And, I don’t feel bad about it.
12. We have opted not to take a child birth and labor class. Before you judge on this- we have seen the videos, read the books and I even had to take a class to learn how to deliver a baby when I worked at the Red Cross. Repeat, technically, I am certified to deliver a baby. My doctor was a-okay with the decision. He even reminded us that we get the ‘big talk’ with him, a tour of the hospital and will go over all the details in week 34. More to come on this conversation I am sure. My doctor also said, ‘there is a room full of people who will be able to tell you what to do.’
13. Maternity clothes are awful. They make you look bigger, the pants don’t stay up and vertical stripes are cruel. They are poorly made AND they are expensive. In my experience, the women that work in the stores are even worse than the clothes. Why would I buy an $88 tank top? Do I look that crazy? And, after you pass me that tank top plus hand me a $108 t-shirt, $210 pair of jeans and $320 sweater and casually mention that you have great cream from Europe that will prevent stretch marks at $180 per bottle- you must think I have completely lost my ever-loving mind.
14. I miss real clothes and fun shoes. I am excited to have pants that have a button again. And, shirts that fit.
15. It is not nice when you tell me how HUGE your wife got when she was pregnant. Don’t ever tell her that.
16. Heartburn is miserable. I will never look at a commercial for Prevacid or Zantac or Prilosec the same way. I am curious to see if Baby V will have a full head of hair.
17. I am going back to work. I like what I do. And, somehow I think it teaches our daughter about the importance of education, independence and finding things that make you happy. Hopefully, we pass along a lot of important lessons to her. One of the best may be the joys of vacation.
18. We both know that Baby V will change us but we want to work hard to keep the pieces of us that have made us ‘us’ up to this point. To quote my friend Sandy, ‘if you ever hear me debating the best brand of organic waffles. Shoot me.’
19. I love when Kerry talks about her. His excitement and awe makes my heart melt. I will remind him of this when she is 16.
20. I don’t like pickles. I have never have. I don’t crave pickles, dream of pickles or wants pickles dipped in ice cream. Pickles are not my thing. And, the 50+ questions I have gotten about pickles are annoying. If you have nothing else to contribute about pregnancy- just ask a normal question about the weather or politics or anything. Stop with the pickles.
21. I joined a mom’s group. It is totally out of character for me but I am enjoying it. There are nine of us in my group and we are all around the same age, in the same stage of pregnancy, live close to each other, are all going back to work and surprisingly have a lot in common. It has been a nice, unexpected surprise and we laugh that eight of us are having girls (I guess there is something true about the Chinese Gender Chart).
22. The following words and phrases should never be used around a pregnant women: big, bigger, biggest, huge, thick, swollen, large, your gonna burst, stretched, waddle, jumbo, vast, are there two in there or WOW.
23. I am glad my friends had babies before me. They have done all the research on carseats, gear, pediatricians, hospitals, yoga classes, birth classes, maternity clothes, bottles, cribs, childcare, baptisms, pre-schools, strollers, vaccinations, baby books and much, much more. And, we have just benefited from all their research. Hopefully, I will get to pass along some of this knowledge to someone else.
24. My heart rate has not increased during pregnancy. It is always under 58 beats per minute.
25. We both wonder about what color her eyes will be, how tall she will be, if she will be athletic or artsy or both, if her hair will be straight, if she will be allergic to pepperoni, if she will hate vegetables or if she will like school. I picture her will dark hair but in the beginning of my pregnancy I was convinced she was a he so I my mind has been wrong before.
And, Keith obviously knows Kerry’s favorite color because this was in the box.
According to Kerry- because it is 6-12 months size it will be perfect for Tennessee football season. Thanks Keith for all the baby clothes!
Statistically, when one parent is left handed and the other right handed, the child in 80% of cases will be right handed (that does leave me with a 20% chance AND since my dad is left handed I think the odds may be better). We looked at the ultrasound photos from a few weeks ago and in one picture her left hand is up but in the other picture both hands are by her head so there is really no clear favorite.
