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Pregnancy Week 19: PERKS & TRUTHS!!!

27 April, 2015

Advice and tips seem to come in abundance these days!

Everyone, including the lady at the grocery store checkout, has some knowledge or wisdom to offer you about pregnancy.

And while this advice and these tips are MORE than welcomed and certainly appreciated (many of them have already paid off!), each individual’s experience of pregnancy certainly seems to be unique. And each individual has their own experiences of what the perks and truths of pregnancy really are.

PERK: It’s always nap-time

You have a reason, and are encouraged to, rest, nap, and sleep as much as you could ever want.

Have errands to run? Nah, they can wait… you need to nap! Out with friends and feeling sleepy? Everyone gives you a pat on the back as you walk out the door and tells you to “get some rest”.

Well OK… if you insist!

TRUTH: Tired of being tired

You really are tired… this is no joke! I don’t think anyone truly understands pregnancy fatigue until you experience it! I certainly didn’t. We tend to have more energy in the 2nd trimester, but, I am sure some of you feel this way, I am still much more tired than I usually am and am needing a lot more rest and sleep.

PERK: Thicker hair, better nails, and bra upgrades!

Throughout our pregnancies, our hair becomes thicker and fuller, our nails grow faster and are much stronger, and we need to go bra shopping on a few occasions for upgrades. Ah, the little things in life!

TRUTH: Waiting on that hair…

For someone with long thin hair, I am still waiting for that thickness and fullness to grow out beyond awkward 4inch baby hairs. Chances are that I won’t see the benefits of this perk until later on in my pregnancy. I must say though, that I am quite happy about the nails and bra upgrades!

PERK: Eating, and then eating a little more

You can eat pretty much whatever you feel like, within reason while maintain a healthy balance (treats allowed in my books!), and you are advised to eat 300-500 extra calories per day to support your growing baby after the first trimester.

TRUTH: There are things on the “NO” list

Gaining too much weight seems to be frowned upon these days, as it may affect the health of your baby and make it harder to lose the baby weight after delivery. Which means that we really can’t eat whatever we want and still have to be conscious of gaining too much weight for the health of our baby.

Not only that, but there are foods that I certainly was not aware of that you are not allowed to eat during pregnancy; soft cheeses, raw eggs (which includes mayo… who knew?!?), raw fish = sushi, and deli meats, to mention a few.

Say goodbye to deli sandwiches unless they are made with real meat or are vegetarian. Oh, and hold the mayo!

PERK: A growing bond

There really is no feeling like knowing that you are growing a person inside of you! It is a miracle and it is magical, and we start to feel the bond with our babies pretty early on, I know I have already.

And it is a bond like no other.

TRUTH: Crazy changes

Your body undergoes all of these crazy changes and your immune system takes a serious hit while this is happening.

In the span of 2 ½ weeks, I had to make a trip to the ER (I will spare the details but everything is fine!), go on antibiotics to fight a mild infection, and caught the flu! I rarely ever get sick and I fell ill at the time when it worried me most. I lost 6lbs while I had the flu, I couldn’t eat, and I wasn’t so worried about me, I was worried about that little growing person inside of me, and how this flu would all affect him/her.

I was reassured by my doctor, however, that baby is very strong, protected, and resilient, and that a mild infection treated with antibiotics or the flu were not things that were likely to drastically change the overall health of your baby.

THE END RESULT: Mixed emotions

So if we are being honest, some parts of pregnancy are amazing, and others not so much. And while there are good days and bad days, I am doing my absolute best to enjoy and cherish this unique window of time in my life. Because I know that in the end, the most amazing day will arrive; the day our baby makes its way into this world.

Perks and truths aside, the countdown to September 25th is on!

Please share your comments, stories and your own PERKS & TRUTHS of pregnancy with me on Twitter and Instagram using @Mikkelson12 and #hockeymom

Next week on Hockey Mom, Scott and I find out if we are expecting a boy or girl!