Pregnancy..Keep Your Eye On The Prize

Let me start out by saying that I have two children. I had my oldest, a daughter, 9 days before I turned 21 years old. I was young and totally in shape when I found out that I was "in the family way". Let me just say that the totally in shape part disappeared just about as fast as the plus sign appeared on the stick declaring my condition.

The nausea set in immediately and before I knew it there were splotches all over my face from being physically ill along with a rash that appeared suddenly. The doctor informed me, with nonchalance, that the rash was just something that happened to some people during pregnancy. Well..Lucky me!

As the months past I developed many other issues such as swollen feet and hands. My doctor was also quick to inform me that hair dye was out of the question and so my roots began to show...Nice..I only wish someone had heard the word Ombre in regards to a hair style back then, because by my ninth month I would have been looking good..

I can also tell you that the wardrobe choices for pregnant women in the 80's and early 90's were seriously lacking. These clothes were so bad that in about the seventh month of my pregnancy I decided to burn all of them upon the delivery of my baby.

During my pregnancy with my son I experienced all of these same wonderful changes although this time I was much more mentally prepared for them, and I did purchase a pair of maternity overalls, a denim jacket, large t-shirts, and some Joker themed converse tennis shoes just to shake things up. I wasn't going to end this pregnancy with a bonfire.

Before the delivery of each baby I no longer even had the capability to tie my own shoes. I needed three pillows to prop up on when I slept just to maintain the ability to breathe, and I waddled like a duck.

I have to say that I was a bit surprised at the quick deterioration of my appearance the first time, since I had heard all of my life that pregnant women were beautiful. I was young and naive.

I was expecting miracles to take place. I kept looking for that glow, a special sparkle to appear in my eyes,and to be honest I was a bit excited at the prospect of finally having a bra size to be proud of.

I did develop the need for a larger bra, but it really wasn't all that impressive considering my stomach stuck out so much further than my chest.

Just when I thought that I had experienced all of the changes I could stand there was a bonus. I became prone to crying jags that came on suddenly and for no apparent reason. These little "episodes" reddened my face even more. Needless to say, they didn't do a thing to improve my new look. Like I said "Bonus" and I now know that bonuses during pregnancies may vary by individual and with each pregnancy.

I still today fail to understand why other women shared every pregnancy story they had ever heard with me, when they saw that I was expecting. So many women shared with me that I lost count. My favorites were the ones that told me absolute horror stories about labor and delivery. I mean really??? Was that necessary. I'm a smart woman. One of my very first thoughts, when I found out that I was pregnant, was "There's only one way out of this and I am not going to like it".

When labor finally started with my first child, I thought, wow this isn't bad at all. I can totally handle this. I showered, dried and rolled my hair (it was the early 80's big hair was a must), put my makeup on, and painted my nails red. I grabbed my lip gloss for later reapplications and declared myself ready to head to the hospital.

Talk about delusional. Those labor pains intensified by the minute after that, and I thought I was going to die.

I was diagnosed with toxemia and had to have an emergency c-section. They gave me some little nail polish and makeup remover wipes and told me to clean the polish off my nails and the makeup off my face, because I couldn't wear it in the operating room. Well within seconds I had raccoon eyes and that red nail polish was everywhere. It was smeared all over my nails and my fingers...and I had gone from thinking appearance was everything to thinking I'm dying who gives a fat rat's rear end just cut me.

I experienced a very difficult miscarriage about 3 years after my daughter was born, and then My next baby, a son, was delivered during a scheduled c-section...a much better gig if you can get it.

There are many discomforts that come with pregnancy, several of which, I failed to mention here, but each and every one of them are worth it!!

If you are in "the family way" my advice to you is not coco butter for stretch marks or peppermint for nausea...it's simply this:

Keep your eye on the prize....and for God's sake don't ask any questions about how resilient your body will be after delivery..or if stretch marks ever completely disappear...the answers to those questions are not important sugar...No ma'am...Not at all.

You are going to look beautiful after the delivery...absolutely beautiful...eye on the prize girl..eye on the prize.....