The Pregnant Life: What you learn on your own.

          It was a Sunday morning at the end of January and Gat and I had just woke up. Mother Nature's visit was late and I have never been late in the 8 years it's been visiting me. Although I knew in my head there was no possible way I could be pregnant, I decided to just reaffirm my knowledge by taking a pregnancy test....5 positive tests later and a confirmation from the doctor, we finally accepted that we, mainly me, were going to be bring a tiny little human into the world. It took some time for the initial shock to wear off and little by little, day by day excitement crept it's way in...that is at least until week 7 hit.
          I am a full time nursing student, part time CNA at the hospital, I am a contracted cadet for an Army ROTC program at the University, and I am still trying to be a good wife and have a social life. So a difficult pregnancy was not something I had time for. Now I am only sharing with you my perspective of the 14 weeks I have experienced so far, so I don't know everything but if anyone reading this was anything like me, I had absolutely no clue what I was going to go through.

Here is what I knew about being pregnant from what people told me:

1. Growing a human is such a powerful thing for you to be able to do.
2. When you hear the heart beat for the first time, your life will change for the better.
3. It will amaze you the first time you feel that baby kick. 
4. When you hold that baby for the first time, you will feel a love unlike any other. 
5. You may get sick and throw up a couple times, but it will pass. 
6. Careful what you eat, those cravings will get to you and it doesn't just go away after the baby.
7. Do everything you want now, because when the baby comes your life will be all about them. 

These are the things I learned on my own from being pregnant:

1. Morning sickness is NO JOKE. And it isn't just a morning thing, it's a 24/7 thing. 
2. You are chronically exhausted. I mean, needing a nap 1-2 times a day after sleeping 10-12 hours at night. 
3. Eating is a job all in itself. You eat ONLY what sounds good, and even then it's only a couple bites.
4. When you should have gained 4 pounds by a certain point but you've lost 8. Normally losing weight would be a good thing. 
5. Say goodbye to your sex drive. 
6. What is dinner?
7. Going out is a one in a million thing, it's not very appealing to upchuck in public.
8. Pregnancy headaches are debilitating.
9. Hormones give you seriously intense mood swings. Crying, being pissed, depressed. All of it. 
10. It takes a lot more than just simply being pregnant to "bond" with your baby.
11. Baby names are great until you have to find some you like enough to give to your child. 
12. Your husband/boyfriend/SO/baby daddy IS NOT pregnant with you. 

I am beyond excited to be a mom to this sweet tiny little human. They already mean the world to me and October could not come fast enough! We are both so excited to bring this babe into the world and welcome them into our family. But I never realized the price I would pay to become a mother. This little one is the greatest blessing I could have ever asked for, even if I wasn't planning on it right now. I would give anything to eat a regular meal and maybe even if I am really lucky, to eat dinner with my husband. I would love to have the energy to go to school, go to work, and clean my house. But it seems I only can pick one each day. 

The toilet has been my best friend, which is terribly disgusting if you ask me. Throwing up all the time takes a toll on you. I am not worried about my abs because they get a workout everyday. Some days I get so sick that I have to crawl to the bathroom (thank goodness it isn't very far), and sometimes I don't leave the bathroom because it's easier to just stay there. Honestly, the only people who will fully understand what I am talking about, are the ones that have experienced it themselves. Just trust me when I say, I have never been more miserable in my life, and I pray that nobody has to experience this. If you do, get lots of gatorade, find a really warm soft blanket, and find a good, long show on Netflix. 

I miss sleeping on my stomach. My body hurts all time, I feel like I've done a total body workout every day, even though I haven't worked out in over a month. I have lost most of my muscle mass and I get dizzy every single time I get up from anywhere. I take so many different medications and supplements to keep my body functioning the way it should. I have never had such intense indigestion in my whole life. 

Don't get me wrong, it was an incredible feeling to hear that heart beat and to see it grow at every ultrasound. It amazes me that MY BODY is growing a human being. And clearly I love the little one because I let it take every thing I have. But as beautiful as pregnancy is, I am counting down the seconds to when I am not pregnant. Looking forward to working out, intensely, eating whatever I want whenever I want, I cannot tell you how much I look forward to an intimate life, and I am very excited to hold this sweet tiny baby in my arms and loving them with everything in me...and I have an awesome baby jogger to run with this sweet one!

Sweet Tiny Human that is causing all the damage! Sure is cute though!

So there's the little tidbit from my corner of the world. For what it's worth, I am considering maybe having another one in like 5 years.