Things I Learned as a Newbie Preggy Woman

As my blog title suggests, I am obviously a newbie/noob when it comes to being a pregnant woman and of course, a mom (jitters and cold feet are my constant companion). So here, I'll try to compile a list of things I found out during my 4 months (or if you want to be more specific about it, 18 weeks) of being preggy. Of course, I'll try to add more in the succeeding months.

1. Its a surprise. While we have been trying to become pregnant for the past few months, the positive test still came as a BIG surprise. I would've given anything to our faces when the doctor at the ER said that I tested positive in the pregnancy test. We were actually waiting for my period to start another counting cycle/scheduling when this happened. And a note to all trying to conceive couples, during our last visit to my OB, she asked whether we did anything *wink wink on certain dates, and we didn't. So she said pa "sayang" and that we'd try again the following month. Imagine my next call telling her I tested positive. O diba. Schedule is not everything. Tsambahan din. Take note, we've been through 3 cycles of clomid, pregnil, etc. and both hubby and I have undergone tests. Maybe the stork really comes when you least expect it.
2. Not all pregnancies are the same. As I've said in my previous post, DO NOT COMPARE. Some may breeze through the 9 months, others suffer through it, while some more get a combination of both. Lesson learned: its not the same for all women nor for all pregnancies. Kanya-kanya yan. A word of advice to others who are not pregnant but are around (either at work or at home) preggy women: be considerate. Don't assume nag-iinarte sya or that she can resume her life 100%. You don't know what she's feeling. My advice to preggy women: don't feel bad when you can't function fully. Take time to appreciate and enjoy the fact that you're pregnant no matter if you may be feeling pain or sick (yes, that includes the countless trips to the bathroom). A life is brewing inside you and that takes energy and a lot from you. So don't feel guilty about throwing your weight a bit and admitting to everyone including yourself that you're not 100% normal. Because you are not and there's nothing wrong with that.
3. Biscuits are your new best friend. Never leave home without it. If you can tolerate hunger pangs before getting pregnant, hunger pangs are a whole different thing/level when you are preggy. I don't know if this is the same with everyone, but for me it feels as if a big fat rock will suddenly drop into my stomach from a great height (don't ask me for specifics, basta feeling ko galing sya sa malayo) and settle there until I've eaten something.
4. Not everything you crave for is good for you. During my first trimester, I had this craving for all kinds of fruit juices I can get my hands on. Specifically either mango or dalandan juice. I also ate a lot of green mangoes with bagoong (I've been eating this a lot even before I got pregnant, so what do you expect). And then the pain started. And kept on going until I could not even get out of bed anymore. Turns out hyperacidity is a normal thing for preggies including me, and mine was exacerbated (I think) by the fruit juices and the fruits I've been eating - which are all of course, acidic. So when I learned this, I minimized the fruit intake and ate small and frequent meals. The hyperacidity did not leave me until Christmas - best Christmas gift ever I'm telling you. But if I ever do get pregnant again, I'll take it slowly and surely - especially when it comes to food.
5. Enjoy it. NO matter WHAT you may be feeling.

In addition to my number 1, I'm listing here some other factors that may (or may not) have contributed to this conception. These are just some things/factors that were different during the latter part of last year:

1. The husband had a less stressful workload.
2. We weren't expecting anything because we were still waiting the results of some tests we had done.
3. My friend and I bought these bikram yoga coupons, and we did it everyday for 1 whole week. Dunno if the additional stretching and sweat contributed anything.
4. Both hubby and I drunk igco/colostrum milk once a day - I have to emphasize that this was prescribed by the OB and I was (still a bit) skeptical how this can help. But I'm pregnant na right, so maybe it contributed even a bit.
5. We enjoyed ourselves - a lot. Well this is a bit norm for us. Three years of being married gave us a different sense of independence. But during those months, we went out more: coffee nights, more dinner outs, movies, and even bowling dates.

Anyway, I just learned from the vine (Facebook) that a recently married friend is also pregnant. Whee. Actually I do have a lot of Facebook friends who are pregnant. Our generation must be in that stage na of getting married and settling down. Looking back, I still am thankful that hubby and I decided to get married (a bit early for our age for some), enjoy ourselves for a few years, and then settle down.

A Few Updates and the Reason for the Title Change

So it’s been a while since I’ve last been here, and a few updates are in order. So to make things simple (and easier since I’m a bit rusty in blogging after such a long time of absence), I’ll make it in bullet points.

• After leaving the corporate world for almost a year now, we are finally pregnant (well I am, but of course, I can say my husband and I are expecting). We found out last Dec. 1 at the St. Luke's emergency room after a wedding we coordinated and after downing 4 white rum + chocolate shots. To make the long story short, I thought I was having an allergic reaction to the alcohol or something I ate which is why we ended up in the ER and where I realized I haven't had my period for November (I'm irregular so its quite hard to keep track of), and where they tested me and where I tested positive - for a pregnancy and not for something else. So. Most expensive pregnancy test we ever had.

• When the pregnancy was confirmed, I was already a month or so along (I forgot na, I'm sorry). So my first trimester coincided with the Malditas' busiest month ever: December. We had weddings almost every other day, plus the Holidays = the worst trimester ever. I'm sorry baby but it was the worst. There were days when I just couldn't get out of bed at all. We had another trip to the ER where they said the reason for my pains were hyperacidity + constipation, and basically they could NOT do anything about it. It is considered a normal thing during pregnancy, some women just have it harder than others. Well obviously I was part of the club who had it worse. Aside from hyperacidity, I also couldn't eat. Not a lot. Not even a little. I lost 5 lbs during that month alone, and I thought I'm pregnant, not on diet.

Another thing I realized during those days was no matter how you explain and describe it, no one, and I mean NO ONE gets your pain. Cry and beg all you want, no one gets it. For some, you are just throwing your weight around. For others, nag-iinarte ka lang - for lack of a better term. All I can say is, all pregnant women and moms deserve respect and consideration during these times. And while you may or may not have been pregnant before, you may or may not know someone who was pregnant na "wala lang" and was able to continue with their normal lives, don't assume that the same holds for everyone (even for you). Everyone and every pregnancy is different. During that time, I was crying the whole time to hubby about the pain and why I never knew preggy women who experienced and complained about the pain during the first trimester, hence something must be wrong with me. Needless to say I was a nervous, painful wreck. But as it turned out, it was normal, even if it was painful. And I survived. Talking and comparing notes with other moms (ie those who have been pregnant before me) helped a lot. And for those who haven't been pregnant, be considerate because you never know which club you'd belong to once you do get pregnant: the I got it easy club, or the I got it worse club.

So I guess that's it for now. I'm taking it a bit easy right now, albeit we had a ton of meetings during the start of the year - not that I'm complaining since it is a good thing. I have already declared my maternity leave for June to August (I'm due on July; I don't want to go on pre-term labor because of all the walking and standing we do, hence June; my mom has this rule of 1 month rest after birthing, don't ask I don't even know, hence August), so we'll see.