…Third is the one with the moles on her chest.
After the whole first trimester debacle…
Pregnancy Book: Morning sickness happens to weak-stomached women who have a history of letting the flu get the best of them. (I paraphrased, but I’m pretty sure this was the gist.)
Me pre-pregnancy: That won’t happen to me. Poor other women, though. My heart goes out to them.
Me first trimester: [vomit noises 24/7]
…I learned my lesson. As it so happens, I am susceptible to the awful side-effects of pregnancy. So as I began second trimester I read the warnings differently…
Pregnancy Book: You will be constipated all the time. Your boobs will most certainly leak colstrum when you are out in public. You are 100% guaranteed to have stretch marks so severe that it will look like a werewolf attempted to rip open your belly. You will definitely have cankles, swollen feet, and fat fingers…and everyone will call you sausage lady. You will absolutely have hemorrhoids, even though you still don’t understand what they are. (Again, not the exact words, but practically exact.)
Me at beginning of second trimester: Ack! What did I sign up for? All the warnings are here in this book and yet I did this to myself ON PURPOSE? I’m a sucker! A dupe!
Me with 8 weeks to go: [Waddling around sans all expected major side-effects] Success!!
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
I was so busy tracking bathroom frequency and obsessing that every drop of cleavage sweat was embarrassing nipple leakage, that I forgot to obsess over the possibility of coming down with the more mild symptoms of later pregnancy. Here are the not-as-scary symptoms I am happily saddled with instead, may I continue to stay in the pregnancy fairy’s good graces:
1) Moles. These blind little beasts are popping up all over. They are teeny, practically microscopic, but honestly, I was happily light on the moles pre-pregnancy. I haven’t yet done research to determine if they go away. I’m guessing no?
Yup!
2) Braxton Hicks contractions. Whew they can be intense! They stop when Patrick reminds me to breathe and I relax for a bit. Those practice contractions also make me giggle in anticipation of the real thing!! Then, I have to remind Patrick to breathe and have him sit down because he thinks I’m having a baby and losing my wits at the same time.
3) Anemia. Sounds serious, doesn’t it? But I’m taking an iron supplement and a lot of naps in between bouts of fantastic, sweaty, scrubby, nesty-nesting. Totally manageable, especially since I’m a big fan of napping!
4) Back pain. Okay. This hurt second trimester, but seem to be related to some major belly growth spurts I had earlier. With continued exercise and time to acclimate and readjust posture for the belly, this pain has now become rare and short-lived.
5) Hives. We haven’t figured out why they come and go, but my best guess is heat and/or food allergy, combined with even more skin sensitivity, thanks to pregnancy. Sounds bad, but they are so mild that I just ignore them. …after I point to them, frown, and Patrick babies me a bit. He is good at that!
I swore that I wouldn’t keep awful pregnancy symptoms a secret, and I feel equally obligated to share the not-so-awful symptoms too. TMI? Probably. But I believe people have the right to know what pregnant ladies really go through, before they get pregnant, “join the club,” and learn the hard truths.
Gilly
Patrick
Re hives – check foods for sulfites. They brought my friend out in hives something chronic
So many foods have sulfites in them, you’d never guess!
And remember… 8 weeks! It’ll fly by and you’ll have forgotten all the discomfort you went through.
Of course, then comes bankruptcy as the kid gets older and fleeces your money like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac asking YOU for a loan
But it’s ALL worth it
I’ll check foods! I did not know about the sulfites. Thanks for the tip! Truth be told, these hives are pretty mild unless it is pretty hot.
These last 8 weeks are going to be busy! I have no doubt they will fly by. If not, I’ll be here complaining! So can’t wait to meet this little girl!
Gilly, are you taking your red raspberry leaf?
Also, stock up on fenugreek now for once the baby gets here, it will help with milk production. (and you’ll smell like maple syrup!)
Was just about to order a fenugreek tea online when I saw your comment. Just added a red raspberry leaf tea to my order too! Thanks so much!
Baby Girl was THREE WEEKS overdue, so I was taking copious amounts of red raspberry leaf at the end. I just wanted it to be OVER.
Also, husband really dug the maple smell of the fenugreek (our sheets even smelled like it!) so be prepared to have to fight Patrick off.
Who knew that it simply takes a maple syrup smell to rekindle the flame postpartum! What does the red raspberry leaf do? I was under the impression it preps the body for labor?
Yes, that’s what it does. I was just hoping that if I took A BUNCH of it, it would help move things along. I was OBVIOUSLY wrong.
Ah the waddling…yes, the glorious third trimester when all organs are pushed up into the neck and face, and breathing become strenuous exercise. Almost to the finish line!
Doing my best duck walk to the finish line!
We went to the beach over the weekend. While swimming in the ocean, I didn’t feel pregnant at all. It was amazing and refreshing! But once my feet touched the beach, it was waddle-as-usual.
Lovely isn’t it? I got strange rashes and hives also, especially with my first pregnancy in the summer. I don’t know if it was the combo of being pregnant in the heat or what. It was very itchy to say the least. as far as moles…they get lighter usually but you never really get rid of them
I got hemangioma’s with my first pregnancy really bad. Bright red dots all over then a huge one on my head that would bleed, and got bigger and bigger. My Dad, who is a dr. was actually horrified by it LOL. Let’s just say I need some airbrushing done to some of the pictures 
Your getting there! Can’t believe how fast time flies, although it usually slows down for the one that is pregnant!
I can’t believe the things that happen to a body during pregnancy! LOL! I’m hoping that time will continue to fly. Right now it feels like I blink and a week has gone by.
But I keep telling Patrick that I will be bored in August. The rest of July is packed, but our August calendar is empty. Patrick tells me I should embrace any boredom that comes my way in the next few weeks. Ha!
Can’t believe it’s down to the last 8 weeks! Crazy!! Are you getting restful sleep and all that good stuff?
Thanks for the heads up on all of this. Really! Even if you haven’t had the easiest time with it, it sounds like you’re still managing to enjoy the good parts!
More often than not, I’m getting lot of sleep at night and taking long naps during the day! Those side-effects are weird (IMO), but soooo worth it! I guess if you told me pre-pregnancy that I’d be growing moles and breaking out in hives, it would seem major. But now it seems like no big deal. LOL! This belly and our growing, rolling, hiccuping girl is so cool!
7 weeks and 6 days until due date!! Wooohoooo!!
I had way more issues with allergies when pregnant, too. Way to go on skipping the big bads!
Hope the big bads stay away! So strange about allergies getting worse… ah, the joys of pregnancy!
If it’s any consolation, I was back to normal allergy-wise within a couple of months post-partum.
You might not want to read about what happens to your body afterwards. Like my husband has agreed he will never again sing the theme song to Good Times around me after the “incident” that happened last time. I piddled like a puppy. I’m not ashamed.
And then there’s the hay fever I didn’t have until after my son was born.
Wait, what am I doing? So sorry. You’re almost there and you almost have your little bundle. It’s all good.
I’m under the happy delusion that all this weirdness goes away 6 weeks after the baby is born. And I keep telling myself that I’ll never piddle…ever. It is an uncontrollable pattern of delusion at every step of this journey!
I forget now that I was ever pregnant. or perhaps I wasn’t and my denial thoughts that they got her out from the bedside cabinet were right!!! hmmmm who knows, but if I was ever pregnant I got back to normal very quickly xxxxx
Hahah! I can’t wait to get bad to “normal.” I forget now that there was ever a normal. LOL!
oh my goodness… I actually came down with PUPPS AFTER I gave birth. My dermatologist didn’t know what to do with me. I hope all of the little side effects go away soon (maybe the hives are pupps as well? Talk to your doctor and see what he/she thinks. My gyno had no idea what it was hence the visit to the dermatologist). It does get better after the pregnancy and you’re almost there!
PUPPS postpartum?? That is cruel and just wrong!
My OB/GYN said it was hives. I, of course, immediately thought PUPPS when I first broke out. But doc was unimpressed and said it was hives. Had a bad breakout in the heat today. But as you said, just a little longer!
yeah… apparently people of my race aren’t even supposed to get PUPPS. It went away after about 2 months of itching hell. Do you think it might be an allergic reaction to something for you @ hives?
SO glad to hear its not PUPPS. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy…. scratch that. I actually would hehe.
Haha!! I thought it was allergies, but hive size and number are proportional to heat. And no hives in sight in A/C or cooler temps. So I’m loving this extra-hot summer. Loving it!