The experience of being pregnant is not only different for every woman, it’s also very different from one child to the next. Some women will say they feel more gorgeous than they ever have, while others will tell you they felt miserable and bloated.
With just 6 days left of my 3rd (and no doubt, final) pregnancy, I can tell you I have experienced all ends of that pregnancy spectrum.
With my first, I was retaining more water than the Hoover Dam… Which may or may not have had to do with my living on bread and Caesar dressing.
My second, pregnancy was better. I wasn’t retaining water at the rapid rate I was with the first – which was good enough for me! But I still spent 9 months feeling envious of the “cute pregnant women” and just over all frump-tastic.
Feeling self-concious about your growing pregnancy curves can really put a damper on the over all experience.
This time around I had a goal –to embrace the bump for better or for worse and allow myself to celebrate not only the anticipation of the baby, but living with the baby inside.
I wanted to be one of “those” women who I never understood, who felt radiant– and more importantly, I wanted to have documentation of it all, to remember waiting for that first kick, hormonal crying without a valid reason, as well as pictures of the growing curves.
The thing I think we need to understand here, ladies is this…..
These 9 months are possibly the only time we’re encouraged to show off a big belly instead of trying to hide love handles. Instead of “Suck it in” people are saying “stick that belly out! “. Seriously. Think about that for a minute. It’s a beautiful, beautiful thing, my expecting friends.
So I did everything opposite. I kept active, ate healthier and celebrated this last pregnancy the way I wish I had with my previous two.
I had fun seeking out cute maternity styles, hiked in the gorgeous Red Wood Forest in San Francisco, accepted an opportunity to walk the cat walk at Lincoln Center… in a non-maternity dress and heels, had professional maternity pictures taken and I journaled along the way.
None of it came naturally at first…. but it quickly became a beautiful journey that I am so very thankful I had the chance to experience again– The funny thing? I gained 1/2 the weight I did with my first (Steering clear of italian bread drenched in Caesar dressing probably helped).
And while I’ve been spending the last 3 wks living in that inevitable land of back pain, hot flashes and Fred Flintstone toes– eagerly nesting and waiting to see this little one’s face and find out if it truly has the height of the basketball player I feel has taken over the entire length of my stomach…
For the first time, I think a small part of me may actually miss this bump when its gone.
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Celebrate Your Bump For A Chance to Win!
Beginning this week, Pampers and Target are asking expecting Mama’s to celebrate their pregnancy by uploading a photo to the official Pampers Facebook page for a chance to win some truly great prizes–
Pamper Swaddlers is a hospital favorite. We always use them for our newborns, and I am a little ashamed to admit that with just 6 days til’ our little one arrives- we’ve only purchased 1 package! We were waiting for a sale and… well– ok. We slacked. Which is why I’m super excited to have found out about the Pampers sale going on at Target this week!
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Baby Center and Pampers.
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