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25 Things I’ve Learned About Pregnancy by Week 25

August 9, 2010 – 2:02 pm

1. The appetite is not a myth.  They were not making it up.  I am actually hungry every 2-3 hours.  Plus, my stomach doesn’t hold as much because baby is pressing against it, so I can’t eat as much in any one sitting. Which means I’m hungry more often.

2. Don’t buy maternity clothes before you actually need them. You end up with a bunch of clothes that don’t fit because someone told you “You’re gonna need all that room eventually”.  Don’t listen.  Don’t buy until you need, and then buy what fits NOW.

3. A good Babydaddy must be a good masseuse.  This should be a prerequisite for Babydaddies everywhere. Fortunately, mine is (a good Babydaddy AND a good masseuse).

4. Unfortunately, my back hurts most days.  Fortunately, arnica massages (see #3) do actually bring some relief.

5. Invest in good pillows. Don’t skimp here.

6. Hydrate.  This helps keep back pain at bay.  Not to mention constipation.

7. They weren’t making the constipation thing up either.  Until pregnancy, I had never been constipated a day in my life.  Must. Eat. Fiber.  Must. Drink. Water.

8. Prenatal yoga is the ultimate.  I love it.  It keeps me limber and fit, and helps prepare me mentally for labor, and helps mitigate the back pain.  It also has the added bonus of getting me in a room with 20 other pregnant mamas, all in various stages of pregnancy, which makes me better at accepting all the weirdness that is happening to my body.

9. Pregnancy is a really good reason to CHOOSE not to stress.

10. Some days, you just have to take a nap.

11. If you crave something bad, just have *a little* of it and move on.  The other day I had a random craving for Doritos.  So I ate some and got over it.  Now I’m back to wanting to eat fruit all the time.  No biggie.

12. Pack a snack.  This should probably have been number 2 on this list.

13. You really will feel better if you take a walk.

14. Don’t be alarmed if you find yourself huffing and puffing.  This is not necessarily a reflection on your fitness level.  At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

15.  The boobs.  I cannot get over the boobs.  I cannot get used to them. They startle me every time I look in the mirror.

16. A cardigan covers a multitude of backfat things you want to cover up.

17. If you already have the Curse of the Saggy Bottom Jeans, it’s only going to get worse with pregnancy.  Yet another reason to only buy what fits now.

18. Don’t touch my belly without asking.  Unless you’re Babydaddy.  If you ask, I’m usually happy to let you, but please do me this courtesy.

19. My baby is a person who is with me all the time.  I’m already pretty mama-wolf about her.  I will go to great lengths to get upwind of cigarette smoke on the street because of this.

20. A pregnant lady is not necessarily guaranteed a seat on a crowded bus.  At least a 6-month pregnant lady isn’t. People will pretend they can’t see your belly even though you situate your cardigan so as to make it obvious.  But who cares — I’m strong because I do yoga and walk up hills, so standing on the bus is really just another balance exercise.

21. It isn’t that I can’t lift heavy things.  It’s that my belly is in the way of my lifting heavy things.  And my back hurts.

22. Don’t read, watch, or listen to labor/birth horror stories.  Instead, fill up on positive birth stories from mamas you admire.  I don’t need any fear-mongering.

23. I’m allowed to change my mind about how I want to do things. Or rather, I’m allowed to adjust my plans if I need to.  And I’m allowed to do things my own way.

24. Praying for the kind of birth you want is not naive.  It’s totally legit.  If someone says “well, don’t get your hopes up,” politely tell them where they can stick it, and then go back to your praying.

25. People will tell you all sorts of things.  You don’t have to listen.  You don’t have to listen to anything I’m saying here.