Having been a Midwife for the best part of a decade, you might reasonably assume that when it came to my own pregnancy, I would be realistic and familiar with those irritable pregnancy symptoms.
(Heartburn, sore boobs, stretch marks, varicose veins, swollen feet, pelvic girdle pain, hot flushes, palpitations, nausea, vomiting, constipation, mood swings, anxiety... the list goes on!)
I’m ashamed to say, that just wasn’t the case!
Despite having counselled hundreds of women about their itchy skin, painful piles and sausage-like-fingers, I found myself looking in the mirror questioning why anybody would put themselves through this testing ordeal?!
Yes, I knew I was incredibly fortunate to be pregnant and be counting down the days until our little person arrived, but boy oh boy, was the journey challenging!
If like me, your female family members seemed to breeze through pregnancy and you thought “hey, I’ll be the same”, just you wait, before you know it, you’ll have a gallon of gaviscon, a posh pregnancy pillow to end all pillows and a pair of “these-are-all-that-fit-me-right-now” comfies, to while away the weeks!
Pregnancy is a blessing and one of the most life changing events we will ever experience as women. The transition from maiden to mother has been documented through history, in literature, through film and now more the ever on social media. Let’s face it, we’re all completely obsessed with the bump, but why?!
I’d like to think it’s because pregnancy is a miracle of nature. How that egg and sperm so amazingly align and fuse to form a little ball of beating cells, is mind blowing! The creation of new life never ceases to amaze me.
So whilst we might hope to all look like HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, with her perfect little bump and glowing plump cheeks, the reality of pregnancy for most will look quite different.
Whilst you might have days where you feel like a glowing pregnancy goddess, more than likely it’ll be followed with twice as many days feeling tired, sore and fed up! And that’s okay too!
And as corny as it may sound... I promise it is so worth the ride... all those aches and pains, the sleepless nights and the never ending anxiety train... it is all worth it, to see that little face nuzzling into your chest for the very first time.
You’ve got this momma!!