Things I Learned During Pregnancy…

Everyone’s pregnancy is different. I, unlike 75% of women, experienced little to no morning sickness, for example. But while I was pregnant, I wanted to chronicle my pregnancy journey too — except I admitted previously that I was in denial about carrying a real baby inside of me and kept it mum.

Now that the little man is out and about (except he really isn’t; he’s lying in a bassinet next to me), I’m going to chronicle the most “memorable” experiences of pregnancy. Let’s go…

My morning sickness was actually the little bits of nausea I experienced when I ate a little too much food — that is, more than a child-size portion. An adult meal ended up lasting me 3 separate meals. Of course, when you’re stuck in Vegas at an internet marketing conference, that just means hoping that your hotel room has a fridge to hold that excess expensive meal your boss bought you one evening (that you sadly had to save for later!)

If you experience early pelvic pain and it gets worse over time, get it looked at, especially if it starts to hurt while getting in and out of cars, putting on pants, and lying comfortably in bed. Chances are you have symphysis pubis dysfunction, though some people can’t walk — at all. (If you’re not in that bad spot, consider yourself lucky.) Newsflash: the pain may get worse for a week or so after you give birth, but rest! If you limit your walking after giving birth (staying at home is best), you will begin to feel relief. My pain began in November when I was a mere two months pregnant and got increasingly worse until I was apparently in labor. I only went to the doctor that day to address the pain; I had no idea labor was imminent!

If your belly button starts to hurt when you begin popping, and then this abnormal bulge replaces what used to be a fine looking belly button, you probably have an umbilical hernia. It’s usually seen in babies but becomes evident in a small percentage of mommies during pregnancy. Unfortunately, you’ll have to suffer the big bulge until at least six weeks after your pregnancy. Then, you will want to have it operated on. Even if you’re not a fan of surgery, it’s probably quite sensitive to the touch and you don’t want to have to bend forward for the rest of your life.

The itchiness of your abdominal area during the third trimester is normal. You’re expanding and your body probably doesn’t know how to handle it. If you get itchiness elsewhere on your body, you probably have a pregnancy-specific condition known as PUPPP. It’s not as normal to experience this condition after pregnancy, but I’m clearly an abnormal person. In terms of remedies, you may be prescribed a steroid cream, though some people swear by Grandpa’s Pine Tar Soap (it didn’t work for me) and others say that an oatmeal bath also works (I haven’t tried). Other remedies include oral antihistamines (Zyrtec is not recommended if you’re nursing but Claritin and Allegra might be) and time. During that time, the itchiness might be super uncomfortable, so beg your dermatologist, OB/GYN, or child’s pediatrician for help.

When you’re a pill-popper, it may be hard to take 9+ months off of taking your much-needed Advil when your head hurts or some sleeping pill when you’re up all night tossing and turning from the hiccups within your womb. But at the end of the day, when you pop out a beautiful baby, you know it was all worth it.

The little movements in your belly at around 20 weeks is your little one. Tell your husband not to throw a heavy Tempur-pedic pillow on your belly at any time during your pregnancy unless you want your kid to go nuts earlier than that. (At least it was a pillow.)

The movements in your belly may hurt. It’s perfectly acceptable to say “ow!” during this process.

If it hurts to walk to the back of the public city bus, it’s perfectly acceptable to sit in a disabled/elderly seat. Some people who are disabled or elderly may even get up for you!

You really shouldn’t try to exert too much energy once you hit the end of the second trimester. I actually went on six flights in March — to/from Austin, TX for the SXSW conference (4.5 from NYC), to/from FL (3 hours), and to/from Israel (13 hours!). For long flights, definitely get bulk head seating at the minimum. You will be incredibly uncomfortable without the extra leg room. And be sure to walk on the flight. Your legs might cramp regardless after you land, though. Good news: the pain will be excruciating during that cramp, but it will go away! Try to walk it off afterward if you can.

You actually may get lightheaded and dizzy during the sonograms. After all, when you see that there’s something moving inside of you and it’s actually not an internal organ, it’s a creepy feeling. Don’t sweat it; ultrasound technicians say it’s normal for some mommies to feel that way. (Thank god.) But you just wait till it comes out — then, at times, you’ll wish it was back in! 😀