21 Weeks Pregnant

I felt like my posts were getting a little bland, so I thought I would spice it up with a little bit of my personal opinion. This post is an honest TMI post. Remember it is a pregnancy blog so if you don’t want to know the details of being pregnant you probably shouldn’t read it!

There are two types of girls, complainers and tough girls. Well, that is what I use to think. I could hardly stand to hear pregnant girls complain about how miserable they were every single day and every single moment. So I decided I was going to be the tough girl when I got pregnant, and I was with Lincoln, but I recently decided tough girls are the most annoying girls of all! There is a nice balance between being tough and complaining. Pregnancy is no piece of cake and it comes along with strange symptoms; stretch marks, weight gain, swollen hands and face, nausea, varicose veins, gas, stomach cramps, bone aches, larger hips, tender boobs and well pretty much every thing a girl could possibly not want.

This post I decided I would share some of the awful symptoms I have experienced. No I definitely do not think it is healthy to sit around and complain, but I do believe in being honest. If some girl is telling you how she gained hardly any weight, didn’t swell, had no stretch marks and experienced no pregnancy symptoms, chances are she isn’t being very honest with you.  Of course there are the rare few that really don't. I haven't had a lot of symptoms and my pregnancies are really easy, but I want people to realize I am human too! Although there are times I forget I am pregnant there are still the little reminders that I am.

This past week has been excellent! I have felt great, but I also feel pregnant. Whenever I exercise I get this terrible pain in my pubic bone. It feels like someone kicked me in the crotch. Ouch! It happened with Lincoln further along in my pregnancy. At night my hips ache, and I constantly have to change positions to put pressure off my hips. When I take a shower my legs turn all purple and blotchy, gross! My limbs go numb all time if I sit in any position for too long. It is so weird!

As for stretch marks….

I have to talk about stretch marks because they are a worry for every pre-pregnant girl, pregnant girl and post pregnant girl. I haven’t gotten any new stretch marks….yet….. but I am sure I will get them. Last time I got them on my lower hips, butt and my chest. I cried for a good night because I felt so ugly. Most people probably have no idea I even have them. It isn’t something I show off(obviously) but I also recognize that stretch marks are apart of pregnancy. I could care less if people know I have them now! It doesn’t make me less pretty, they are scars that show what I  went through to have children. They happen to almost everyone, on the belly, on the boobs, on the butt and even on the legs. Nothing is more annoying to me when girls brag about how they don’t have any stretch marks and act like they are better than those who do. Chances are everyone has them somewhere, even my husband has them (don’t tell him I told you!). I even got some when I was growing in high school! The point is, if you have them, don’t feel bad! If you are scared to get them, don’t worry! Most of mine have completely faded and the deeper ones on my hips were not noticeable at all after I got back into shape. A few of my friends got them on their stomachs really bad, but after some exercise they were almost impossible to see without really trying to look. There is literally nothing you can do to prevent them because they are genetic but don’t worry because it is normal.

As for other awful symptoms, they aren’t here yet, but they are right around the corner.

Swelling, my hands have already started to swell, but my face will swell lots towards the end. Last time I didn’t think I swelled at all, until I look back at pictures.

Wider hips and ribcage: My hips will spread along with my ribs and honestly when I look at pictures post-pregnancy I think my round curves are much more attractive than stick thin. I didn’t realize I had gotten any bigger below until my baby belly was gone. I remember a few weeks after having Lincoln, I was feeling my ribs and boy were they far apart! There is no way I could fit into my high school prom dresses anymore. I am built more like a women and not like a teenager, nothing wrong with that. It’s called growing up.

Weight Gain: Every woman is different and I constantly have to remind myself that it is healthy to gain weight. Some only gain 15 pounds while others gain 40. Your body knows what you need and as long as you are eating healthy and a good caloric amount you will gain what you need to gain. With Lincoln I gained 20 pounds, but I have gained 14 pounds already this pregnancy (I gained another pound this week) and still have 19 weeks to go.

Embrace the beauty of pregnancy and all the crazy things that come along with it!  Most of all stay positive, active and healthy and you will enjoy your pregnancy. BUT don’t be ashamed to complain and ask your husband for foot massages and get a little extra pampering because you are carrying a baby and therefore you deserve a little extra love!

Now back to my regular boring posts.  This week baby is as long as a carrot!

I thought I would do a little side by side comparison from last time. I can definitely tell that I am carrying different this time around. For one my shirts are feeling tighter and the dress I wore on Sunday is ready to be stored away for later, it was a tight fit,  but my pants are still loose. With my acid reflux, I am guessing I am carrying higher.