For all the mamas who just don’t have that pregnancy glow, this one’s for you.
By Chani Palindat
By Chani Palindat
Even from the beginning, pregnancy isn’t as beautiful as it’s made out to be. I mean, those first special moments of finding out you’re having a baby are usually spent holding a stick you peed on. And while some moms are lucky to not experience the less than desirable parts of pregnancy, there are still many more that get the short end of the stick. Ladies, meet your new best friend: the toilet. To those of you that suffer any amount of time with your new BFF morning sickness, let’s all laugh together over the hilariously horrible joke he plays on us with his name. That little liar wants us to think that the nausea and vomiting bit is just in the morning, when in reality he should change his name to ALL DAY sickness. We become more than familiar with the cool porcelain that is our toilet, and eventually stop caring whether or not the thing is clean or dirty. The aversion to kneeling on the public bathroom floor to toss your cookies is quickly abandoned, because you know how great it feels after the gruesome task is finished. One bit of advice? Don’t drink an Orange Julius smoothie if you know you are nauseous, because it does not taste good at all coming back up. Blech!
That coveted pregnancy glow on all the other expectant mom’s faces in the doctor’s office or at the mall has you biting your tongue against the snarky comeback that’s coming when they ask how your pregnancy is going (or you may be a soggy, crying mess of tears). This reaction usually happens after the glowing pregnancy goddess next to you states how wonderful their own has been – complete with lack of nausea, heartburn, acne, mood swings, swollen ankles, sciatica, failing eyesight, or insomnia. It’s okay to want that glow, mama… And if eating a spoonful of peanut butter and crying makes you feel better, that’s okay. I also have had to control my raging hormones while resisting the urge to laugh in someone’s face when they ask how my pregnancy has been. It usually leaves me being the brutally honest, saying something along the lines of “I can’t wait until I’m done being pregnant” complete with a no-nonsense expression on my face.
I’ll be the one to say it. I HATE being pregnant. I am not the nicest person to be around when I am, and there is a lot of complaining or whining that happens in our house. I often end up apologizing several times to my husband for being so horrible to be around on a semi-regular basis. That line the doctors fed me the first time around when I endured the whole nine months of nausea, the one about how the nausea gets better/easier with each pregnancy? Lies. In my last pregnancy I suffered through long days of vomiting, an inflamed pelvis, uncontrollable asthma, vicious heartburn, extreme light sensitivity and headaches, hypoglycemia, insomnia, and so on. It sucked. There was no glow for me, instead there was the welcome relief of labour that meant the end of all symptoms. During pregnancy you forget what it feels like to not have to pee every five minutes, or how to live without feeling like you can blow fire. Until D-Day comes, your baby arrives, and your body stops rebelling against you. And it suddenly everything you went through makes all the toilet hugs, sleepless nights, and leg cramps worth it.
You might not be glowing, but you are surviving. One day baby will finally in your arms, with the next chapter of your lives ready to be written. So who cares about glowing in pregnancy… You’re going to shine as a mom!
