2.07.2010

epidermal

i used to hear about that pregnancy "glow" but when i was pregnant, i never felt like i had it... instead, i always felt either bloated, nauseated, or a slow, waddling duck.

but... some good changes DID happen to my skin, hair and nails thanks to all the hormones and vitamins that i was on. i think i started to notice them sometime around the start of the 3rd trimester...

first - my hair defintely started to grow a little faster, and i lost a little less than normal. this is nice since i was trying to grow out a short haircut. also, my hair is long and dark and never looks so great when shed all over the bathroom floor.

unfortunately we pay for the (lack of) hair loss post-partum. once the estrogen levels kick back towards normal, the hair goes right out the head with it... every other pregnant woman i've talked to has had this experience. we're talking CLUMPS of it falling out, around 4 months after birth. thankfully, it does stop (or so i'm told) before we all go bald... but it's still kinda gross.

anyways - another awesome thing i noticed was my skin. not so much the skin on my face (same old) but the skin on my body... you see, i normally suffer from psoriasis which is an irritating skin condition that is kind of like eczema... little patches of flaky, scaly, itchy skin will pop up on my elbows, scalp, legs, or other random places from time to time. i usually have to manage it with gooey medicines and salves. but, when i was pregnant my psoriasis all but DISAPPEARED. not a patch to be found on my bloated arms or expanding thighs. it was amazing and liberating.

but again, i'm paying for it now. yup. 4 months after baby was born, and it's flaring up worse than i've ever had it. lovely.

but... there is good news. at least for me. see, the third amazing change from pregnancy occured with my fingernails. i have lived my whole life with thin, flaky nails that tear apart like a puff-pastry. i always keep them short with polish on them because they are otherwise unmanageable.

well, lo and behold, the pregnancy was half over, and i started to grow stong nails. long nails. nails that didn't tear! i had the best manicures i've ever had in my lifetime, and it was truly amazing.

i used to tell my husband that if i could have 1 surgery to improve my body it would be fingernail transplants. looks like i don't need them afterall! apparently i just needed to get pregnant. and it seems as though my nails aren't going anywhere... at least, they haven't yet. keep your fingers crossed.

2.06.2010

things don't always go as planned

i was just forwarded this blog post from another mommy friend of mine... i thought at first it was just another woman's account of birth and how moving & life changing the experience is...

but, it's actually so much more. it's an emotional and honest account of a woman's experience giving birth to a baby with down syndrome, complete with some of the most beautiful photographs of the mother and baby throughout the first few days of the "little bunny's" life.

>> nella cordelia

it really made me think about how lucky i was to have my own daughter -- no complications, no emergency surgeries, no illnesses or unexpected issues...

it also reminded me just how important it is to have family & friends who are 100% supportive and loving when life doesn't go the way we expect it to go.

anyways, in order to give pregnant women as much truth about all things being pregnant and becoming mothers (as i hope to try & accomplish with this blog), i feel it is my duty to share this story with you. just as a reminder that yes, things might not go the way you plan them to. but that doesn't mean they won't go the way they're meant to be...

you will love your baby more than anything in the world, no matter what or how or when... becoming a mother is truly the most AMAZING and beautiful and life-changing experience.

don't be afraid if it's not a perfect journey... it will always be YOUR journey. embrace what comes to you.

2.03.2010

sheer size

i seem to have had a few conversations lately around clothing for the last month, and it got me to reminiscing about how freakin' huge i was at the end of my pregnancy.

it was pretty astounding to see how large our bodies grow - but as the baby packs on 1/2 lb a week for 4-6 weeks straight, it is also no surprise. however, until you truly experience it first-hand, it is unimaginable.

moving around with a belly literally the size of a very large watermelon takes some getting used to...

your concept of space has to change in order to avoid bumping into things like tables, walls, countertops, your desk... i can't count the number of times i thought i could squeeze by something only to find that i didn't fit. or the times i didn't even think about it and walked my belly straight into a pointed corner of a table.

i swear i must have given my baby some bruises in utero, but she came out fine (thank goodness!)

i often used the analogy that it felt like i was driving an SUV when i'm normally used to driving a compact car!

and speaking of driving cars - parking one became the ultimate risk. it never failed that i would find a spot with lots of room for me on the drivers side to get in & out of my little mazda. i would park, go do whatever i needed to do, come back... and wham. some asshole had parked next to me leaving barely inches for the door to open. my skinny husband wouldn't have been able to fit, let alone an 8-month pregnant whale!

i got pretty adept at shimmying into the drivers seat from the passenger side... knocking my stomach on everything from the dashboard to the rearview mirror, to the steering wheel. i accomplished major feats of acrobatics.

and then there is the point when the clothes you bought mid-pregnancy (to see you through to the "end") stopped fitting. even the large shirts become too small, and the little base of my stomach would hang out from the bottom like a proper white-trash woman. it was awesome going to work like this, constantly pulling my shirts down so as not to bare my abdomen to the onslaught of male engineers that i worked with.

yes... you get really big right before that kid comes out. my tummy is still paying the price, 4 months later.