Not a Disease

Hehe, I bet you've heard the phrase "pregnancy is not a disease". Well I have. Many times in many places and many languages. I agree with it, but seems other people don't really know what it means because I constantly get to laugh (in a friendly way ) at other people's concerns about my health state and then I get to tell them, "I'm not ill, only pregnant." This post is about how it really feels like to be pregnant (as a warning to guys who really don't want to know!).

I think it's nice when people offer me a seat and when they're extra caring about my comfort. I think I would also be quite caring with a pregnant friend because I would assume that they feel tired and they need my care. When all you offer a seat to a pregnant woman, you probably assume that the pregnant woman is feeling weak and tired even though you've heard that pregnancy is not some illness or disease. I'll let you in on a little secret as a pregnant woman with a growing belly - I Feel Great!

Most of the time I barely notice that I'm pregnant, except I feel like I'm wearing an uncomfortable shirt that barely lets me fold my torso. And I feel like someone is constantly stealing food from my plate because no matter how much I eat, I get hungry and thirsty more often. And I feel like someone is constantly breathing away my oxygen. Plus the eight or nine extra kilos don't really help me feel too fit when someone is already breathing away my oxygen and eating away my food. Other than that I barely notice I'm pregnant.

How much do you think decent winter clothing weighs? 5 kilos? 10 kilos with boots as well? And can you really bend around too much when you're in your full winter gear - not really, right? Well pregnancy feels like that - like I'm somewhat heavier and suddenly can't move so much anymore and walking around makes me feel tired sooner. Yet I don't get any of the discomforts associated with winter coats. I don't get hot and sweaty and my skin doesn't feel suffocated. I feel just fine and I don't get cold so easily. I think it's because pregnancy helps with blood circulation so warmth travels in my body better than before. I constantly find myself being the only one in the room warm enough to be in short sleeves when everyone else is wearing long sleeves.

I had heard that pregnancy isn't an illness, but I had also heard that pregnant women have horrible food cravings, cramping, bloating, swollen feet, fatigue, localized skin tenderness, morning sickness, frequent need to go to the bathroom, horrible moods, etc. Many pregnant women experience dark spots on their skin and some even have extra hair growth. If that wasn't enough, pregnant women are also not allowed to drink alcohol, smoke, eat the best kind of cheeses (Brie, Camembert, blue cheese), pâté, raw/semi-raw eggs, anything with liver in it, raw/semi-raw meat and no raw shellfish. Limited amounts of canned fish and caffeine. And furthermore, if that wasn't enough, pregnant women are not allowed to eat nuts or nut products when one of their parents has hay fever or asthma or nut allergy (this is a list of things my husband has). If that is not a list of a horrible illness with the worst symptoms then what is?!

And how can I live with all the horror of pregnancy and still say it's no big deal? Heh, well, because it isn't. When I had the first trimester fatigue, I was too shocked with the thought that something's GROWING INSIDE ME to even pay attention. Waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom is probably the most noticeable side-effect, but it's not really a big thing. I just wake up feeling quite vivid and soon go back to bed. What's the big deal. Getting up and walking a little? No reason to make a fuss. Any of the physical discomforts associated with someone trying to fit inside me are no worse than what women feel once a month anyway, except I don't feel it nearly as often as that.

Most of the symptoms are totally unnoticeable. One day I discovered that my feet are swollen. I just laughed at how funny they look with the round little toes. No pain, no discomfort, just amusement and the knowledge that I shouldn't worry about it because it's a pregnancy thing. There's been other things like that. I just barely notice most of the stuff.

And I have not had EXTRA HAIR GROWTH!!! Thank God!!!

I haven't had horrible mood swings either. Actually I feel better than usually because my body is all pumped up on endorphins and it makes me feel happpyyyy... In that way, being pregnant is more comfortable than NOT being pregnant. I haven't mentioned nearly all the perks yet. I don't get ill! My immune system is suddenly stronger than ever before and as I watch other people sneezing and coughing, I feel as good as I've ever felt (except hungry and out of breath).

I haven't had morning sickness. Or any other kind of nausea. I think there was a time during the first trimester when I felt worse than usual but again, nothing to fuss about. Not having morning sickness is a lucky thing. For a long time I thought that I was "lucky pregnant" because I thought I had skipped all the bad side-effects. I thought, "no wonder I don't see pregnancy as a bad thing, I'm the lucky kind of pregnant!" but that's not true. When I read a list I see that I've had most of the "bad stuff" except for morning sickness and that is just one thing in a very long list of things. But really all the bad stuff is just greatly exaggerated and all the perks are just never mentioned.

All in all, being pregnant I feel very healthy and it constantly surprises me. I still walk faster than half the guys on the street. Just remember, I still think it's nice when people offer me a seat and make me feel as comfortable as possible. I like feeling comfortable.

Plus... I conveniently didn't mention that when I do feel any discomfort, be it hunger, tiredness or thirst, I feel it threefold. But as long as I take care of myself, the random discomfortable moments are also nothing to fuss about.