Pregnancy 101
Dec 05 '00
I don't profess to be Mother Nature or anything close. I do however have a few tips on being pregnant. I have traveled this road 4 times and have 3 wonderful children as proof. My first pregnancy resulted in a premature daughter that did died at 2 1/2 months old. I learned many things about myself while pregnant as well as things that might help other pregnant women.
1. Every pregnancy is different.---From weight gain to cravings, morning sickness to leg cramps each of my pregnancies was different. There were common factors among them but for the most part they were as different as the children they produced.
2. Steamed Shrimp and chocolate milk go great together.----I had cravings like no other. I always heard about strange cravings but was very skeptical. I did not have them with my first child, my third or fourth, just my second. I hate sliced tomatoes, (I'm from the South, go figure)but found my self craving breaded steak sandwiches with sliced tomatoes. My cravings lasted only about 8 weeks but geesh... It got to the point where I scared myself with the strange combinations.
3. Leg cramps are VERY real, VERY painful, and can be prevented.--- I remember waking up in the middle of the night with cramps in my shins so painful I cried. Actually, to say cry is to put it lightly, I wailed! My Ex. was literally punching my shins trying to relieve the pain. I knew I hated this and did not want to suffer through that again. My doctor advised me that Potassium, or lack of to be more precise, was probably the culprit. I started making 2 bananas a ritual part of my day. IT WORKED!
4. Stretch marks.--- God blessed me with very stretchy skin or something. With my first, second and fourth pregnancies I got NO stretch marks. Matthew, my third, give me 3 very small ones, very low on my abdomen. I think I got those because I carried him so low. When I first noticed them, I freaked out! NO NO NO! I rushed to the drug store and bought just about every stretch mark cream out there. I didn't matter. I don't believe they worked. My marks are small but I don't contribute that to the creams. I think that you have to have elasticity in your skin and that comes from drinking lots of water. Avoiding excessive sunlight and general good health.
5. No matter what you do, you WILL gain weight.--- Okay, face it, weight gain is going to happen. So what? It really rattles my cage to hear about women dieting during pregnancy. I gained tons of weight during mine. SO WHAT??? I was pregnant! My first I gained 12 ( I was only pregnant for 25.2 weeks), my second I gained 48, my third I gained 52, fourth 64. It was no big deal to me. I gained my weight slowly and steadily. Not overnight like some women. Maybe that has something to do with my lack of stretch marks. I am 5'4" and after 4 pregnancies and well over 100 lbs. of weight gain, I weigh 146 now. I was 123 when I got pregnant with Nathan, my second child. I am NOT athletic or into regular exercise. After giving birth, I did do a little exercise but it was mainly pushing a stroller around the mail.
6. You set the mood!--- Mood swings are a part of being pregnant too. I went from the loving and gracious person I am everyday of my life, ( Yeah right) to a screaming banchee or a tear fountain at the mention of something mundane as a grilled cheese sandwich. I think this is a direct reflection of my PMS. I suffered from severe mood swings with my PMS and while pregnant my moods were, at times, horrible! I went to the health food store and bought a herbal supplement, CALMUNAT, and it helped me.
7. This little jewel I discovered with my THIRD pregnancy. My first was a premature birth and I was in labor for 31 hrs. at the hospital. My second was C-section and I never went into conventional labor. My third however was "normal" and I pass this bit of information on to you as a warning! When your water breaks, IT DOESN"T STOP! Really, it doesn't! I did not know this. I assumed that the uterus emptied it fluids and that was it. NO SIREEEE! It continues to make more until the baby is born. I was laying on my mother's carpeted floor trying to get comfortable when my water broke. I had no pains before hand to clue me to expect this. My water broke and then never stopped. Now don't get me wrong, it's not like a dam bursting, but it's a steady stream. Take plenty of towels with you. Also, you'll love this! Your waters will NOT stain and there is no residual odor from them. For some reason that was the first thing my mother said.... " MY CARPET!" So don't worry about upolstery or the car seat!
8. Giving birth HURTS!--- It hurts like nothing you can imagine. The only good side to this is that it DOES END. Eventually, and you get a baby for all your efforts.
Maybe this Epinion was not what were some were expecting and maybe I have offended some with such detail. But I believe everything I have covered is information that pregnant women can use to make their pregnancy a happier place to be.
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hhgail
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Member: Gail
Location: Alabama
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"Every sunrise is a second chance!" --unknown
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