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Why I'm pregnancy phobic

I hated being pregnant. Really hated it. It was exciting for about one minute when I initially looked at that emerging little pink line. Then I descended into pregnancy hell.

I wish that I could have been the kind of pregnant woman who wafts about glowing, with shiny hair, a madonna-like expression and a cute well-formed bump. I was the opposite. Four months of constant morning sickness gave me a green-hued pallor, lank hair and a permanently grumpy expression. And since the only respite from the constant nausea came from cramming packs of biscuits, toast, cake and chocolate into my ever-ready mouth, it also made me extremely fat. The only cravings I had were for hydrogenated vegetable oils, and lots of it.

As soon as the sickness left, the misery arrived. Tears streamed down my face at every opportunity. It was like never-ending PMS. Then I got Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, oedema and strained ligaments in my groin... nice.

I am possibly the only woman ever who positively looked forward to giving birth. Hideous as that was, it was nothing compared to nine months of physical torture.

The second pregancy was a repeat of the first, except that I also had firstborn's toddler tantrums to deal with.

And guess what, the Alpha Male still can't understand why I'm not keen on having a third.

Comments

Anonymous said…
My first experience with morning sickness felt just like a hangover, so I treated it much as I have successfully treated hangovers -- with a total junk food binge.

Big mistake; I felt much worse afterwards and spent the whole day in bed, instead of just the morning.

Then I tried the healthy route: fresh fruits and vegetables. I ended up with a bad case of the runs.

A friend suggested kid-friendly food: peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, mac-and-cheese from a box, etc. Believe it or not, it worked. I highly recommend this strategy to other moms-to-be, and I'd love to hear if it works or not.
Kate B. said…
Doesn't it feel like a hangover! Except that you can't resort to hair of the dog to cure it... Well, if I ever give in to Alpha Male and produce a third I'll keep the peanut butter etc tip in mind. Thank you!

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