Great Expectations

   I think that all new mom's have this vision of what their pregnancy is going to be like. We all have that vision of the perfect, fairy tale-like pregnancy where we exercise to keep fit, we eat healthy all 9 months, we gain the 25 lbs that the baby books and doctors reccomend, and that our partner goes to ALL of the doctor's appointments.

  Unfortunately the dream does not come true for many, and that is okay! Really, it is okay!

   Sure, everyone knows what to expect when expecting: hormonal changes, stretch marks, weight gain, mood swings... but no one ever explains to what extent. Yes, every person is different so the severity may be different for each person,  but here is a basic list of things I wish people would have told me about pregancy.

*   stretch marks can appear everywhere! Butt cheeks, thighs, breasts, arms etc.

*   prenatal vitamins taste horrible and may even provoke your morning sickness. They are also the hardest thing to remember to do every day.

*   morning sickness can strike at any time of the day!

*   you will only have 3 emotions throughout all nine months: extremely happy, extremely sad, and enraged.

*   You may have to go to some doctors appointments alone. There will be alot of them, especially towards the end, in fact you may even get tired of going to them too.

*   You will feel fat! You do eat more and may get the full and lethargic feeling quite often. Even if you eat healthy all pregnancy long, gaining the recommended 25 pounds is still a big change to your body and will weigh you down.

*   Around month 8 you will be "so over" being pregnant. And at that point it isn't anticipation for meeting your baby, its for the sake of getting your energy and your body back to normal.

*   The thought of exercising will make you tired.

*  No one else is truly going through what you are going through so you will often feel alone.

   I feel horizon for saying all of these but these are some of the ugly truths of pregnancy. Not everyone will experience all of these but for anyone who experiences ANY of these I just want them to know that it's okay. Things do not always go as planned or hoped but the most important thing is your help and the health of the baby. Trust me things will get better.