On Pregnancy

I've never been one to use my blog for a journal but I've almost finished a 40-week milestone in my life that should probably be chronicled in some form. So here's the scoop on what being a primip has been like:

I can honestly say I've enjoyed being pregnant. I probably wouldn't choose to have carry around an extra 20 pounds over not, but the thought of being the vessel for the life of another human being is empowering. Awe-inspiring. It just makes me happy. The first trimester was not nearly as bad as it could of been. I had fears of being house-bound so I'd always be less than 20 feet from the bathroom, Zofran pills, IV's, etc. [Note: being a nurse makes you a hypochondriac]. Nothing even close to that was my experience. I worked nights for the first few months of the pregnancy which was difficult. Eating graham crackers and juice every hour or so was the only way I made it through. But being switched to the day shift and probably a leveling out of hormones was a quick fix for that.

Some of the highlights of pregnancy were hearing the baby's heartbeat for the first time. No words can describe that feeling of pure joy and relief that you really are pregnant, that you didn't have a 4 week-long flu, and that your mood swings really are legit. Of course, Wes and I wondered constantly if this baby was a boy or a girl. It was hard for all of this to feel real when we had to call our baby an "it." I remember seeing the ultrasound and both of us being in awe of our baby-the hands, the feet, the spine, the face! The baby was real and then to find out we were having a GIRL was beyond exciting. I knew, though, after seeing our baby with our own eyes that we would have been beyond excited for either. It really didn't matter, just that she was healthy and happy.

I'm getting to pretty big:) I'm even more amazed than ever by the human body's ability to change and adapt. I can't believe I still have 5 more weeks to grow. Some days I feel like my belly just can't stretch another millimeter. But then it does. And I'm still ok. So amazing.

I think I've gone through the entire emotional spectrum these past months. I'm just coming out of a oh-man-can-I-really-do-this phase and am now happily entering into a I-just-can't-wait-for-her-to-come phase. Sometimes I wonder if I really can be as selfless as I need to be to be a mother but I figure some things are just learned with time. I can't even fathom how our lives will change next month but I guess the best thing I could ask for is this feeling I have of complete excitement for that change to happen. Bring it.