On being pregnant

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that Nathan was once in my belly. That a human being literally grew inside my body! Some women hate being pregnant, some are indifferent and I fall into the third category – I loved it.

I was lucky to have a fairly easy pregnancy. Of course I could have gone without the first trimester – I was tired, dizzy and nauseous all the time. Living in NYC, I was used to walking everywhere and suddenly I couldn’t go a few blocks without having to stop and rest, or put my head between my legs. And the worst part is that nobody knew I was pregnant so I had to pretend I felt fine.

The second trimester was fun. I was starting to actually look pregnant (instead of just looking like I had finished the biggest meal of my life) but I felt great. The morning sickness was gone and I could actually talk to people about the pregnancy because we announced it to friends and family at 14 weeks. And the bigger my belly got, the more I loved being pregnant. Let’s face it, people are nice to pregnant women! I always got a seat on the subway. People told me I was glowing. And I got to buy a whole new wardrobe to fit my ever growing belly :) And the absolute best part… you start to feel the baby move around. Tiny little flutters that at first make you think “Maybe that was the baby?” turned into tiny jabs and kicks and you know “There is someone in there!!”

The third trimester was crazy. I was getting ENORMOUS! I had to pee all the time. I could barely get out of bed. I could never get comfortable. But it was so surreal and there were so many “If I don’t laugh, I’ll cry” moments that I look back at now and still laugh. I remember staring at my belly, not able to remember what I had once looked like without it. I would tell Will “I can’t imagine not having this gigantic belly!” But now I can’t really remember what it felt like to have it all that time.

There was one night where I got sad that my pregnancy was coming to an end. I remember thinking how strange it would be to no longer feel “Flipper” inside my belly. We had spent every single moment together for the past 40 weeks and I was going to miss resting my hand on my belly feeling him move around, selfishly enjoying that I had him all to myself. But Will very quickly pointed out “If you love feeling him move around inside your belly so much, just wait until you can see him and hold him!” And of course, he was right.

While I loved being pregnant, all good things come to an end and this end was so rewarding. Seeing Nathan for the first time and holding him was by far better than any of my favorite pregnant moments. And being able to have a glass of wine at night is great too!