If I could match one word to each trimester of pregnancy it would be this:
First trimester: Barf.
Second trimester: Glowing!
Third trimester: Whale.
Yes, the second trimester brings many good things. Nausea and fatigue start to fade for most of us. We get that glow. (What does that even mean, anyway?) We have more energy. Then the third trimester of pregnancy comes and it's all, "Get this baby out of me!"
Let me just acknowledge the presence of a huge belly, heartburn and swollen ankles. I get it, is pregnancy ever a completely comfortable event, especially in the third trimester? But there are good things, too. So let's celebrate the positive!
1) You are obviously pregnant.
Can I be honest? The first trimester basically sucks. Even if you struggled to get pregnant. You're barfy, smells make you gag, and you have the lovely emotional rollercoaster of whether or not this baby will make it. And then the second trimester hits and you (hopefully) start feeling better. But especially for first-time moms, you may not be showing your bump very obviously. You just get to look fat. I can't tell you how many times I got the looks, first at my midsection and then at my face and back again, from strangers trying to decide if I was pregnant or just was taking one too many trips to Taco Bell. But, oh the third trimester. Now there is no doubt. Passerbyes ask me confidently, "When are you due?" without that hesitating, "…if, if you are. Oh god, I hope you are."
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2) Everyone feels sorry for you.
In the first trimester, whenever I would complain about nausea and bad smells, I would get smug looks from people. "Yep! That happens when you're pregnant." In other words, no one gave a sh*t that I felt like death.
But now? Swollen ankles? "Here! Don't get up! Let me get that for you!" Heartburn? "Oh you poor thing! You're almost at the end!" Waddling gait? "Look at you! You're adorable! Here, have my seat. Put your feet up, you look like you could use a rest."
The pregnancy card. Play it.
Who doesn't enjoy hanging up baby clothes and putting tiny socks in little drawer organizers?
3) Nesting!
Ok, maybe this one isn't for everyone. I'm very type A. I'm organized and meticulous. This nesting thing is awesome. Who doesn't enjoy hanging up baby clothes and putting tiny socks in little drawer organizers? I feel better when the house is clean, so with these bursts of energy I get to wash baby clothes and do the dishes which puts me in a better mood. Plus, when my husband sees me huffing around the house with my arms full, well, see #2.
4) You get more doctor appointments.
Maybe this is my infertility coming out, but having to wait for a month to find out if everything is ok with baby drove me into a panic. Each span between visits would make me more and more anxious and by the time I would arrive at the clinic I was all but in tears waiting for the sound of the heartbeat to tell me she was still there. Now that I have weekly visits, I get that reassurance on a regular basis. Plus, I'm an attention whore and once a week it gets to be all about me and my baby for 45 minutes as we go through testing and question answering.
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5) The end is almost here.
Maybe you are very uncomfortable. You can't breath very well so you get cranky. You're running out of pregnancy cards to pull. Maybe you are rolling your eyes at this entire article. But there is a silver lining in that it's almost over. You get to meet your baby soon. In a matter of weeks, in fact!
Early pregnancy was so daunting for me. It felt like I was going to be pregnant forever. And now I have three weeks left. The excitement about that far outweighs the sleepless nights, hell-fire heartburn and inability to get off the couch independently.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find some Tums.
