The Not-So-Fun Side of Pregnancy

The symptoms of pregnancy are an oft-discussed topic. It’s probably the thing you know most about. And it’s also why it’s impossible to hide the pregnancy, no matter how hard you try. I am not going to lie, I was pretty concerned about having a miscarriage, and so didn’t want to shout it from the roof-tops right away. It’s not talked about too often, but when it is, you realize that it is incredibly common. And the doctor tells you some scary sounding rates right off the bat, and tells you what to do in case you do miscarry (or at least mine did. On my first visit.). I know it is a very common thing, and many people have experienced it, which is why I was trying to prepare myself just in case. So we didn’t want to tell everyone right away. Plus, it’s kind of nice having such a big, exciting secret just between the 2 of you. People make little comments and you can smile knowingly to each other, it’s sort of sickeningly cute. But it’s impossible to keep.

At first, I was symptom free. While it is kind of nice, it’s also a bit unnerving, and it’s almost like that positive test never came. It’s hard to believe you actually are pregnant at all. But not too long after, the morning sickness hit. And this is where it starts getting impossible. If you are a young woman of childbearing age, and you throw up, people always say “She’s pregnant”. It’s a given. Even if it is obvious you are suffering from some avian pig flu, you still are assumed to be pregnant, unless proven otherwise. Add to that the fact that I was sooo bloated it looked like I was 5 months instead of 5 weeks, and it was a pretty obvious thing. Once you start breaking out the baggy shirts and running to the bathroom, you are hooped. So, while we wanted to keep the cute little secret phase going much longer, it never happened. We did manage to keep it for a while from our nearest and dearest, but my work knew much earlier than I wished, which seems sort of  backwards. Most of our friends figured it out right away. I am not the type of girl to be seen without a drink or 2 on a night out, so as soon as I started drinking soda or orange juice, I started getting questions. The fake cocktail trick only works for so long…

The morning sickness is still with me, albeit in a lesser form, at 15 weeks and 5 days. All the pregnancy books tell you that once you hit the magic 2^nd trimester, then pregnancy is awesome and all the exhaustion and nausea magically disappears. They lie. Although, living in Canada has its perks, as we have this magic little pill called Diclectin for morning sickness. The manufacturers of this drug must be incredibly, sickeningly rich. The pills cost quite a bit, and it’s almost impossible to function in the real world without them. So I count myself lucky that they are available, and that I don’t have to get up close and personal with the toilets at my work. Soooooo icky. *shudder*