My Pregnancy Experience

Pregnancy for most has its highs and it's lows. From feeling your stomach rumble in the middle of the night craving for sweet nothings to the exciting moment you first feel your little one move inside your stomach; it is an unexplainably amazing experience unlike any other...

I remember the first sign of pregnancy I experienced was dizziness! At this point in time, I was completely unaware I was expecting. Finding the cause of this baffled me for weeks. Soon after, the sudden feeling of hunger came. If I ever missed breakfast, my stomach would churn and it would feel like something was eating away at it. 

The nausea came shortly afterwards... That felt horrible. I only vomited about three times throughout my whole pregnancy but was constantly very nauseous. And how could I forget... The overwhelming sensation of being able to smell anything and everything in such powerful abundance. 

However, what I enjoyed the most, was feeling the love I had for my baby grow right from the beginning as I embarked on my journey through pregnancy. It was an instant bond I felt with her click right from the start. The sudden urge to protect and pray for something so precious came to me like second nature. 

Pregnancy came with a list of appointments with midwives but I must say, the ones that I looked forward to the most were the ultra sounds. The first time I saw my little one on screen really touched me. It is as if, as I mentioned before, my love for her constantly growing. To finally see her on screen made me speechless and only the smile on my face could paint the picture of exactly how I felt. She was so tiny and although it may have only been a couple of black and white print outs I was given, you notice every single detail on them. She was beautiful. Everything was worth it. 

I will never forget the first time I felt her move in my stomach as it brought me so much joy and excitement. It was bliss. It started off as gentle pitter patter of kicks I would wait for as I lay to sleep, to her rumbling around every time I would eat. My baby loved food! The cravings I had varied throughout my pregnancy. During the first trimester I craved for all things healthy; yam, pumpkin, okra, avocado, grilled chicken and fish. I, on the other hand could not stand the smell of anything being cooked! Then my second trimester came where my sweet cravings for apple crumble (with cinnamon of course) and custard came. 

I felt the second trimester as most mothers would say, was the easiest to endure. My bump was just about showing and the nausea and dizziness slowed down. As my bump grew, I found the winter fashion excruciatingly boring. I disliked anything loud and flamboyant and preferred my cosy knits and leggings and a light jacket was a must; pregnancy really does raise your body temperature. My hair slowed down in growing length but got thicker and thicker through the nine months as hardly any fell out. And emotions were felt to the max from here to my third trimester. It's funny how hormones can trigger off so many changes where I almost felt like I wasn't myself at times; your body as it grows just does not feel like it belongs to you anymore. 

I think it is at this point in time we just want our baby in our arms. The "penguin wobble" came as well as having to take a wee every couple of minutes! I'm telling you I literally had to; for example, I would always make sure I would go before I left my house to walk to the station. By the time I had reached the end of two roads I would have to go again. I'd be out of breath and my five minute walk turned into twenty. Weirdly enough, aside all of this, my love for drinking water flourished. Drinking plenty of water during pregnancy is important. It is also good for the skin as it helps keep it hydrated whilst the bump thrives rapidly; it cannot prevent stretch marks but was advised it could reduce them. Tiredness also returned this trimester. All I wanted to do was meet my baby girl and that is what happened next as a surprise result during my 38 week check ended up with me being sent to the maternity ward... 

A lesson learnt from my pregnancy experience is that you should ENJOY it! Aside all the horrible symptoms just relax and take it easy. Enjoy the time you have left for yourself and your partner as you will be dedicating yourself to your baby as soon as they arrive. So be healthy and be lucky!