I have tried to write about my pregnancy several times, thinking it would be a great kick-off to other posts about baby related things and mum life.
Couldn’t be too difficult, writing down how I felt, changed and grew (in every sense) until I finally held my daughter in my arms. But every time I re-read what I had written, it just didn’t sound right.

Boring, tedious, uneventful.

 

 

And as I read other pregnancy stories, listened to my girlfriends talking about their experiences, it suddenly occurred to me:
It had been that way.

Don’t get me wrong. It was an adventure, life-changing, the best and scariest thing I ever had done. But maybe the easiest pregnancy I witnessed for a long time.

 

My first pregnancy – cravings and tiredness

There was no morning-sickness, I wasn’t rushed to the hospital due to pre-time contractions or abnormal CTG findings. Every ultrasound showed a lively, healthy girl and I, quite opposite to my normal self, was calm and serene. (More info: Skincare Do’s and Don’ts during pregnancy)

My weirdest thing was the insane craving for salami (not recommended during pregnancy), something I do eat occasionally, but never was overly excited about until I couldn’t have it. It got so strong I had to leave the room if my husband had some, to resist the urge of ripping it from his hands and gulping it down.

I was also going from completely content to incredibly hungry within minutes: If I needed food, I needed it IMMEDIATELY and was quite hangry if it wasn’t available, which made it difficult to conceal my pregnancy. You know, I was working on ICU at that time and had no intention to share until the first three months had passed, a lesson learned from my first miscarriage at ten weeks pregnant. On ICU, you don’t have food ready for grabs, you often needed to go hours without, so I would come home eating everything in sight, mostly junk that did not need to be prepared.

The strongest change though was the tiredness. I was ready to sleep 24/7 during the first trimester, and if I wasn’t working (or eating), I did. A long nap before dinner and then to bed by nine, falling asleep on every car journey, no matter how short, I basically slept for three months straight. The energy came back in month number four and I was back to normal until the very end, when the sheer size of my belly made sleeping uncomfortable and I had to get up several times a night to pee.

 

Weight gain and body changes

What freaked me out the most was the weight gain. As someone that was continuously working out and trying to maintain a certain weight, it was strange to suddenly let go of that and accept that it was no longer me changing my body, but my body changing to adapt to the needs of the human being growing inside. Some changes I enjoyed, like the sudden increase in bra size, but others weren’t as welcome and I would be lying if I said I didn’t struggle accepting them.

If that is you now: Some changes are permanent, and no, you will not look like you did before you fell pregnant for a long time. Or ever again. But your new body is a beautiful body as well. (More info: Weightloss and body changes after pregnancy)

Trying my best to look work appropriate two weeks before my actual delivery…

 

My labour and delivery story – which is again, quite uneventful

As I went for a walk, my water broke, one week early.

Needless to say, it happened at the furthermost part away from home, but I just kept on waddling until I eventually came back, informed my husband, called the hospital and went to take a shower.
Midway in shampooing my hair I realized I was maybe a little more nervous than I was admitting, as doing my hair was not what I had planned to do while going into labour.

To the point where we reached the hospital at 6 pm I didn’t even have contractions, so I prepared for a long night.
The contractions kicked in after two hours. When people tell you you will KNOW when you have real contractions, they are right. I have never felt something like that before!

I had decided on getting an epidural even before I had decided on getting pregnant, so the midwife called the anaesthetist on call, I felt a little prick in my back and went for a catnap as soon as the epidural worked.
I am a firm believer in reducing pain wherever possible, and being an anaesthetist myself I knew exactly what to expect.

About an hour later the sensation of pressure had changed, and when the midwife checked back on me, it was quite surprisingly already time to push.
My daughter came into this world squealing and kicking, perfect from head to toe, only 6 and a half hours after I entered the hospital and has kept on turning my life upside down ever since.

So this is my story, uneventful and tedious, but the start to my greatest adventure so far.

I hope reading a story like this will, should you be pregnant yourself, calm your mind and assure you that most pregnancies are uneventful and boring, and that this is a good thing. It is what happens afterwards that is the true adventure!

More pregnancy stuff? Click here!

 

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