Pregnancy

No, I am NOT going to have another one. Ever.


But, a friend posted recently how much she liked being pampered while pregnant. And that reminded me of an article I read while pregnant about all the joys of how people are so much nicer to you when you're expecting.


Well, let me tell you, that DOESN'T work for everybody. I suppose if you're some little skinny thing and you look like you just put a basketball under your shirt, strangers think you're so cute and want to give you all sorts of unwanted advice.


If you're like me, and plus-sized, people just think you're even fatter than you normally are. Not once did I have a complete stranger ask me about my pregnancy. Not even the girl who did my pedicures ever asked me about it.

I remember one day while my mother was visiting, we went out to lunch. There was a bit of a wait and all the seating was taken. When some finally came open, this woman jumped right in front of me so fast that I couldn't even waddle over close to the open seat. I was about 8 months at that point and it was obvious that I was pregnant. And it wasn't an elderly lady, she couldn't have been more than 40. My mom just looked at this woman with shock and then asked me if I was going to be okay. The lady then looked and realized what she had done, but did she give up her seat? No.

For me, pregnancy was horrible. My hair was greasy, not full and luxurious. At the ripe old age of 27, I finally had to start using an acne cleanser. Let me tell you, the girls at the Clinique counter aren't used to getting adult women asking the basics about treating acne and then having to take into consideration that there are some products that shouldn't be used during pregnancy. Now, I'm not complaining about this. Considering I didn't have to do that in high school like most girls, I can deal. It's just not fun dealing with the 12-year-olds they hire at these places.

My asthma was horrible and I ended up on steriods. The back pain that was relieved by my breast-reduction surgery was back, and not because I had big boobs. Just because of whatever crazy medical reason that gives you back pain when you're knocked up.

I, who sleep through anything, ended up getting up four times a night to pee. And you know how they say you'll get your energy back in the second trimester? That was a lie. I was absolutely exhausted the whole time. I was in bed no later than 9 every night.

And the swelling. Let's just say that it was a good thing we lived in Arizona and I was able to wear flip flops all winter. I'll leave maternity clothes for another day.

But, even after all the misery, I couldn't imagine my life without my precious girl. Not going to go through it again, but it was worth it.