It's Not the Same When You're Pregnant

Now that I'm further along in my pregnancy and my belly is getting bigger, I notice more and more that there are quite a few activities that are not the same when you're pregnant. I've especially noticed this when it comes to things related to work. This month I've been doing quite a bit of traveling which I normally don't mind or have a problem with. In fact, I sometimes like to travel because it's a chance to get out of the office and get away to explore other areas. But lately, as I'm struggling to do the tasks that come along with traveling, I've noticed myself saying it's not the same when you're pregnant.

Currently I'm in 'beautiful' Fresno for a two-day training. I left yesterday afternoon after having to work a full day in the office to make sure I could get as much done as possible since I won't be returning until next week. Those types of work days are always somewhat stressful because you want to make sure you don't forget to do something that would make you say out loud, "Shoot!", and force you to have to turn your car around to go back. My travel struggle began in the morning when I went to pick up my rental car and realized they gave me a car that had manual operations - windows, door locks, side mirrors, etc. I'm not lazy, but it's not as easy for a pregnant lady to reach across the car multiple times in order to adjust the passenger side mirror. To be honest - and obviously somewhat spoiled - I didn't even realize they made these types of cars anymore.

Luckily I was able to leave the office before Sacramento traffic became too much of a nightmare and only had to deal with some of the Elk Grove traffic. After that, it was smooth sailing for the rest of the 160 miles. Sitting in the car was when I experienced another it's not the same moment. I had to stop three times to use the restroom. Before I was pregnant, I would've been able to go the whole way down without having to stop once. Now, I purposefully look at the road signs that have the mileage to the next town and say, "Okay, I have 30 miles until I'm able to use the restroom again; I can manage that." And I've already learned the hard way that if I try to hold my pee for too long, there are repercussions now that will end up embarrassing me - if you know what I mean. Road trips have definitely become more of a process than they used to be.

The biggest it's not the same experience that I deal with, traveling or not, is sleeping. I was sleeping fine up until around 20 weeks. Then I became restless, unable to get comfortable, and woke up multiple times to readjust my position. Normally I'm a stomach sleeper and I miss those days so much. I reluctantly started to be okay with sleeping on my back until I would wake up with lower back pain from the weight of my belly pushing down on my spine. My doctor suggested putting a small pillow underneath to help, which worked for a little while but now does nothing for me. Now I'm stuck to sleeping on my sides which I absolutely despise. I surround myself with pillows trying anything and everything to find a position that is somewhat comfortable. Thankfully Jody is a pretty solid sleeper because he would probably kick me out with all the moving I do throughout the night. Besides being uncomfortable at night, I now am experiencing Mallory moving around like crazy at night. She used to sleep with me, but not anymore. I hope this isn't a sign to her being a night owl once she's born! However, I love feeling her move around so I'm okay with that part of not being able to sleep. Even when she flails so hard it wakes me up I just smile and say hello. Overall though, sleeping is definitely not the same when you're pregnant.

There are so many other activities that I can think of that used to be easier: putting on my running shoes, bending down to pick things up, running and kickboxing, shaving my legs, painting my toes, mountain bike riding, walking up flights of stairs, being able to clearly see distance (even though I wear contacts), finding foods that don't give me heartburn, looking sexy while dancing, being on time (because it takes longer to do things now), getting through the day without wanting to take a nap... Yet with all of the it's not the same when your pregnant experiences, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Being pregnant is so much more enjoyable than I thought it would be and I am so appreciative for being blessed with Mallory!


















25 weeks and growing