Looking through my computer, I found an old article I wrote last year when I realised I was pregnant with my fourth and was a little nervous because of the hormones I experienced in previous pregnancies. I thought I would share it for a laugh..
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The Pregnancy Monster
I decided to write this piece today to share with you a realisation I made in recent times about pregnancy. Or at least my pregnancies.
PREGNANCY. Ah what a beautiful time… New life, the miracle of the creation, the fruit of marital love, a beautiful joy of course. Sometimes. It doesn’t always feel like this. With the vomiting and the nausea, the sciatica, UTI’s, the headache’s (with no Nurofen), feeling fat, fevers, tiredness, insomnia, shrinking bladders, overall discomfort and baby brain! Yes I know, quite a list. With all this to consider, pregnancy can seem quite daunting.
Recently my husband and I found out that we are pregnant for the fourth time! Wow! We were both so excited! We are truly blessed! And perhaps a little nervous.
One thing I have seemed to notice when I am pregnant is my relationship with my husband becomes strained. It seems so strange for this to happen. It is such a beautiful time, a true miracle. Why aren’t we enjoying ourselves and basking in the glow of pregnancy?
I look around at other pregnant women and I see doting husbands. I hear stories of husbands doing fast food runs at 2am and marvelling at their wives’ strength through the nausea and tiredness. And I thought to myself: why do my pregnancies seem to have the opposite affect on my husband?
Just last week, Lent rolled around once again. As I was deciding what to give up this year, I took part in an interesting conversation. One of the mums shared she was going to give up yelling at her kids for Lent. I laughed at said “Ha maybe I should give up whinging!” …And then it hit me, maybe I should give up whinging? It hasn’t been making me feel very good lately, when does it ever in fact. Perhaps a strong dose of positivity is just what I needed.
So I decided that day (being Ash Wednesday) that I would give up whinging, and I didn’t tell anyone because I wanted to see the effects untainted.
It was remarkable. I had a beautiful day. My husband and I laughed and chatted. We enjoyed each others company, I listened, he listened and we did not bicker, once. It was like…before I was pregnant!
I am not saying we never argue, but it was definitely different.
Could it be? All this time I thought my husband was treating me unfairly during my pregnancies, but instead I was being a bloody pain to live with! Whinging and complaining about every discomfort;
“You’re tired? You know I am more tired than you cause I’m pregnant!”
“I just vomited for the 3rd time today”
“Ahh my scatica is killing me!! …Can I have a massage?”
By complaining about all these things that were putting a strain on me, I became unbearable to live with.
I call it, the Pregnancy Monster. I was unleashing my inner “nega-tore” and taking a dark cloud with me wherever I went and no one was benefiting from it, not even me. I don’t know why I did it. What was the point?
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Rereading this article makes me laugh. My husband and I joke about pregnancy hormones now and how I get just a little bit fiesty when I am pregnant. Looking back I have learnt it is important to be self aware. Although I am a little nervous about the pregnancy monster rearing its ugly head if I am blessed with another pregnancy, I feel a lot more confident that my husband and I can handle it together.
Originally posted 2015-08-06 12:00:52.