When I first found out I was pregnant, I remember feeling equal parts excited and nervous. There was the initial disbelief and the waiting until I could take a second home pregnancy test to confirm my initial findings. That nervousness expanded to real butterflies and I called my doctor. I went in and one blood test later – we knew for certain I was pregnant. What was more amazing was that I discovered my pregnancy just two and a half weeks into the pregnancy – so I had LOTS of time to savor this experience over the coming months,
The Glow of Pregnancy
Luckily, I never experienced morning sickness. In fact, very little made me feel sick with regard to eating or drinking – except for the scent of beer. Now I didn’t drink alcohol so it wasn’t a case that I really needed to stop drinking. But the very scent of alcohol was so revolting that the one time my husband came home with just a few drops spilled on him from a co-worker and I nearly threw up on him – he’s never forgotten my expression or the way I jerked away going ewwwww when he leaned in to kiss me.
We still laugh about that part.
Still, I’d always heard that pregnant women glowed with life and vitality. After all, they were carrying a child within and it is one of the most beautiful things in the world. Now, don’t get me wrong – I was happy about being pregnant when I found out I was pregnant – but for the next 9 months – my opinion changed rapidly.
My Experience
During the course of my pregnancy I got a viral infection – basically a nasty head cold that plagued me for two months and there was little I could take to help with it. I got poison ivy that ended up covering half my body until the doctor finally let me take a little Benadryl. It amuses me that Benadryl is on the safe list now when just six short years ago, I had to beg for it. About the fifth month of my pregnancy, however is when it all went really bad.
My back started to hurt. Not a little, but a lot. I was not one of those fortunate women who don’t show much – in fact, I was huge at 5 months. I looked more like I was in the third trimester rather than the second. But the back pain, persistent and unending started to become excruciating. It was hard to sit up or sit down. I had trouble getting out of bed in the morning and it was really beginning to affect how I walked.
Initially, my doctor told me that back pain was normal and the more I complained – the more she actually got stern with me. I felt like a two year-old crying to mommy and being rejected. By month 7, I was in agony. They sent me to see a physical therapist – there was no glow and I was loathing the pregnancy – as much as I loved the baby I was carrying, I wanted it out and I wanted my body back.
Thirty minutes into my visit with the physical therapist she made an interesting discovery. My left leg was almost an inch longer than my right leg. My baby had pushed my pelvis out of alignment – I’d essentially dislocated my pelvis and that’s why it was so excruciating. Using some contortion methods, she did a push pull with my legs that caused a resounding POP to sound in the room. For the space of three heartbeats it hurt like someone stabbed me and then the relief was so profound, I nearly wept from the joy of it.
Alignment, Dilatation & Other Issues
My doctor was profoundly apologetic about what happened and I visited the therapist three more times over the course of two weeks. The baby kept pushing the pelvis out and the therapist kept putting it back. She taught my husband and I how to do it ourselves and when it seemed like we finally had that under control and I could go back to work – the next painful phase began.
I experienced the strangest soreness and since I was pretty paranoid by now, I called the doctor. She had me come in for a checkup. At just 29 weeks, I was over 1 centimeter dilated and the doctor told me it was time to go back out of work and take it easy – keep my feet up. I was already carrying a baby that weighed in around 6 lbs, so she wasn’t worried if the midget decided to come early.
Over the next six weeks, the baby continued to grow, I continued to dilate and I started to retain water. The water retention grew so bad that my feet were three times their normal size. The thickening included my legs, my arms, my neck and my face. The doctor monitored my blood pressure carefully and saw me weekly.
At Week 37, I was 4 centimeters dilated and the size of a land whale in my opinion. I was hot all the time and I was wearing loose rope sandals because nothing else fit my feet. When I did have to go out into the cold and snow to go anywhere, I didn’t have a bit of problem in the cold because it felt so much better. At week 38, my blood pressure spiked for the first time and the doctor said the most wonderful words I’ve ever heard in my life:
Time to induce!
Not Typical
My pregnancy wasn’t typical and for all the hardships I endured and all the discomforts to make me miserable, I gave birth to the most beautiful, healthy baby girl. None of the problems were with her – they were all with me. Most of them corrected within weeks of her birth. Admittedly, after such an experience – I was loath to try it again. But five years later, here we are – trying to get pregnant again – here’s hoping that my second pregnancy will be just as different as night is from day from the first time around – but only if I get another happy, healthy baby like the last time.
Based on my experience, if I had to go through all of that again, would I do it?
Yes – yes I would.
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A Jewish View of Pregnancy and Childbirth
Hormonal Changes in Early Pregnancy