What I Wish I Had Known About Being Pregnant

Hi Steemians!

So it's been so long since I checked my Steemit account. I was doing a full time office job for years and now by the time I'm writing this post, I'm 7 months pregnant. I'm currently unemployed and basically just helping my husband to run our little coffee shop. Yes apparently I'm free right now and looking for a positive productivity to add to my routines. I've never understood or remembered why I quit writing on Steemit actually. So many things have changed inside the Steemit community. Hopefully I can catch up in no time!

Anyway, things have been slow since last month for our coffee shop, especially with the COVID-19 situations and the holy month in May. I hope for all of you out there who are struggling financially or worried about these whole COVID-19 situations still count your blessings. Given health is wealth in itself guys and I'm grateful for it everyday. I keep telling myself to hang in there, this too shall pass.

I admit it was so hard sometimes for me to be pregnant and working as well as being cautious about my surroundings. Washing my hands thousand times basically, wearing my mask, bringing my hand sanitizer everywhere and practicing social distancing. I had to go to work every morning five days a week using public transportation. My workplace was about 30 km from my apartment. Since I got pregnant, obviously I'm having physical changes and situations that comes with pregnancy. The hardest part for me was the shortness of breath. I could not stand or walk too long unfortunately. That, plus I have to wear my mask to work because of the COVID-19 situation so it was really stressful.

The hardest part was on my first trimester because my bump was not showing yet however I can't stand too long on my bus to work. When I asked the bus clerk for one of the priority seat, he will look at me like I'm crazy because I looked just fine on the outside whilst I was actually dying. So the next few days I would get off the bus halfway to some bus stop just to cried my eyes out, breath and rest for a while then I'd continue my trip to work. It took me two and half hours just to go to work and it's harder at night when I have to go home because I would already be so exhausted. I find it really depressing because I'm a very active and restless person and it hurts my soul the fact that I can't even stand for five minutes long. Anyway, I made peace with it and it was part of why I decided to stop working. It was just not working out for my body and my situations. I just need to rest and focus on my baby's health.

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I'm actually expecting a baby boy!! I would want to share some of the things that I wish I had known about being pregnant. Hopefully would be a help for some expectant mothers or fellow Steemians who are curious about the topic. These are truly based on my own experience. Please know that every pregnancy is unique so if you're expecting, you might or might not experienced what I have been through during mine.

• Heartburn
  I've never experienced such a severe heartburn before in my life. The burning is always happened at night for me before I go to bed. Gets really annoying on my third trimester. It lasts for hours and I usually soothe it with cold water or ice cream which I don't think is the best way to treat it but it helps. When it's harder to go away, I usually lay on my left side (which is recommended by my doctor because it alleviate heartburn and improve the blood flow to your baby) while being naked on my bed. To be honest, being in some tight clothes and having a heartburn is NOT pleasant whatsoever.

• Dry, Enlarged and Darkening Areolas
  Hormonal changes would be the culprit of why this happened. Apparently for me it happened as early as I got pregnant. It feels uncomfortable at first however I got used to it. It's part of being pregnant as the areolas (the area around your nipples) got darker and enlarged. In my case, it got dry too and it feels cracked at times. I used olive oil or cocoa butter to smooths the area.

• Nosebleed
  I had nosebleed a few times on my first trimester. I have never experienced it before so it freaked me out the first time it happened. I usually got a little bit exhausted and dizzy during the nosebleed. The first time it happened to me was on my way to work and I was so anxious however it didn't hurt. It never lasted longer than half an hour in my case. This only happened throughout my first trimester though. It seems like the hormonal changes are also the culprit for this one.

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• Fast Hair and Nails Growth
  My hair and nails growth are amazing during this pregnancy. I cut my hair shoulder-length when I found out I was pregnant. My hair was previously very long and I decided to cut it for convenience. I lost a lot of my hair in early pregnancy. However it stopped happening mid second trimester. It amazes me how much my hair grew after though. However watch out for ingrown toe nails. Never had this problem before but I really need to cut my nails every three days otherwise it will be very long and annoying at least for me. The hair all over my body also grow out of nowhere starting on my second trimester. I didn't even know that those areas even has follicles.. I shaved when it's necessary but since my belly grow bigger it's harder to shaves since I can't move that freely anymore. So hairy body here I come!

• Shortness of Breath
  As I've mentioned above, this happened as early as I got pregnant while I was still working. Entering my third trimester, it got way better. Turned out I just need to drink enough water to stay hydrated and snacking also helps with my energy. Now I can stand more than five minutes and walk around with no problem. When I was taking my commute to work it was not allowed me to drink or eat inside the public transportation even at their stops. I got scolded by the security bunch of times because I drank from my water bottle at the bus stop. I know it is the rule there but of course it adds to my shortness of breath. Glad that was over and I can drink freely now I guess.

• Heavy Vaginal Discharge
  This is normal and it got heavier as I go along. I also found out that it is that way to prevent bacteria to travel in to the womb. Change your undies regularly if you haven't already.. Woman's body is so amazing though! There is this mucus plug that was formed and when it's time for labor it will be released once you'll started to dilate. It called 'bloody show' because the mucus plug would have streaked with pink color or slightly bloody when it got released. Labor may begin soon for most mothers.

• Rib Pain
  Entering my third pregnancy, it is so hard to ignore my rib pain. Although this is common for mothers as the baby grows, it is harder to sleep at night for me nowadays. The old wives tale mentioned that baby boys are more active rather than baby girls. I must admit that I can't really compare them myself since this is my first pregnancy. However the kicks are more and more often and I think the baby physically kicking me in the ribs. Usually a rub belly or being cuddled by my husband helped a lot! I suggest if it is not an option you can buy a pregnancy pillow and sleeps on your left side comfortably.

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• Painful Intercourse
  I was being suggested by my OB-GYN in my early stage of pregnancy that I would probably can have intercourse maximum twice a week. It changes as I go along and I heed my OB-GYN's suggestions. You can consult to your doctor/OB-GYN about it as early as you got pregnant. For me personally doing it is very painful and uncomfortable. Turns out more blood flows during pregnancy to the pelvic area so it became very sensitive.

That is all I can share with you for now. Would love to chat with fellow Steemians who is expecting so I can learn and exchange our exciting stories. For moms out there who was just giving birth or for parents who are already having kids, I would love to hear your stories too! Don't forget to count your blessings!!!