Pregnancy Perception

Most movies would have you believe that being pregnant is a beautiful time in your life when you glow as you grow your baby bump. It certainly is a beautiful time if your life as you eagerly await the arrival of your precious baby. But glowing? Not so sure about that one. My first pregnancy I was so nervous about what I ate, how I lay when I slept, what I did, that by the end of the 40 weeks I was a nervous wreck and just wanted my baby out so I could witness she was okay. Not only that, but I never experienced this ‘glow’ people talk about. My skin was more spotty than a prepubescent teenager. Also my emotional state was somewhat heightened and I believe I may have been a little more sensitive, to put it lightly.

I can’t remember much from my second pregnancy, apart from the bad skin…again…I had the luxury of better health care with our second and third babies and so was less anxious, and our first born was at that stage too young to voice what she thought of pregnant me. Third pregnancy, yes spotty skin…again…Honestly I had better skin as a teenager than whilst pregnant. However, I have never felt more exhausted than whilst pregnant with our third baby. I put it down to chasing two little bosses whilst carrying a growing third.

I had ligament pain this time and often contorted my face in pain as I hobbled about trying to do my regular Mummy duties (taking the kids to the park, providing fun activities for them whilst at home, making sure they and I survived each day). Night sweats and leg cramps were awful and I woke frequently to race to the loo. Not only that, this third baby was frank breech for most of the pregnancy which made almost any position uncomfortable and when he did turn at 37 weeks I was in so much pain we thought for sure it was labour. Boy was I glad when C-Day rolled around at 38 weeks, his weight and length were enough to explain why I was so miserably uncomfortable, being our biggest baby yet.

I hadn’t really thought of how my two daughters perceived me during my pregnancy until preschool sent home a beautiful Mother’s Day Gift, hand crafted by my Miss 3. I was so excited to open up my very first gift made exclusively by our first born and the preschool certainly did impress with their efforts to make it a special present. As I looked into the cloth bag, hand print flowers adorning the front I puled out a gift, wrapped in paper and ribbon by our darling Miss 3. Inside was a painting of me, very aptly done with crazy hair and running paint lines around the eyes (Yes I had let my hair go a bit wild with the limited grooming time I now had, and yes I guess I was again slightly more emotional in my pregnant state), a chocolate made at preschool inside a small cardboard box and a laminated sheet of paper titled “All About Mum”. Yes! I had waited for one of these since being a teacher and making them with my own classes. Such a beautiful reflection of a child’s love for their mother. I was eager to see what Miss 3 had said about me, her Mummy. This is what the paper said:

Let me tell you about my Mum.

My mum is “29” years old. (Wow, she got it right, she tells me all the time I’m 5. I must have matured somewhat?)

She likes to “go to home”. (Okay sweetie, not really, I like to go out to parks and go for walks, just a little hard with two fast kiddies and a huge baby bump, but I’ll take it.)

The best thing she cooks is “cookies” (Got me there kiddo, its not like you eat healthy things I make anyway and we make these together so this was sweet of her to say.)

Her favourite food is “cookies”. (Wait, can she see me when I hide in the kitchen cupboard to eat my chocolate biscuits?)

Her favourite way to relax is “sit on the lounge”. (Okay, I have been less mobile recently, fair call.)

She is really good at “watching TV”. (Do I sense a theme here? I thought I was really good at lots of things, like reading, cooking, playing, making art, and she notes watching TV as my best skill?)

My mum is special because “she is a love heart”. (Way to redeem yourself kiddo, or are you calling me fat?)

Well, there it was, plain as paper for me to see how my Miss 3 perceives pregnant me. I must appear to be a big cookie-eating blob to her who migrates to the couch at any chance. Well, she is only slightly accurate…okay, its pretty accurate.

I am glad our third baby has since arrived safely. I have more energy again, even with the night waking, (pregnancy really does its best to train you for this lack of sleep with nightly loo runs and mini-kitchen feasts. The glow of the fridge in a darkened house was the only glow I experienced during pregnancy as I hovered around it mindlessly stuffing food into my mouth to ease the hunger and quench my insatiable thirst for milk). And I believe if Miss 3 were to fill in another “All About Mum” form it would read differently now. I guess next year’s annual Mum review will reveal all.