Friday, January 30, 2009

Way Back Wednesday II: Pregnancy Edition

My resolution to try to do 'Way Back Wednesday' posts weekly is off to a terrible start. So even though it is Friday, I am home with a sick child and decided it was as good a time as ever to escape into the past (and, perhaps, humiliate myself in the process!)
This was taken at 15 weeks.

One of the great regrets of my pregnancy is that I did not take many tummy pictures. Because we lost our hard drive a couple of years ago, these two grainy scanned pictures are all I have but for a couple of shower pictures from before I entered the hospital.

I am, by nature, modest and body conscious. Spending 8 1/2 weeks on bed rest in the hospital with extremely limited time to spend upright, you can understand how I was feeling a little less than 'my best' and did not exactly want lots of photos to memorialize my beached whale status.
This was taken at 26 weeks. I had been hospitalized for almost 3 weeks at this point and delivered 5.5 weeks later...after gaining a pound and a half a day the last week or so. You can only imagine how much bigger I was at that time!

I really did have a sense of humor about it at the time. I had gained the suggested 36 pounds by 24 weeks of gestation. I knew the 3500 calories a day I was being instructed to eat were beneficial for my growing babies, but it really was not a very attractive time in my life. It did not help that the nurses referred to me as "little big mama" as my 5'2" frame ballooned to 170lbs. They even had a trapeze bar installed over my bed so I could pull myself up if I needed to go to the bathroom. The nursing assistants and I would giggle each morning as I pulled up and rolled out of bed for my daily weigh in and 5 minutes of allotted shower time. Imagine my surprise when that 70 lbs I gained only translated into 8.5 lbs of babies!

I really did love being pregnant despite the challenges. I get sad thinking that I will never get to experience that feeling again. I loved having my babies with me all the time and constantly had my hands on my tummy. It sounds silly now, but I always felt like I had a little secret in there--lives that were a mystery to me, yet were so intricately linked to mine. Pregnancy is a miracle isn't it?

It never really occurred to me that it was the only time I would get to experience pregnancy. We had decided in advance not to have a tubal during my C-section and really hoped to be able to conceive again without assistance. God had other plans--and I am truly at peace with that. But I do regret not having more pictures.

There goes that pride, always leading me to silly decisions!

8 comments:

beck'sthree said...

I all but forbade photos of me when I was pregnant, and I regret it now. The few we have look horrid because I gained so much weight in my face, so I don't wish for more like that, but I do wish I had more "belly shots."

And, if it makes you feel any better, I knew that my daughter would be my last child because of health problems I was having, so I tried to savor every moment of the pregnancy, but . . . it doesn't really work that way. I still miss the kicks, the waddle walk, and the "name that bump." Not to mention how much nicer everyone is to you when your pregnant!

Sitesx6 said...

I too regret so much that I didn't take weekly belly shots of me pregnant with my twins. I'm so bummed about it. I only have about 2 or 3 pictures of my belly. :( but there is nothing I can do about it, ten years later.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED being pregnant so much. I prayed for it 4 years straight-through our infertility years, so what a huge blessing to be pregnant and with TWINS. I cherished it so much. I look back and know for sure it was seriously one of the happiest times of my whole life. It seems so long ago now. I love seeing pregnant moms, I feel a little envious that I only got to experience it one time in my life.
Kelly

elizabeth said...

I had just finished writing a post (one that I will probably post next week sometime) and popped over here. I laughed when I saw the picture ..NOT At all at YOU, but I had just finished uploading pictures of me pregnant and writing about bad maternity fashion sense. Hilarious that then I saw this. Let me just tell you this!: You looked at LEAST half my size (and I know you, in fact, are half my size, but I mean the baby belly itself) and I only had ONE baby in my belly. Of course she did weigh 8.6 lbs...Anyway, I'll guess you'll see soon enough my embarrassing prego pictures. (and I too have so little b/c I made everyone with cameras just stay away!)

Colored With Memories said...

i think you look great...i think i carried my weight in my face...not so on you!

pregnancy is amazing with one...can't imagine three...glad you are documenting it here!

Mindy said...

I think you look great, too! My youngest (the only boy)kicked so much, and stretched himself out so much in my belly that I was afraid he was going to bruise me or break something in there....I can't imagine having three little ones in there doing that! I love your wayback Wednesday posts.

Kelly @ Love Well said...

Darling, you're adorable. You have no reason to be self-conscious.

Kate Geisen said...

You do look adorable in those pictures! It's so hard sometimes to still feel like yourself when your body takes on such a life of its own.

I loved my last pregnancy and savored it. Not too many belly pictures, either, just ones that were taken in the course of whatever we were doing.

Bethany said...

Such a cute belly! I will have to keep in mind to take pictures if I am ever blessed with a pregnancy :)