What I wish I would have known about pregnancy...

Today I want to make a list of all the things I wish I would have known about pregnancy before I got pregnant. Please don't take it the wrong way, Eric and I feel beyond blessed that we are going to have our first baby! And truly, I have nothing to complain about compared to many pregnant mommies, for starters we were able to get pregnant right away, I threw up a total of twice in the first trimester, both times more because of my error than horrible nausea, and after last week everything is right on track with our Baby Tinch. Trust me, I am super grateful for all these blessings but nonetheless, I feel the need to complain slightly about some of the not so fun things about pregnancy, that I wish I could have prepared myself for before....for any male (or female) readers, that this may be a tad too much for you to handle as I plan to be honest and possibly disgust you, you may want to stop reading here.

1. You feel fat before you gain a single pound. Bloating is the culprit! I felt huge literally the day after I found out I was pregnant. And so far the bloating has continued week in and week out. Thanks to this bloating I start out in the am with a small baby belly and by the end of the day, the belly has doubled in size, it's amazing really. All my books tell me this is normal and will continue until Baby Tinch arrives (yay)! Maybe my bloating is worse than others, but I feel like I never got the memo on this little (or large, depending on the time of day) side effect.
2. A slow down occurs. What could make the bloating even worse? Constipation. Not much else to say about this one, again the books say it's completely normal, I just find it very different from the norm...
3. Acne. Yuck, I had my fair share in middle school and high school, but it is all coming back to me now. And not just on my face, my chest and back are also getting their share, perhaps to make up time...?!  This has come and gone through the weeks, but certainly continues to rear it's ugly head at the most inconvenient times.
4. The decisions start as soon as you know you are pregnant. I plan to have an entire post dedicated to the various decisions you have to make as a parent before you ever meet your sweet baby. At first I was a bit overwhelmed with all the choices we would have to make, but we are getting through the list slowly but surely. I simply hope we are making the right choices. I am well aware this is one pregnancy symptom that will not go away and will in fact only intensify after we meet Baby Tinch, lets hope we know what we are doing....

That's it, not too bad right? Every single symptom will be worth it in the end!