Side-Effects

So imagine this - you go to your doctor with an issue of some sort (what kind doesn't really matter for purposes of this blog) and after examining you, he prescribes you medication. He tells you that you'll need to take said medication daily for the next 40ish weeks.

You head to the pharmacy and pick up your prescription. Upon getting home you pull out the description packet and begin reading the dosage amounts and the side effects - you stop short when you get to the latter because the list is LONG, and it covers just about anything and everything! It seems almost unrealistic. But you look again and sure enough some of the side-effects are as follows:

• Bloating
• Cramping
• Mood swings
• Spotting
• Headaches
• Tender breasts
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Constant urination
• Dietary changes
• Heartburn
• Constipation
• Dizziness
• Vaginal discharge
• Sensitive and/or bleeding gums
• Nosebleeds
• Congestion
• Weight gain (roughly 25-35 pounds)
• Joint pain
• Leg cramps
• Tingling or numbness of the fingers
• Excess hair growth
• Stretch marks
• Swelling of the feet and hands
• Hyperpigmentation
• Redness and/or itchiness of the palms
• Blotchy legs
• Heat rash
• Hemorrhoids
• Edema
• Sciatica
• Varicose veins
• Shortness of breath
• Insomnia
• Vision changes

Would you honestly in your right mind willingly take said medication? I know I wouldn't! ....

Now, please don't misunderstand - I'm in no way saying I wish I wasn't pregnant or that I shouldn't have chosen to have a child, I'm just highlighting another of the many things we don't necessarily know before we get pregnant (like not knowing which diapers to use, what bottle is best, etc)

I have shown this list to my husband on more than one occasion - usually when I'm feeling cranky and want to him to feel "sorry" for me - and he's been surprised at all the things that happen to the female body during the course of a pregnancy.

This is an ongoing list (which doesn't include all the positive things we get as well) - it's not as though we get slammed with them all at once (that would be killer!) which is why I think a lot of men don't truly understand what we go through.

But women have been experiencing these symptom for generations and luckily as science has progressed so has the ability to keep some of these issues at bay - but for many of us we'll experience a half dozen of them (or more) at one point or another during our pregnancy.

I have joked with my friend Jami on multiple occasions that I'm amazed that we willingly choose to get pregnant knowing what's to come! Her answer - "you forget" ... once you hold your baby in your arms, you just block out all the un-fun aspects of pregnancy. Boy I can't wait for that day!

I've been fairly lucky these past 29 weeks and can honestly say I'm only just now reaching the point of discomfort - thanks to my SPD (joint/pelvic pain) and now intense sciatica - but I know there are others out there who have run the full gamut of this list and I feel for you!

But remember, in the words of my friend Jami ... you will forget! That little bundle of joy at the end of all this will be the ultimate reward!

As I've said all along, I've tried to appreciate and fully experience every moment of this pregnancy so a few aches, pain or weird side-effects are just par for the course. I do think Mother Nature is brilliant though ... while our physical aches and pains might go away once we give birth, I think she is just mentally preparing us for a lifetime with our children!

For all my friends here in Boston - be careful out there tonight! Severe thunderstorms and flash flooding expected throughout metro-Boston through 7pm tonight! Stay dry!