Cut for potential TMI
10. Brushing my teeth (mostly my tongue) is an exercise in seeing how long I can continuously gag without making myself vomit.
9. Many of my favorite foods make me gag.
8. My stomach hurts if I stand up for long, and by long I mean sometimes longer than 15 minutes.
7. My normal level of moodiness is on turbo. Yeah, this one was totally expected but it is still less than thrilling.
6. Socializing generally means feeling terrible for days on end. (As I am home sick today because I feel so completely terrible.)
5. I can’t eat much. I would never have believed that having a small appetite could be a problem. Yet here I am almost 15 weeks into pregnancy and I am down five pounds. The only time in my life I am not thrilled by this news.
4. I am lethargic in a way I have never been in my life. I struggle with feeling “lazy.”
3. Some of the reactions of people around me. My students are obviously being territorial and resentful. People keep trying to touch me. And OHMYGOD do I want to punch people who give me advice.
2. I don’t decide if I want to have sex. I decide if I am going to be in pain for hours if I do have sex.
1. My uhm “lady parts” (thanks KJB) have attained a level of odor that I find pretty disgusting and repellent. And I can’t walk away from my body. Showering frequently does little/nothing.
I wish I had a button maker; I’d get you one that says “I’m not the Buddha. You may not rub my tummy.”
It may not be so necessary now, but I’m sure it will come in handy later.
Good luck.
(I did a quick search for “not rub my tummy” in case someone’s already done this, but no. I did, however, find proof that you’re not alone in your feelings about this subject:
http://brrrsblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/just-because-i-am-pregnant.html
http://all-things-baby.livejournal.com/2812.html
and one other I won’t link to, because you’re already having problems keeping your food down. I’m sure there’s more proof out there that you’re not alone in this with minimal searching.)
not alone at all.
it’s not appropriate to touch without permission at other times, why would pregnancy change that???
I don’t think it’s a matter of acceptable behaviour, but more of societal conditioning that a pregnant woman must submit to having her belly rubbed, even by random strangers.
The fact that so many people think it’s acceptable is a sign of this. Otherwise, where are the shirts with the phrase “You may not rub my belly” alongside a picture of a taser (or cannister of pepper spray) being sold?
Perhaps the fact that people aren’t joking about it, much less talking about it, is the biggest sign that a change needs to be made.
Well, having a shirt like those you describe is a bit more of a hostile-seeming thing for a mom-to-be to wear than most are comfortable with. Most wouldn’t be comfortable wearing such a strong statement even if they weren’t carrying an adorable kicking parasite in their abdomen in the first place.
But yeah, it’s kind of sad that personal space is so easily violated, so unthinkingly and cheerfully, by the vast majority of the population, and the expectant mother doesn’t feel comfortable saying boo, just because ooooooo baby ooooooooooo
I have a couple “don’t touch me” shirts. I just don’t wear them every single day. 🙂
I’ve smacked people. I will start hitting harder as I get more frustrated.
How bout:
“Not Your Belly.
kthxbai.”
or
“ask permission plz
kthxbai”…
I could make you t-shirts, if you want ’em. New art stamp alphabet set. A little fabric paint, the shirt of your choice, tell me what you want, and BAM!
no assault-and-battery charges from the next fool who touches you without permission.
feelin’ crafty,
Liz
No thank you.
mmkay.
i think
“touch me and die”
or
“touch my belly and i’ll punch your tits”
or
“i’m not pregnant – just terribly swollen”
why
the possibilities are fucking endless…
CafePress for the win! http://www.cafepress.com/buy/pregnant+belly/-/pv_design_details/pg_1/id_17466634/opt_/fpt_/c_666/ and many other designs when you type in “pregnant belly”.
ooh! Krissy, can we pitch in and get you THIS one?
ooh, or this one, perhaps?
Funny, I don’t I had a single person attempt to rub my belly without asking, and those numbers were very few. I think maybe I’m scarier than the average bear.
I actually had a shirt that answered the inevitable questions…
“June 9, 2007; It’s a surprise; Yes, it’s our first; No, you can’t touch my belly.”
I can’t friggin believe how many people have tried to touch me. I’m starting to hit.
I’m sorry you’re having an unpleasant time of it with your pregnancy – I hope it gets better for you. (the mid trimester is better for almost everyone…)
What she said.
It isn’t *that* terrible. I’m just feeling whiny. 🙂
Regarding #1, I came to regard my condition as “swamp crotch.” Changing underwear a couple times a day helps as the, uh, moisture is excessive. I suppose though, I should refer to #3 and shut the hell up. 🙂
“Dude! I had that!” isn’t exactly advice. 🙂
It’s so gross. But the thing is, I generally strip when I get home from work anyway because I feel so icki. This means that most of the grossness is accumulated during the day and I am not exactly going to keep the uhm *soiled* underwear in my backpack during the day if I did change them.
I so need to be done with working.
As the mother of a cloth diapered baby, and user of a backpack as a diaper bag, may I suggest the use of ziploc bags to contain soiled undergarments while outside the house?
btw…why the pain with sex?
Because regardless of position (and trust me, we are flexible on this) there is a lot of general jostling involved in sex and there are times when my stomach just flat rebels. My Lizard really wants to be in a reclining position for about 90% of the day with little to no impact anywhere on my body. This is not the best for my sex life. Or my work life. Or my life. Lizard is making complaints known.
totally fell you here… standing, sitting, moving, walking, anything jostling makes my stomach hurt… I asked my aunt and grandma (both mothers and both nurses) and they responded with “Round Ligimant Pain”. insides are stretching, baby is growing and moving, and we get to hurt. yay!
I’ve found sex while spooning to be one of the few ways we can accomplish the act in entirety, and even then sometimes I have to rest…
do all your joints feel looser than normal too? how’s your back pain?
I hope you start feeling better soon!
I don’t know that my joints feel looser. Hm. My back pain is at a high-ish level but certainly not higher than normal.
re: #3
sorry about the ginger suggestions.