If I thought the 38.5 weeks of pregnancy went by quickly, the last 4 weeks have left my head spinning.
Our daily routine now revolves almost entirely around meeting Bubby’s needs. It’s not something unexpected, but this is probably a good time to reflect on all that well-meaning ‘advice’.
You know the ones I’m talking about. The gems of ‘wisdom’ spewed uninvited from the mouths of family, friends and even strangers that get rather cliched by the 15th week of your pregnancy – they start to annoyingly make some sense. The anthem ‘Your life will never be the same again!‘ is perhaps the most and yet begrudgingly honest (yet grated our nerves nonetheless, but hey! We went into this with our eyes wide open).
So here are a couple of pearls we heard repeatedly and our experiences thus far.
Sleepless nights
To be honest, the nights are not completely sleepless. Thankfully Bubby kindly lets me squeeze 2-3 hours of sleep between night feeds and maybe an afternoon nap if I’m lucky.
Otherwise, I’m fucked.
Personal hygiene is a luxury
I was told that once Bubby arrived, my world would revolve around meeting his needs (true) and never my own (not true). Showers and brushing my teeth daily would be a luxury.
It’s true that I cannot take leisurely hot showers and la-de-dah now, but I haven’t skipped a shower and brushing my teeth yet. Since I’m breastfeeding Bubby, keeping my boobs and breath clean and fresh is the least I could do.
With that said, I’ve had to babywear Bubby to take a dump once – figured if I have to smell his poos every day, he shouldn’t mind smelling mine once in awhile.
Eating like a horse
Assuming my role as Bubby’s personal cow is hard work. The last time I felt so hungry so often was in my early teens and I was just eating for one then. I am thankful for the pre-made freezer meals, but they’re not going to last.
If anyone offers to bring food over, I take it.
Post-partum body
Who knew I would be thankful for having gestational diabetes? Turns out I only gained a total of 8kg by the end of the pregnancy and by the end of these 4 weeks, I’ve dropped the pregnancy weight and now weigh 58kg. That’s 5kg less than when I first fell pregnant.
But weight is only one factor. While I can fit in most of my old clothes now, my tummy has a little jiggle it never had before and my boobs… holy cow, these sacks have exploded!
At least my skin has been spared the battle wounds of pregnancy – stretch marks.