Week 22: Pregnancy glow, is that you?

By Published On: July 20th, 2016

I am convinced that the pregnancy gods are laughing at […]

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I am convinced that the pregnancy gods are laughing at me somewhere. You see my first pregnancy was a dream, the kind where you float on by with minimal symptoms and before you know you you’re blissfully cuddling your new sweet smelling baby. Well, that is certainly not the case with this pregnancy. If I were to compare my pregnancies I would say that last time around I was a magical pregnancy unicorn, strong, majestic and regal. This time I’m more like a terrifying pregnancy zombie, dragging myself out of bed in the mornings to hit the button on my coffee maker and put on cartoons for my daughter. It’s safe to say that baby No. 2 has been making up for all of the symptoms I missed out on last time.
I’m honestly not exaggerating either. Before we found out the gender of this baby, I read all of the old wives’ tales that are supposed to help you guess what sort of baby you’ve got cooking. Except the more I read, the more I realized that I was literally just checking off every item on both sides of the list. Morning sickness, salty cravings, sweet cravings, blemishes, headaches, you name it I checked it off the list. I had to kick those lists to the curb because they just made me more discouraged about my crazy unpredictable body.
Now that we have made it into the middle of the second trimester, I’m starting to slowly find those symptoms are dwindling. Except, of course, new ones are popping up as my body is making adjustments for my growing baby boy. Constipation is one of the few things I did have with my daughter, but its decided to make its appearance a lot earlier this time. Luckily, I know this time that it’s nothing a few prunes and some light exercise can’t fix.
Still, my most favorite pregnancy symptom of all is actually something that many women look forward to. No, it’s not heartburn, stretch marks or swollen ankles. It’s the glow, that inexplicable magic that creeps over a woman as she grows a new life inside of her. We all get it, and boy let me tell you that most days I don’t feel it. I assure you though that others see you radiate as you walk into the room, even if you don’t. I’m still waiting for the outpouring of the magical pregnancy glow I felt last time, but every once in a while when I look in the mirror I see it. If nothing else I remind myself that whether or not I feel like I’m glowing during these 40 weeks, the moment I hold my new baby in my arms, that glow will be undeniable.