Pregnancy positivity stories

[DefiantRabbit9]

After 39 years on this planet all I've ever heard about pregnancy is how god awful it is. I'm currently around 10 weeks and yes I know I've got a long way to go but so far it's not the hellscape I was warned about. The morning sickness is at best an irritation at worst an annoyance. Vomiting, weight loss, fibroid and gassiness aside I'm really enjoying it.

Whenever I talk about how much I'm enjoying it I'm howled down with 'check your privilege' and 'good for you not everyone is so lucky' or 'don't brag'. I surely can't be alone in this. So please let me know what you loved about being pregnant and give me your pregnancy positivity stories.

Congratulations on your pregnancy! It's the luck of the draw, isn't it?

I'm 41; I had a rotten time doing IVF - I found it much more physically brutal than I expected - and so I'm very glad I'm finding pregnancy most varies between 'perfectly ok' and 'ooh this is quite pleasant'. I had seriously appalling mental health just before I got pregnant (for various reasons) and for me the first trimester hormones were absolutely delightful, as was the added estrogen I had to have after IVF. I'm just gone 23 weeks and, TBH, even if the next 17 weeks are the pits, I'll feel I got off very lightly and I'm very glad.

The movements are fun at this stage, too. I'm sure they won't be soon, but right now I am enjoying them very much. And I am an eternal child, so I find it quite amusing that I go from having no discernible bump in the morning to a proper comedy belly by mid-afternoon (by which point my stomach muscles have given up the fight).

Congratulations, OP!

I had awful first trimester sickness the first time round, literally throwing up 20 times a day and not keeping water down, but after that it was fine! No aches or pains or swelling. It was like I wasn't pregnant, apart from a barely noticeable bump. Then I gave birth and I was almost instantly below my pre-pregnancy weight with a flat tummy!

Currently 22 weeks pregnant with my second and hoping for a similar recovery.

I’m a doula, and love all things pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding.

Currently pregnant with number 4 - at about 28ish weeks.

I’m having a wild pregnancy this time round, which is utterly magical.

I’m soaking this pregnancy up as much as possible as this is my last baby, but I’m so excited to give birth again! This will be my third Homebirth xx

I’ve waited a long long time for a successful pregnancy, so I was looking forward to every part of it. Every time I nearly vom'd and my partner gave me sympathetic face I was like, it’s cool, I’m so happy! (The number of times I misinterpreted random nausea as a pregnancy symptom while ttc/ivf, or it disappearing when it shouldn’t, it just felt so good to have strong aversions etc) I’m now 22 weeks, I’ve been at high risk of late loss/ptb since 16 weeks so that side of things is horrible, but the pregnancy itself is… brilliant! The kicks and thumps from inside are mind blowing. And even when I can’t sleep, I just let myself think about how I’m pregnant! I’m lucky I think, or am yet to reach the pretty terrible pgp or other issues (which I appreciate can be truly bad) but I’m very thankful for what I’ve had so far :)

I was actually thinking of writing something recently about this but didn't want to be braggy! It's hard to find a safe space to feel happy when things are going smoothly on a site/in a world where so many women suffer through difficult losses, challenging pregnancies and traumatic births. It's so important that these stories are shared and heard but sometimes it's hard to believe a normal/healthy pregnancy is possible...

My first pregnancy was great. Took a long time to get pregnant and I was riddled with anxiety in the beginning, but the pregnancy was really healthy. I went to the gym until 37 weeks and cycled to work until my last day before maternity leave (I live in a cycle-friendly country!). The birth was long but smooth and recovery was pretty good. I got pregnant very quickly with my second, which was unexpected and amazing for us. I have been so, so tired but not at all sick, and again another low-risk pregnancy. I'm 35 weeks now, went to yoga last night, cycled to work today... All okay so far!

I am grateful every day for a healthy pregnancy that allows me to do this, and I'm very aware that it's a luxury and a privilege. It's just also nice to be able to share some of the positives!