Pleasant pregnancy surprises

[VerityClinch]

Following on from yesterday's thread about all the gross things no-one tells you about pregnancy, I thought it was time for some balance...

So what have been the things in pregnancy you have been most pleasantly surprised about?

For me, it's the fact that my forehead wrinkles have pretty much vanished, thanks either to the collagen thing going on (or maybe plain old water retention)

HA! Andi-deep-set-wrinkles-McDowell, put THAT in your pipe and smoke it.

The rest of me looks like cr@p, btw, but my forehead is beautiful.

The best thing is feeling the baby move but another benefit has been a disappearance of the irritable bowel syndrome I have suffered with for years.

Pregnancy seems to have a metabolism balancing/appetite regulating effect on me. I was 16 stones when I fell pregnant with DS1 and 2 weeks after the birth I was 14 stones. No dieting, not trying, just craving healthier food and naturally less inclined to snack on junk. DS1 was 8lb 1oz.

Same happened with DS2 and I started of about the same weight (yes put it all back on) and 2 weeks after the birth I was 13 stones 12lb. DS2 was also 8lb 1oz.

I put all the weight back on again..and some more sadly

I also craved fish when pg with DS1 having never liked if before and I still like it now which is nice.

Not having to wash hair every day
DH being ultra-sweet and texting me calling me his "preggy" all the time
Eating what I like
Not holding tummy in
Feeling baby moving
Walking around slowly instead of rushing everywhere, never tried this before and you get a whole different perspective!

Finding it extremely easy to give up smoking - and drinking too, no struggle at all.

Ready-made excuse to duck out of any event I didn't fancy

Feeling baby move, and watching DH feeling baby move probably more so.

Being able to browse baby clothes sections for real!

Wearing BIG knickers without any shame

DH/everyone being lovely

Not having to empty cat tray/pack shopping at checkout/lift anything heavier than my handbag!

Higher sex drive

Bump looked cute!

Eating what I fancied "It's not me who wants it, it's the Bay-bay"

great thread! agree with filofax... i love the fact i now have nails (fingernails that is). amazing how they are so strong and long thanks to being pregnant. i've never had nails as i've always bitten them and therefore they were weak and brittle.

• Strangely enough, my varicose vein (singular) went away!

• I really liked the look of my bump (but that feeling did diminish somewhat. towards the end of the pregnancy).

• people just being generally lovely about it and wanting to talk about it with me.

I never had cravings exactly but in this time of plenty in which we live I find I am rarely ravenously hungry most of the time . . . therefore I have good memories of that absolute desperation for food, and the relief at sitting down to a good plateful.

I remember being on holiday and dragging the whole family into a cafe for a proper lunch as I was so frantic to eat. DH was doing all the "do you want tomato sauce, DS? Shall I cut that up for you, DD?" and I was oblivious, knife and fork a blur, ingesting my wonderful, delicious, life-saving (it felt like) fish and chips. I can still taste them.

not having to hold my stomach in for 9 months!

at 22 weeks so far:
Warm buzz knowing our baby is growing in me
The biggest most satisfying sneezes
Not minding that my libido has shrunk to nothing
Feeling even more laid back than usual
Feeling the baby moving
Family, friends and colleagues excitement as my bump grows
Excitement at the changes coming up
Sharing all this with my oh

• having had migraines about twice a month most of my adult life, the amazing discovery that being pregnant completely cures them (sadly, they came back afterwards..)
• the blissed-out feeling - it was like i was on prozac for most of it: always happy, relaxed, nothing gets to you. I LOVED being pregnant.
• dh crying when we first saw the baby on the scan - it was such an emotional time and really brought us together. it sort of made sense of what our relationship was for
• being spoilt rotten by absolutely everyone and getting loads of attention
• strangers smiling at you and talking to you
• eating doughnuts solidly for weeks on end
• and yes great skin, strong fingernails, boobs for the first time in my life
• it changed my relationship with my sister (who already had kids) and my mum, we shared a lot more things and talked a lot more than usual
• discovering that a lot of the pregnancy bonuses continue after the baby's born as long as you're still bfeeding (the migraine-free thing, a lot of the relaxedness)
• the most astonishingly erotic dreams! (which is the bit that's interesting me now - we are ttc and while it's too early to tell by testing i have just had three days of the most lurid dreams - i have a funny feeling something's up!)

eating cakes without people saying oh you not dieting.

Finding out (for the very first time) 18 days before my sons were born (at 38 weeks) that I was having TWINS!!! OMG OMG OMG! - This was right at the end of December,1981. My first 'baby!!!' Routine scans were not done then. I felt so poorly, so tired, so heavy, etc etc etc. Blood pressure up the spout. Dragged into hospital. First time Mum. X ray done....then the words 'CAN YOU TAKE A JOKE?' 'YOU ARE HAVING TWINS!!!'

There is nothing more wonderful on this Earth than being a Mummy!