"Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy and complaining about the shadow over my feet, I'd have cherished every minute of it and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was to be my only chance in life to assist God in a miracle." ~Erma Bombeck, If I Had My Life to Live Over
Pregnancy is a beautiful thing. The Bible says that "children are a gift from the Lord," Psalm 127:3, and that's absolutely true. Ever since Russell and I started trying to conceive a child I have been praying over the process. Thankfully, God answered our prayers quickly, and within one month of us trying I became pregnant! As incredibly thankful I am to begin this journey and as excited I am to one day meet my little bundle, I am surprised by the types of pregnancy symptoms I'm experiencing. For only being about 2 weeks pregnant, I'm having some strong symptoms! I guess now would be a great opportunity to share when and how I knew I was pregnant.
I don't remember when the nausea started, I'd say a week or two before I tested positive for my pregnancy, but that was my first hint. As any pregnant woman can voucher, the nausea experienced isn't like your "normal" bout of nausea. It's a seasick-like feeling - a fleeting, fluttering nausea that sometimes goes away as quickly as it came, sometimes hovering around you like a bloated house fly, or it sends you racing to the bathroom. I haven't needed to throw up yet (yay!) but I'm not holding my breath that it will remain that way. My mother said her nausea hit her like a brick in the middle of the night, waking her from her dreams and sending her running to the bathroom. Another early symptom was my breasts. They became swollen, tender and full. Russell actually noticed the size difference before I did (is that surprising? lol) and I figured I had either gained weight (my appetite had also changed; I was always feeling hungry) or I was pregnant. I took a pregnancy test and it came up negative, so I figured the nausea must be a winter bug and the tenderness must be from gaining weight. When the week of my period came and I still hadn't seen Aunt Flo by Tuesday, December 24th, I decided it was time to take a second test. Something felt different this time. Maybe it was the fact that Russell was home, getting ready for work, while I was taking this test; or perhaps it was the peace from God that I knew this test was going to be different - but I had a settled feeling that I was pregnant when I took that test, and sure enough my eyes grew to happy saucers when I saw the wonderful "2nd red line." That day I went to the ShopRite clinic to verify the pregnancy (getting into my dr office on Christmas Eve without an appointment? Yea, right). Russell and I surprised our parents with the Pregnancy Confirmation papers in their Christmas cards after exchanging gifts on the 25th. This past Christmas was probably the best Christmas I've ever had <3. 
Since then my symptoms have grown. I'm ALWAYS tired. It doesn't matter how long I sleep that night - I'm still exhausted by noon! This isn't the type of exhaustion that goes away with a nap, sometimes a nap exacerbates the sleepiness, making me feel spacy when I wake up. Although I can have one cup of coffee a day without it effecting the baby, I still don't feel very comfortable drinking it. So if I need extra energy I normally sniff out something yummy to eat. Which leads me to my next symptoms: acid reflux and cramping. The cramping can get pretty serious, ranging from mild discomfort to feeling like I have my period (without any blood thankfully). It's normally in my thighs and abdomen. The cramping typically lasts all day. I don't know about you, but before I was pregnant I had never heard of menstrual-like cramping as a pregnancy symptom, so when the cramps continued it was a little scary because I didn't know if it was normal. My meme (paternal grandmother) said her cramps were awful and lasted through her whole pregnancy. Along with the cramping is another new experience - acid reflux. I used to be treated for acid reflux as a child, but I haven't had it for years. As gross as this is - that "burp of vomit" that is a classic sign of acid reflux has now become routine at night time when I'm lounging on the couch. I've had a few scary episodes of acid reflux after eating certain foods, where I get such terrible cramps that I have to lie down and wait until the attack is over. When the bout has passed my legs feel shaky and exhausted. This normally happens after eating really salty or fatty foods, like pretzels or cake. I'm so so grateful for this beautiful pregnancy; God has answered our prayers...and quickly! As annoying, painful or scary some of these symptoms can be - I'd rather have symptoms and be assured of a healthy, growing baby then to have none and worry that the baby's not progressing. Besides...fuller boobs are nothing to complain about =). I think the quote at the top of the page sums up how I feel: I don't want to obsess over the bothersome symptoms of pregnancy, I want to celebrate the beauty of the change! I think it's important to talk about the changes your body is experiencing, but don't get stuck there.
Here's some questions for the pregnant mamas out there: did you have symptoms early in the pregnancy? Were any of the symptoms unexpected?
congrats!
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