When she found out I was pregnant, my very sweet friend Erika gave me something called the Pregnancy Countdown Book. It gives you all these little tips and information for each day of your pregnancy and counts down how many days you have left. This book refers to pregnancy as "Pregnancy Land." Lately this seems like an appropriate reference, since every day of my life feels like a trip to a foreign country where I don't speak the language. A few examples:
One of the newest and strangest pregnancy symptoms I've developed is that I have the weirdest dreams of my life almost every night. They're very vivid, and while they're not necessarily bad, many of them are stressful in that weird way where you're constantly trying to tell people something very important and they don't understand you. Then I wake up and think about it for a while before going back to sleep and having another bizarre dream.
Speaking of sleep, I have been dutifully trying to do what all the pregnancy books say is the best thing for the baby's circulation and sleep on my left side. Of course, as all the books say, the worst way to sleep is on your back because it constricts circulation. So how do I keep waking up, for the first time in my whole life? On my back! I don't even like to sleep on my back, so I think it's purely psychological. The What to Expect people would not be impressed.
Meanwhile, I'm starting to wonder about this alleged "glow" that pregnant women get. Frankly, I think it's a lie. I don't feel "glowing." At all. It probably didn't help that for the last week, I have spent at least a half hour every morning trying to assemble some sort of outfit for work that featured pants I could still button and a shirt that at least sort of matched. So this weekend, tired of feeling unattractive and uncomfortable, I finally bought some maternity pants for work. With the critical need taken care of, Dan and I decided to drop by an official maternity clothing store where they have the strap-on pregnant stomach decoys and everything. Even that was kind of overwhelming because I couldn't figure out which way was up on the fake tummy, which made me feel like I was being outsmarted by a pillow with two velcro straps attached to it. Also, everything I tried on seemed enormous, but I know that it will actually fit sometime in the next five months. That is kind of frightening. I didn't buy anything and I left feeling freaked out.
But then on Sunday night, something happened that made all the weirdness of Pregnancy Land worth it. I felt the baby move! Dan and I were sitting on the couch watching TV, and all the sudden it was like there was a little ping pong ball rolling around in there. It was the strangest thing I've ever felt in my life. Since then, it's happened a couple more times, and it makes me so happy because it reminds me that even though I am pretty much clumsily stumbling my way through this pregnancy like the amateur that I am, I still get a baby out of it like everyone else. Most importantly, that's our baby in there spinning around. And that's just the coolest thing ever.
Off to bed now. Time to visit Pregnant Dream Land and see what's in store.
Comments (10)
Another good friend of mine experienced bizarre pregnancy dreams as well. Towards the end of her pregnancy, just when she was starting to get anxious about meeting baby #1, she dreamed that she left her baby in a grocery cart in the store -- not in a carseat or anything, just splayed out on the metal grid of the cart. The problem was she was terrified it would REALLY happen.
Turns out, she's a great mom. No worries! : )
Posted by RT | April 3, 2007 9:12 AM
Posted on April 3, 2007 09:12
i've been having vivid dreams too! maybe I'm pregnant?
Posted by chriscarr | April 3, 2007 9:24 AM
Posted on April 3, 2007 09:24
CONGRATULATIONS on feeling the baby move! That is such a wonderful and exciting feeling, not to mention reassuring. It won't be much longer now before you'll be posting, "Is there a jungle gym in my uterus or something? Whenever I lie down to sleep my baby suddenly thinks it's non-stop party time!"
I could write a book full of crazy pregnancy dreams I've had. Hey, maybe that's not such a bad idea...it could be a compilation of pregnancy dreams from many women...yes...so when a pregnant woman can't get any sleep she can read the book to remember what she's missing. It's gotta be the next best thing, right?
Posted by Jennifer | April 3, 2007 2:43 PM
Posted on April 3, 2007 14:43
Haley, I read this site all the time and love getting to keep up with you and your family. I am 37 weeks pregnant and so ready to meet the little one. Congratulations to you and Dan. Check out our blog sometime. www.michaelandcrissie.blogspot.com
Posted by Crissie Cook Parker | April 3, 2007 7:34 PM
Posted on April 3, 2007 19:34
recently, spurred by the seemingly constant and increasingly large movements of the baby in my belly, I composed a little tune: (to be sung fast in an aggressive/cute/angsty scream a la pop punk)
"I am pregnant
and my spleen
is a trampoline
yeah yeah
yeah yeah yeah!"
Posted by Leigh | April 4, 2007 10:12 AM
Posted on April 4, 2007 10:12
Congratulations Haley & Dan. Needless to I haven't read your site lately. Things have been entire too hectic. I had lunch with your dad (my Cutest brother) on Monday and he gave me the good news. I am so happy for ya'll. Wait is ya'll spoken there?
Posted by Aunt Barb | April 4, 2007 12:14 PM
Posted on April 4, 2007 12:14
I have sometimes wondered if the "glowing" statement for pregnancy isn't similar to the "glistening" one for sweating.
I haven't figured out what "glowing" would be euphemistic for though.
Posted by Joshua | April 4, 2007 10:30 PM
Posted on April 4, 2007 22:30
I so feel this post! Especially the waking-on-my-back panics and the what-on-earth-can-I-wear-to-work syndrome. You're not alone...
Posted by Mrs. J | April 5, 2007 9:14 AM
Posted on April 5, 2007 09:14
Haley,
Having gone through this very recently it is quite humerous to hear your take on things. I felt the same way after my first, second and third trips to the maternity stores. By the time all was said and done I opted for large women's clothing and found that wasn't as stressful. Strange dreams were a constant all the way through my pregnancy as well and now I wake Mondo up regularly because I think he's Matthew and I'm trying to save him from whatever is plaguing me in my dreams. Feeling the baby move is the greatest thing in the world and it gets even better when you can lay in bed and watch your stomach move. It's a bit surreal, but unbelievably cool because you know it's your baby in there. I'm so happy for you and Dan and hope I get to see your pregnant self soon. :-)
Posted by Gwyn | April 5, 2007 5:29 PM
Posted on April 5, 2007 17:29
CONGRATS!! That is very exciting!!! I have the weirdest dreams anyway, but they are worse when I'm expecting! Feeling the baby move is the coolest thing and the only thing I miss about pregnancy.
Posted by The Haas' | April 6, 2007 9:59 AM
Posted on April 6, 2007 09:59