how it all began

I wish I had started this blog sooner because then I would have been able to go into gross detail about what it feels like to be pregnant for the first time, for the first two months... Not all mums (note: I call them mums and not the endearing moms because they form part of that Hyundai Tuscon-buying brigade as soon as they find out they're pregnant - as if one child no longer fits in a Polo Player or Audi A3), I soon realised, had any clue at how bad morning sickness can get in the first trimester. When I tried to share my pain with other mums they would nod sympathetically, but with vacant expressions and empty smiles and boast: 'You know I was very lucky with (insert appropriate name). I only had one day of morning sickness. I threw up after eating a handful of grapes and thereafter, I didn't touch grapes my entire pregnancy. Shame, I can't imagine feeling like that everyday.' Sour grapes you may think - well of course it's a case of sour grapes! Why should some women suffer more than others? 

And it was everyday. And every afternoon. And every night. My only respite was when I was eating fruit and even then, eating 5-7 pieces of fruit a day I feared eating so much might just be the trigger that flips the diabetes switch. Stupid I know. 

So being 14 weeks pregnant officially signals the beginning of the honeymoon phase otherwise known as the 2nd trimester. Yay! I'm feeling like a pregnant woman now rather than an alien host. Apart from the bottomless pit which I now call my stomach, occasional headache and of course, 8pm bed time, I feel great! So what if my breasts are now an E-cup and my jeans only just button up and my last doctor (more about him later - I'm in the process of getting rid of him) told me I had put on the weight equivalent to a newborn baby at birth... I feel wonderful! I have my body and sanity back. I'm not constantly rushing off to the loo for fear of throwing up all over my laptop. I'm no longer feeling nauseous even while I'm lying on my back in a comfortable bed. The smell of white wine, cigarettes and sweat does not make me want to hurl. I don't constantly want to sleep or laze on the couch and watch DVDs. The sight of a colleague smiling and asking me 'is it safe to come in' does not make me want to commit murder...

Kanti, this is what it's supposed to feel like.