8 Things I’m REALLY Thinking When You Ask How I’m Feeling During Pregnancy

A woman holding her pregnant belly.

I’d bet money that the number one question pregnant women get asked on a daily basis is, “How are you feeling?” I know for certain that is true for me. And nine times out of ten my response is, “Pretty good!” {except for the last month of pregnancy in which it’s best to just not speak to me much at all as I cannot be held accountable for anything I might say}. But what I’m really thinking is probably quite a different story…

1. “I threw up once at home, once in my car on my way here, and once since I’ve been here… so not great!”

Some women don’t experience morning sickness the way others do, and I definitely had it easier than many others. But I had many a morning that looked like the one described in the snarky response above even well into my second trimester. Once my co-workers knew I was pregnant, “How are you feeling?” was usually the first thing they said to me and, even though it would have been more honest to admit that I might have lingering vomit in my hair or on my shirt somewhere, I’d politely respond with a simple, “Doing alright!”

2. “All I want in the world right now is [insert food item].”

Earlier in pregnancy, before I wanted to tell anyone that I was in the beginning stages of growing a tiny human, I had FIERCE food cravings and aversions. But sometime between lunch and the end of the work day, an intense craving would hit me as if it were my soul’s greatest desire. It could have been french fries, or cheesecake, or lemons sprinkled with salt {a favorite with my first!}, or cheddar & sour cream Ruffles potato chips. Whatever my body decided I just had to have that day, it was usually almost all I could think about.

3. “My pelvis just freaking hurts.”

Lately, this has become my daily reality and I just keep thinking about how far I still have left to go. Newsflash to anyone who doesn’t realize it :: at some point in pregnancy for many of us, everything hurts. So there are days when sleep was not my friend the night before, my very bones are groaning, and specific parts of my body ache that may elicit an awkward reaction from whomever I share that information. Like, my pelvis. All. The. Time.

4. “Kinda freaking out!!!”

When I was pregnant with my first, I hit a point when I thought, “Oh crap. This is actually happening. I’m going to be responsible for an actual human being.” Of course, we inevitably had our daughter and it turned out to come so much more naturally than I thought it would. This time around, however, I am aware of all that adding a baby to the equation entails and–as I type this–my toddler is protesting bedtime with inconsolable wails. Lord help me preserve my sanity with two children.

5. “Humongous.”

I don’t think I ever feel small during pregnancy. Even if I have people telling me I’m “tiny,” I feel like the flipping Titanic. As soon as my regular non-maternity skinny jeans stop buttoning, I have moved {in my mind} into the category of large land mammals.

6. “More tired than I have ever been while still remaining functional.”

I’m tired. Gosh, I am so tired. No one could possibly prepare you for the exhaustion you will experience being a pregnant mommy of a toddler. Just when everything seems to be taken care of and you can finally crash land on the couch for a moment, the soon-to-be-oldest-child wakes up from her nap. Soon, you just learn how to live in a perpetual state of sleep deprivation and general fatigue.

7. “Ask me after the baby comes.”

Some days, I’m just done. Done with pregnancy. Done with tired. Done with the aches and pains. And done with answering questions. Of course, of COURSE, I want my little one to stay in the oven as long as they need to bake up nice and healthy. But every so often, I get a little bit overwhelmed by it all, and I just wish I could escape. {Spoiler alert :: you can’t escape your own body–that technology hasn’t been invented yet. And, no, sleep is absolutely no help.}

8. “Not at all like myself.”

It doesn’t matter that this is [technically] my 4th pregnancy, and I have been through pregnancy all the way to childbirth once before… I feel so out of my element. My body has been hijacked and my mood is sometimes unpredictable; I look in the mirror sometimes and have to do a double-take because I look so different than how I usually picture myself. Try as I may to embrace it, the scale still seems to snicker at me when I see the numbers climbing each month. I feel the absolute opposite of attractive, and–to top it all off–I’m wearing an entirely different wardrobe than my usual rotations of favorites. I have to remind myself that I am in a season right now, and seasons always change.

Don’t doubt it for a second :: I am SO thankful to be welcoming another little to our family! But, to be honest, the 9-month journey there is not always an easy one. Some days are just harder than others, and that’s okay. I’m glad that I have people who care about me enough to ask how I’m feeling, even if the answer in my head would come off a little snarky if I actually said it out loud. I know one thing for sure, though:: once I’m holding that precious little baby in my arms for the first time, I’ll be feeling only pure bliss.


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8 Things I'm REALLY Thinking When You Ask How I'm Feeling During Pregnancy. Logo: Houston Moms blog. Houston.citymomsblog.com. A photograph of a woman holding her pregnant belly.

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Christie W
Christie is a born and raised Houstonian who hails from Cypress and now resides with her family in Katy, TX. She married her husband in 2012, after they both graduated from Texas State University. They welcomed their daughter, Emmy Faye, in 2016, and their son, Jesse, in 2019. Christie has loved story-telling--in it's many forms--from an early age, which is why she loves blogging; she doesn't spare the details about her thoughts and experiences in motherhood, trials of infertility, and the everyday ups and downs of adulthood. You can expect a lot of honesty, a healthy portion of humor, and maybe even some inspiration. When she's not spending her free-time blogging, she is songwriting, painting, practicing her calligraphy, hanging out with her family and friends, or leading worship at her church. You can read more of her musings on her personal domain, Little Blog of Hellos!

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