A shout out to teen moms! What it is really like to be pregnant

One of the first things that went through my head when I found out I was pregnant, besides "Oh no!, what is my mom going to think?" was "great, I'm going to get fat." 

Some people say that pregnancy is such a beautiful thing. I believe the fact that a little person growing inside of you is beautiful, but the many changes a woman's body endures are not.

Here are some things I learned about what it is like to be pregnant and some lessons for what you might learn about your body during pregnancy

 Lesson 1: Babies love pickles.

For the first 4 ½ maybe 5 months of pregnancy the baby is still so small that a little “baby bump” is all people see. It is hard to differ between an actual baby inside of you and a little tummy fat. Also, the baby needs food! Being pregnant made my appetite increase a lot! Women often find themselves eating very strange things that they never liked before just because the baby needs the protein or iron or whatever is in the food. For me, it was fruit and random vegetables with sugar. It wasn’t normal pairs though like strawberries and chocolate. I put whip cream on every fruit and veggie I saw in my house. My favorite was whip cream and pickles. It’s not just a rumor that pregnant woman cave pickles because I did too!

Lesson 2: Must love TUMS

Some common pregnancy symptoms that I had and did not enjoy were morning sickness and heart burn. These were not fun! I would feel completely fine and then out of nowhere get an upset feeling in my stomach and be rushing to the bathroom to vomit. No matter what I ate, spicy or not I would get heart burn. I even started carrying around a bottle of TUMS.

Lesson 3: Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it can

Later on in pregnancy the weight of the baby really starts to take a toll on your body. Your back arches like a Pringle and aches all the time because it is trying to help support the weight of the baby. Your hips start to shift and become wider. Also, if the baby is carried high, there is a greater chance of your ribs getting kicked, pushed, and even bruised. During the end a woman’s body has already gone through so much, she is uncomfortable because having a large belly makes it hard to do pretty much everything even sleep, and she is just ready for the baby to come out!

Lesson 4: It’s all worth it

And then there is child birth. I am not even going to get into the horrifying details of that because I think you all can imagine how terrible it can be. In the end though, seeing my baby made it all worth it, because a mother’s love for her child is unlike any other love out there.

For all of the other young moms out there: here are some tips or resources for going through the long process of pregnancy: list 5 tips or resources 

1. Get TUMS 
2. Paint your toe nails before you get too big or you won’t be able to reach them 
3. Take relaxing bubble baths if you’re feeling uncomfortable  
4. Give into the crazy cravings or they get worse!
5. Call Teen Link if you ever want someone to talk to or support you. Teen Link is a confidential and anonymous helpline for teens answered by teens. Once you have your baby it takes up a lot of your time/all of your time, sleep, and energy, so it is nice to be able to call somewhere and actually talk to another person who will really listen. To call Teen Link dial 1866-833-6546 or you can also use the online chat by visiting the Teen Link website www.866teenlink.org.