The Joys Of Being Pregnant For The Fourth Time....NOT

Yeah, being pregnant this time around is no picnic.  A lot of pregnancy symptoms I never experienced with my other 3 kids, I am experiencing this time with number 4.  I have had heartburn and indigestion, which is nothing nice.  It makes sleeping difficult sometimes.  I even had hemorrhoids at the beginning (well, what i think was hemorrhoids anyhow).

I am also experiencing for first time swollen feet and fingers.  Let me just say how odd this is for me.  I have never had this happen to me before.  I have heard of women complain about it. I have seen relatives with swollen that looked like sausages, but it wasn't something I could relate to, until now.  I barely recognize my feet anymore; they are so FAT! I actually have CANKLES!!!  My ankles have pretty much disappeared and my toes look like Vienna sausages, ready to be packed up and canned.  Forget about wearing heels, it's strictly flip flops and  flats from here on out (I live in flip flops anyway so that's not an issue but when going out, I prefer to wear heels... so yeah, that ain't happening until after baby A arrives).  

I also have to note that I cannot walk for long periods of time.  I love to walk but walking is so painful for me right now and contributes to my swollen feet.  I feel so much pain and pressure in my pelvic area, sometimes for no reason at all but just standing but walking makes the problem even worse.  I've also complained about the pain in the sciatic area and my lower back.  There are days I don't feel the pain as much and I actually feel slightly normal.  But then there are days where the pain gets to be so unbearable, it's all I can do not to cry .  I feel like an 80 year old woman; limping, barely able to walk and having so much pain just to get up from a sitting position.

My wedding rings, which I only wear when I go out, are getting pretty snug.  They still fit but I can see how so many pregnant women have to stop wearing their rings due to pregnancy.

My body is tired.  It's difficult to sleep most nights and so I am usually exhausted during the day.  I think if I had actually planned this pregnancy, I would be regretting my decision at this point.  But seeing as this is our surprise (a nice packaged up belated wedding present... our honeymoon baby), I am trying to enjoy this last pregnancy as much as I can despite all the pain.  I have to say at least, my morning sickness is a thing of the past.

One last thing that bothers me about being pregnant this time is how much my body has drastically changed.  I am HUGE!  I am nervous that this baby might be much bigger than my other kids just because of the way I am carrying.  I feel heavy and my belly looks as if I just swallowed a basketball.  It doesn't help that my body has pretty much morphed into what looks like the body of a whale (or elephant).  But again, I am trying not to let that bother me.  I figure I lost the weight once so I can do it again, although this time I know it might take some more time.

I look forward to having a baby though... I think maybe deep in the recesses of my mind, I was wanting another baby to fill the space that my last child has since abandoned now that he's getting older.  I was meant to be the mother of 4, maybe this is my destiny.  I now look at this as a blessing and not a curse, babies are hard work but they also bring so much joy.  My body is exhausted and I now know for a fact that I cannot handle another pregnancy.  But I am thankful for the opportunity to be pregnant this final time and to be able to bring another life into this world.