what they say

if you try reading about pregnancy, and all the phenomenon surrounding it, you may find a variety of surprising nuggets of information
these are some that i have found to be true:

first trimester:

• the term "morning sickness" is a twisted joke - it lasts all day
• feeling like you are going to collapse from exhaustion or throw up from...... anything (including fresh air) is bad enough - it is made worse by the fact that your pregnancy is still a secret and you feel the need to hide your misery (some of us thrive on sharing it)
• you will become very fond of eating saltines and drinking ginger ale 
• you might fall asleep mid-sentence
• your boobs get bigger

second trimester:

• you will have 50% more blood pumping through your body and can sometimes feel it...like a super hero
• your hair and skin can get dramatically nicer/healthier
• you will have to pee (and by have to i don't mean want to, but HAVE to) sometimes only five seconds after having gone. sometimes you might even wet yourself if you're not concentrating during a cough or sneeze
• a variety of things will change color and sensitivity on your body. 
• your sex drive could increase or decrease and both are said to be normal...
• your gums will bleed more regularly/easily (weird one...i guess from increased blood?)
• you will be able to feel the baby move inside of you, and it's one of the most mind-blowing things on the planet
• people will be able to tell that you are pregnant without you necessarily telling them and you might feel like part of a special club when women look and smile at you
• your boobs will get even bigger 

third trimester:

....because i am only starting the 3rd trimester now, i can't say much about it yet. but i can share a couple of things i have recently experienced or read about...


you're not supposed to lay on your back anymore...
you are so visibly pregnant that the unsolicited advice and comments about what you do and don't do increase
you also still feel like part of the special club (i got my first seat offered to me on the subway!)
you might get the urge to "nest" (in my case that and read a lot about labor)
your baby can respond to light (i haven't tried that experiment)
your baby can hear you (i have no proof but i believe it)
i am assuming your boobs just keep getting bigger...insane

while the timing of many things in my life coming up are not ideal - potentially moving, switching jobs, distancing from family etc there is also something so nice about how this pregnancy is developing right in line with the changing seasons. spring always makes me feel euphoric. this year's is making me feel especially grateful.