What's it like to be pregnant?

Question

I always envy pregnant women because I hope to have a baby of my own someday. I've always wanted to know what it was like to be pregnant. And what's it like to actually give birth?

Answer 1

Theres ups and downs to pregnancy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything! Its wonderful to feel your child moving inside of you, to know that your giving someone life. Birthing them hurts, I won't lie, and you'll be uncomfortable during pregnancy alot, but its all worth it!

Answer 2

I've heard from many, many people that being pregnant is different for everyone. Being pregnant for me was kind of weird at first. It seemed that everyone else knew that I was pregnant before I did. They saw all of the signs. I slept a lot more than usual. I was SUPER moody, and anything could set me off, which was very unusual for me. Once I found out for sure that I was pregnant, I was terrified, not because I didn't want a baby, but because I had always been afraid of actually giving birth.

I had sickness (morning/noon/night) for the entire nine months. It was pretty bad, but the first time I felt those little flutters from my little girl, I knew it was all worth it.

Thankfully, nausea was my biggest complication during the pregnancy. I realize that I was very lucky. Labor wasn't nearly as bad as I had always envisioned. Aside from the obvious, I think the worst part about giving birth was that after a while, you realize that you should just give up on trying to be modest, because EVERYBODY in the room has a full view of your business.

Hope this helps.

Good luck to you! :)

Answer 3

Keep in mind, I didn't have epidurals with my kids, so other women might describe their experiences differently. My kids are 2 and 4, so I still remember their births clearly.

Giving birth is painful, I'm sorry to say, but that's the truth. The contractions that cause cervical dilation are described differently by every woman, but I think it's a universal truth that the abdomen gets very tight. I noticed that the contractions for my second baby were way worse than for the first, and I'm not the only mom to feel that way. Walking and focusing on the lamaze breathing helps make this pain bearable.

The OTHER contractions, the ones that make you want to push the baby out after you're dilated, those are...well, the best way to describe it is to say that it's like taking the biggest dump of your life. I wish I could find a nicer way to put it, but that's pretty much what it feels like to push. And when that feeling comes, it gets so strong that NOT pushing is like holding your breath too long: eventually you just have to give in to it and do what your body is telling you. Some women have to push for a few hours, and others push the baby out in a few minutes. It can even vary for the same woman. My first baby took an hour to push (she came out with her fist next to her head and caused me second degree tearing), but two years later my second baby was out in seven minutes. I remember my doctor and midwife told me to stop pushing while the second baby's head was halfway out. They were trying to stretch my skin so that I didn't develop a tear. Thank heavens I listened.

The GOOD news is (yes, I promise, there's good news) once you are done with the birthing, most of the pain goes away. You'll still experience some pain, because your uterus has to contract back to a normal size. As long as you didn't have any vaginal tearing or incisions, though, you should start to feel much better within a couple of days.

Answer 4

Oh god I can write you a book! I loved being pregnant both times and I can't wait to be pregnant again. It is the most amazing thing God could have ever gave a women. And it all depends on you...there is morning sickness in the beginning and sometimes i hear cases were it was all the time...omg false contractions...we can be here for hours..but labor and delivery i loved it so much and with pain medsno days you won't feel a thing..lol t's a breeze and if you did have any pain or what not you'll soon forget everything once your holding your baby in your arms..

Answer 5

Yep it is great and totally worth it....in the end.

Early pregnancy is hard. You are sick, unbelievably tired, and you are stressed about miscarriage.

The middle is pretty good. You can feel the baby move an realize what the 1st trimester was for....

The third trimester you are huge, irratable, and sore. You can't sleep because the baby likes to do somersaults while you are still.

Labor is horrible! Seriously. It hurts. Bad. LOL. Just being honest....I had a bad 1st expereince and an emergency c-section so it ended a little bad for me. the second one was a planned c-section and it was much better.

No matter what your experience.....nothing can compare to the feeling you get when you look down at your baby and realize he has your nose or she has her daddy's eyes. Knowing that you created a human being and you get to raise him/her is awesome. Kids make life fun and interesting.

Pregnancy and childbirth......can be trying but those kids are worth it.

Answer 6

Every pregnancy is different. Get the book What To Expect When You Are Expecting. That will answer all your questions and more.
BTW-I enjoyed pregnancy up until the last timester. My labors were the hardest and most painful experiences of my life but also the most rewarding. If I imagine a time when I felt the happiest and a time when I felt the most emotional and put them together it still would not come close to giving birth.

Answer 7

it's different for every person. my pregnancy was absolutely lovely. i was singing and dancing right up until the last 2 weeks. however i know others who had a rough time and were on bed rest, etc.
giving birth was a scary thing for me. labor was fine once i had an epidural, but pushing that kid out was awful and something i'm not looking forward to doing again.

there's really no way to describe the sensations and feelings of being pregnant. it's so unique. hopefully you will experience it one day.

Answer 8

It's very scary at first..lots of headaches or vomiting. Then it gets ok..slightly tired but really exciting, then it gets old..you feel huge and very tired and nervous but extremely exciting. Labor is really painful before you deliver unless you take the quick route. It took me 35 min from my first contraction to holding my baby. It went by very quickly and I didn't have much time to be scared. It didn't really hurt and when it was all over..I didn't care what I felt like..I had my baby girl!

Answer 9

I loved it until we started having problems at 24 weeks. It is still the best thing I have ever done, but I would be pleased if it was just a little less difficult.

Answer 10

absolutely indescribable. I think I was in a state of semi consciousness because time seemed to stand still. Part of that was because of the pain and exhaustion...and I will always remember my last push... I didn't want to push her out... I still wanted her inside me for a few more seconds...didn't want to let her go yet!