I was obsessed with a lot of stupid things when I was pregnant with my son. How stupid? See the list of things I'm no longer concerned about and judge for yourself.
My belly button - I was such a total spaz about keeping an innie that I actually would poke my belly button for several minutes each day in an attempt to keep it in. I never did pop an outie, but I can't really say if all my navel poking had anything to do with that outcome. This time around, I just don't care what happens to my belly button because suddenly sporting an outie would hardly be the worst thing I've ever experienced.
Weight gain - I really obsessed over my daily eating while I was PG with my son. I credit that attention with keeping my weight gain to a sensible 27-pounds. You know, I have totally given up any worries about weight this time around and am only eating while following my body's cues of hunger and fullness. I'm also only listening to my body when it comes to what I eat - with the exception of looking for calcium wherever I can handle it. Guess what? I've gained significantly fewer pounds at this point in pregnancy than I did before.
Stretch marks - I didn't get a single stretch mark on my body during pregnancy and that's great, but I did end up with a roadmap of stretch marks on my breasts once my boobs finished growing and breastfeeding began. Those stretch marks used to bug me, but I stopped caring about them when I realized that the only reason I had them is because my breasts grew so heavy with the milk that nourished my baby. I'm proud of what my breasts did and the stretch marks are just a souvenir of a very special time. I'm not saying that I want stretch marks from pregnancy, but I'm not particularly concerned about them either.
Hairy breasts - I don't have dog tits or anything, but sometimes I do get a few of these weird dark hairs around my areolas. I suppose it's a hormonal thing because it's not really a problem when I'm not PG. I used to be mortified by those hairs (as if I walk around topless all the time and everyone can see them or something), but find that simply plucking them out is a solution that easily works. And I guess that I don't really care about random hairs now since I just admitted to having them on a public site.
Acne - I suffered with severe acne as a teenager/young adult and it's a big deal to me when I get even a single pimple. I felt so horrible about the occasional breakout that I'd experience while pregnant that I'd have rather gained an additional 27-pounds of pregnancy weight than have another zit. I don't know if I can thank the progesterone or what, but I have a raging case of bacne right now (with a few facial pimples thrown in for god measure) and it's not that big of a deal because, let's face it, a few zits is hardly the end of the world.
Childbirth - I've previously detailed that a drug-free vaginal birth is like my personal holy grail. I felt like a failure for YEARS not achieving that outcome when I delivered my son. I changed my feelings toward my son's birth a few months ago in the wake of my failed natural miscarriage and I realize now that I just don't care how my children are born as long as they are born healthy and I am able to care for them. Cut out or pushed out, I just don't care.
Have I mellowed out because I'm older? Because I tried so hard to get pregnant? Or because it's old hat when it's the second, third, or forth time around? I don't know. I just find myself thinking about things that I feel matter more than these. You know, things like fetal heartbeats and the like.
What things did you worry about in pregnancy? Did you worry about any of these things? Did you find your concerns were lessened in subsequent pregnancies?
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