If pregnancy was rough for you, did you go through it again anyhow?

[ourbabygirl]

(Please mark all that apply in the poll.)

What was the extent of your morning sickness or other problems during pregnancy? Did you get more or less sick with each pregnancy? How did you psyche yourself up & power through it?
If you changed 'job status' between different pregnancies, how did that affect your discomfort and level of energy? More or less sick or tired as a FT/ PT working mom, or SAHM?

Or were things too rough during your pregnancy/ies that you decided not to go through it all again?

Thanks for responding to my quirky questions & poll! :loveeyes:

[Green_Tea]

Worked full time and full time student during pregnancy #1, some morning sickness, easy pregnancy.

SAHM for pregnancy #2, threw up daily for 22 weeks, lost 12 pounds in first trimester, had no appetite whatsoever, ketones in urine at several OB visits. Horrible c-section experience. Not fun. DD1 was 11 months old when I got pregnant and still nursing.

SAHM with 2 kids under 3 for pregnancy #3. Little morning sickness. Tired in the beginning, but diagnosed with Hashimotos and felt better once I got on meds. Easy-peasy pregnancy.

I would not let 40 weeks of feeling awful keep me from a lifetime of awesome by adding another kid.

[g-mama]

I was horribly sick for all three pregnancies. Really, really sick. I threw up several times daily, was super nauseated 24/7 and had chronic headaches. The only difference was for how long the sickness lasted.

#1: 12 weeks
#2: 22 weeks
#3: 18 weeks


I worked FT during my first pregnancy and SAH for the second and third.

As awful as it was, I just felt like it was a sacrifice I was willing to make because the end result was so worth it. And, of course, each time I had hope that the next time would be different.

[WatchingThemGrow]

...and NOBODY better post those crazy words I've heard before, "Oh, I just loooove being pregnant!" :nono:

[ChristinaLucia]

...and NOBODY better post those crazy words I've heard before, "Oh, I just loooove being pregnant!" :nono:

:) - I can't believe people love being pregnant. I felt horrible and looked like an overinflated whale.

[doberbrat]

dd1 hyperemesis - threw up to the point that I was bleeding from my eyes. Ended up in hospital w/ivs. Lasted until 24 weeks. I was ft wohm but I had a great boss who didnt push me and let me work from home, take sick days etc as needed.

dd2 we were watching from the get go for HE so I was on meds very early on. But I had a new boss who was much less forgiving. So I ended up in the er several times again.

between those experiences and multiple mc, I'm done. Very grateful for the blessings I have but no wish to try for more.

[KLD313]

With both pregnancies I had morning sickness until about 14 weeks but I never threw up or anything like that. My first pregnancy was uncomfortable but my second one was 10 times worse. I was in a lot of pain the last 6 to 8 weeks. I had an antibody issue that is supposed to get worse with subsequent pregnancies. I had a c-section and tied my tubes because I never want to go through that again. Im a SAHM and have no idea how I would have worked and felt the way I did.

[AnnieW625]

I worked full time outside the home all 3 times I was pregnant.

With DD1 I felt like I was going to be sick for a week at 8 weeks pregnant, but after I got sick the first time (ate clam chowder for dinner, and Thrifty brand peanut butter cup ice cream) I just felt like I was going to get sick for a quick minute in the AM for a week, but never actually got sick. I read that eating soda crackers or a spoon of peanut butter before bed worked help with morning sickness and it worked for me.

With the baby we lost I got sick a lot more, but thankfully never at work. It was completely random when I got sick, but it was usually in the AM before work, and sometimes in the PM. It didn't matter what I ate either. This lasted most of the time I was pregnant.

With DD2 I never got sick once and honestly that was a relief because of how sick I had been with the baby we lost.

With DD1 I had placenta previa until right around 32 weeks so I couldn't walk for more than about 1/4 of a mile until the end of my pregnancy. I carried her very low from the very beginning. I had some sciatica pain as well, but ended up doing yoga two times a week or so until I delivered. I did regular workouts as well.

Other than the morning sickness with the pregnancy with baby 2 seemed really run of the mill. I had no pain and no placenta previa. There were times though I thought I couldn't feel it moving. That was a little stressful, but in the end baby 2 wasn't meant to be.

With DD2 I had horrible heartburn. I lived on Tums, and Gas X when it was really bad. I continued to exercise and went to yoga at least once a week. In the end I thought it was ironic that I had gastro intestinal issues because DD2 had reflux from pretty much day 1, until she was about 15 months old.

[hillview]

I worked full time with both pregnancies. With both pregnancies I was just NOT a happy pg person. I was exhausted all the time and physically very uncomfortable. Honestly getting PG again was not something I was excited for AT ALL. I wasn't ready physically to get pg again or emotionally BUT we struggled with IF with our first PG and DH was 45 and I was 34 when we tried to get PG with DS2 -- I knew if we wanted #2 we had to just suck it up. I would say both pg were similar in how I felt with 2 exceptions
1) I knew what to expect and how I'd feel -- good and bad
2) with pg #2 it was harder because I had DS1 who needed a mom. when I was pg with DS1 I could nap on weekends etc.

WRT work, with PG1 I worked in the office til I was about 5 months pregnant then I started working from home more and more. I then moved to working from home full time so I was working from home with PG2. I also traveled for work with both pregnancies -- trips to Germany and England as part of work. So not super comfortable!

[ncat]

I had struggled with depression through much of the 1st and all of the 2nd trimester with DD and DS. With DS, I realized that the depression was related to pregnancy/hormones and I never wanted to subject myself and my family to that again despite really wanting DC#3.

I am really hopeful that all will go well this time.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

...and NOBODY better post those crazy words I've heard before, "Oh, I just loooove being pregnant!" :nono:

:yeahthat: YES.

with DS, i was working from home on a part-time basis, so pretty flexible. I had bad morning sickness. Threw up almost every day (sometimes several times a day), from maybe week 10 to week 19. When i was 19 weeks i got a migraine so bad i couldn't stop puking and had to go to ER for meds and IV.

with DD, i was a SAHM but DS was so active (he was 6 mo when i got pregnant with him) . the morning sickness was waay worse. I puked a lot, too many times to count. It didnt' let up until about week 18. I think at 15 weeks i also ended up in ER again with migraine/nonstop vomiting. Anyway, even though morning sickness went away, i was still nursing DS and i got tons of headaches bc my body was just exhausted. DS was more active than the typical baby. at 32 weeks i remember just being so overwhelming tired. DD came at 34 weeks and despite her being a preemie in the NICU was relieved to be done.

i think if i didn't have such rotten morning sickness i'd be more eager for a 3rd.

[lhafer]

Worked outside the home full time with both pregnancies. sick as a dog for both pregnancies.

DD1 - threw up starting at 6 weeks and lasted the whole 9 months. There was a bit of a break around the 7 month mark where I felt okay. But would vomit so hard I busted blood vessels in my eyes and face. she was 7lbs 12oz.

DD2 - extreme fatigue starting at 4 weeks. Nausea and vomiting starting at 5 weeks. Lasted the entire pregnancy with no reprieve. The act of chewing food made me sick, so I just drank protein shakes and had soup the while time. Lost weight, and didn't gain any weight until my 6 month. Gained a total of 12 lbs the whole pregnancy, and about 8 of those was from water weight the last 3-4 weeks. And the baby was 8lbs 6oz.

I had severe swelling and edema with both. Being a nurse and standing for 12 hour shifts didn't help. I have 2, but never plan on being pregnant again! I won't mind adopting though.

[123LuckyMom]

I had to stop working due to sickness with my first pregnancy. I was sick during my second, too, but the real kicker in the second pregnancy was that first the baby was kinking my kidney, and I had horrible kidney stone like pain. Fortunately that lasted for only four days. Then I got a bulging disk in my back that was impinging on nerve. For months I was in varying levels of horrific pain to the point of being bedridden on meds. DD is now nearly 8 months old, and my nerve pain is now limited to my right big toe. All I have left now is muscle pain. Pregnancy is not fun. Neither is caring for a young baby. It took me three years after DS was born to feel ready to deal with another pregnancy, birth, and baby. I always knew I would have another, though, God willing. I wouldn't let the discomforts of pregnancy dissuade me from a lifetime of joy with another child. The only thing that would dissuade me is if I were told another pregnancy would be life-threatening to me. Meanwhile, I'm done, wistfully, at two.

[hellokitty]

I had hyperemesis for all of my pregnancies and it got progressively worse with each pregnancy. I worked during my first pregnancy and it was really awful. Luckily, I was the only one at work, so ppl didn't have to see me throwing up and gagging all day (occupational health nurse at a steel mill). I also had unexplained bleeding throughout the pregnancy, preterm labor at 26 wks and the n/v never let up. The irony is, only time I wasn't nauseous was during labor, lol.

I became a sahm after I had DS1, I don't know how I would have coped if I had to work full time with hyperemesis with my subsequent pregnacies. I practically lived in the bathroom, I probably would have been fired from work if I was working. It was bad with DS2's pregnancy as well, although I got a one month break from the n/v in the second trimester, but then it came back with a vengence. I also had severe back pain with DS2, probably b/c I had gotten pregnant so soon after I had DS2 (they are 18 mo apart, DS1 was a clomid baby, so we were thinking it would take another 3 yrs and multiple m/c's to get pg again, but I got pg on the first month of ttc, which was completely unexpected), that my body didn't get enough time to recover and my muscles were weak. I had to wear one of those heavy duty pregnancy back/belly braces every day in order to even walk. I also ended up getting physical therapy. The n/v meds stopped working for me at the end of my second trimester.

With DS3 (admittedly, our last try for a girl), my n/v hit me before I got a positive hpt. We weren't actively ttc, but weren't preventing either. That along with a UTI (I rarely get UTIs unless I am pregnant) made me suspect pregnancy. In fact, when I went in to get treated for the UTI and told the NP I thought I was pg, so I wanted meds that were pg safe, she had me take a HPT. It was negative, but luckily she didn't think I was crazy, b/c a wk later, my hpt finally rang positive, so I was glad that the meds I got were pg safe. I called my ob and told the nurse that I was pregnant again and having n/v and she immediately called in zofran for me, knowing my history.

Unfortunately, the zofran has a really bad side effect, TMI alert... you can get VERY bad constipation. I know that this is not the case for everyone. I have a friend who never got constipated on zofran, but for me, zofran causes severe constipation and it's not due to pregnancy, b/c I avoided zofran with my first pregnancy and never had constipation issues. It never worked that well for me. I was afraid to take as much as I really needed, due to the side effect of the zofran, so I kind of hovered in the middle. I was still nauseous and still throwing up a few times a day, but at least it wasn't as bad as it would have been w/o the meds, but then I was miserably constipated. I did not get a break from the hyperemesis with that last pregnancy and was pretty depressed too when I found out it was another boy, so I spent the last half of my pregnancy crying each day for having to go through hyperemesis again and still not getting a girl. On top of that, I had a freak incident at the end of my first tri, where I couldn't pee. I was up all night trying to pee, called the ob's office in the morning, they had me come in and do a u/s on my bladder. The u/s tech was in disbelief (I was in so much pain, that I couldn't even sit down, I stood up in the waiting room and begged the receptionist to let them know I was there and to see me asap). The u/s said that I had over 1000cc of urine in my bladder, she and my ob didn't believe it, until he straight cathed me and was like, "omg, the u/s was right!" I had 1250cc of urine, no wonder I was in pain. He sent me over to the hospital to get a foley put in, but the idiot nurses there (seriously, even student nurses know how to put in a foley), didn't fill the balloon up all the way, so the next day when I got out of bed, I realized that was leaking urine around the foley. Joy. Luckily, b/c I am a RN, I had asked the ob ahead of time if I could get a 10cc syringe, so when it was time to discontinue the foley, I could just do it at home, instead of going back to the hospital or office. So, I called and told him what happened and he agreed to let me d/c the foley and see how I did. Originally, he had told me I would probably get stuck wearing the foley for about a month and that I'd have to come in once a wk to get a new one put in. He also had me stop by and pick up some straight caths in case I needed them and also since he wanted to make sure that my bladder was properly emptying. FTR, straight cathing yourself sucks, IDK how ppl who have ms and other conditions do it, it must take a lot of practice. I had to have my DJH help me. Luckily, I did not have any other urine come out, so my bladder was emptying completely and I didn't have to try to do that again. Thank goodness, I started to pee again on my own after I d/c'd that foley. He said this is one of those freak things. They were the busiest ob practice in our area and he said he would get maybe one women every five yrs that had this problem. The baby sits on the ureter just right to pinch it off, and that's why you can't pee.

So, to say that I hate being pregnant is an understatement. I get really irritated when I hear women who gloat about how much they love being pregnant. I guess I wasn't that lucky. I got even more irritated that my mom, who had easy pregnancies kept saying, "I don't know why you are so sick, I was NEVER sick during my pregnancies." She acted like I was a freak or something for not being like her. Trust me, if you have experienced the types of pregnancies that I experienced, you would NOT like being pregnant. It sucks having all of these weird little things happen to you, and not being able to eat anything, when it's the one time in your life where you can eat w/o judgement. Dh would joke that it was a waste of $ to take me out to dinner, since I'd just throw it up an hr later, which was pretty much true.

ETA: I almost forgot. I also had to take progesterone suppositories (yes, they go up where you think that they go up) for my first two pregnancies, until I got through the first trimester. I had to drive an hr to get the suppositories for my first pregnancy since none of the pharmacies here even make suppositories. Luckily, walgreen's started was willing to do ti for me for my second pregnancy. Oddly, for DS3's pregnancy, my progesterone was actually high enough on its own that I didn't need progesterone. I had hoped that w/o the progesterone, that the n/v would be better, but it was worse.

[cookiemonster80]

I was horribly, horribly sick and fatigued with DD1- for 18 weeks- couldn't eat or drink could barely get off the couch, lost 20 pounds during that time.

I sucked it up to give DD1 a sibling- and the second pregnancy was even worse, I was on IV fluids with all of the above symptoms, but worse this time. AND I had a 20 month old needing me (who refused to watch tv at the time). and when I finally felt better, I got the most debilitating back pain and couldn't hardly move, much less walk.

The last pregnancy was enough- as much as I would like another child I know my body just can't take another pregnancy. I can't be so unavailable again to both girls as I was for DD1- it was so, so bad, and while I'm glad now I have both girls, another 9 months of torture I just can't do.

Not to mention that my teeth have also been rotting away- due to pregnancies and the poor nutrients from the limited diet I could eat during those and from the TED diet for the last 7 months.

[daisymommy]

Mornig sickness, fatigue, body aches and other pains got worse each time. Worked with pregnancy #1, SAHM with the other 3. Didn't really change anything. BUT by baby #3, my body was so bad off, no way could I have worked past the 2nd trimester.

Love me some babies! So I chose to go through it again...and each time I said I must be crazy ;)

ETA: Oh my. Now that I've read all the responses, I feel so bad for some of you gals! I was sick and tired, but not nearly as bad off as some of you mamas. Hats off to you all!

[boltfam]

Oh my. Now that I've read all the responses, I feel so bad for some of you gals! I was sick and tired, but not nearly as bad off as some of you mamas. Hats off to you all!

:yeahthat: I was working part-time with pg #1, and was a full time SAHM with pg #2 and #3. I was sick with all of them. I was by far the sickest with pg $2 (DD1). pg #3 was not as bad as #2 but I was definitely more tired and my body was much sorer.

[Cam&Clay]

Another hyperemesis sufferer here...

DS1: Worked FT with severe hyperemesis for the entire time; lost weight until 7th month; missed more than 6 weeks of work in the first few months; multiple hospital visits; gestational diabetes; preterm labor at 30 weeks; preterm birth at 35 weeks with cord wrapped multiple times around his neck and a giant knot in the cord.

Nine years later and a different DH, I was willing to do it one more time...

DS2: We were ready for the hyperemesis and had Zofran this time, which helped by keeping me from vomiting but didn't take away the nauseous feeling; horrible constipation from the Zofran; no weight gain until month 6; gestational diabetes; cyst on my cervix caused concern so had to have weekly u/s; preterm labor at 34 weeks; arrived at 38 weeks (which was awesome considering my history) with another huge knot in the cord.

So, after that I said no way to more babies. I don't do pregnancy well. The babies are wonderful, but I suck at the process.

[Simon]

I HATED being pregnant. I have an entire journal filled with all the awful parts that I wrote while pg with Ds1. The point was to convince me to never get pg again. It didn't work too well since we now have three Dc.

I still hated being pg every time. It started before the positive hpt w/Ds3. BUT, it was absolutely, totally, incredibly worth it. I adore having three kids and I'm glad I did it again.

ETA: It didn't seem to matter if I was working F/T, p/t, WAH or what. I never fully SAH.

[ZeeBaby]

I was sick through both pregnancies. Terrible nausea and vomiting through both up until delivery. With DD1 I also had syncope, I would pass out at the drop of a hat. I had to go on bedrest. No syncope with DD2, but my white blood count was low.

[karstmama]

the morning sickness was pretty do-able - as long as i ate within 60 minutes of waking up, i was fine. 61 minutes without eating - barforama.

but i'm not doing pregnancy again because of the hellp syndrome & c-section at 25 weeks and 7 1/2 months in nicu. supposedly there's a really high chance of it happening again (the number i remember is 40%) and i'm just not doing that again. not not not.

[swissair81]

My 1st pregnancy was the easiest- I was nauseous and tired during the first 14 weeks. Also my blood pressure tended to drop if I stood too long in one place, and I would literally just pass out if I wasn't careful (this was actually a problem in all my pregnancies, to the point that I have ended up under a cardiologist's care during pregnancy). I was a full time nursing student, and somehow I managed to make it through.

My 2nd pregnancy was awful. I was nauseous, tired, and vomiting for 3 months. I think I won the most ineffective parent ever award during my first tri. I had terrible problems with SPD. Oh and also I was having contractions from 31 weeks until I had DD2 at 36 weeks, so I was on house arrest for 5 weeks.

My pregnancy with DS was one of my easier ones (you know- besides for it being my 3rd pregnancy). I was fatigued, but nausea was minimal. I had SPD, but I knew how to deal with it already. My biggest challenges were outside factors- namely the 1.5 year old who kept climbing the stairs every 30 seconds, and the 5 year old who broke her leg in 3 places and needed to be carried everywhere while I was hugely pregnant.

#4- was more of a nightmare than some of the others. I was very fatigued, I started hemorrhaging at 10 weeks (I had a huge retroplacental bleed, that resolved into a large subchorionic hematoma). I spent 2 weeks on supplemental progesterone (which was somewhat nightmarish), and I didn't feel comfortable telling anyone about my pregnancy until I actually got to 24 weeks and we discovered the clot was totally gone. There was also the weeks of bedrest with 3 little kids running around, awful SPD, the threat of a premature baby hanging over my head for the entire pregnancy, and the 6 months of recovery postpartum from my sacroiliac separating during delivery.

With #5, we already knew I would have to come in as early as I knew I was pregnant. I had an u/s at 6 weeks which showed I already had a uterine bleed. I found out the next day that my progesterone was low, and I spent 6 miserable weeks on crinone supplements (oh and the prescription cost me $700). The bleed was gone at 14 weeks, after a gazillion and one ultrasounds. The fatigue lasted until nearly 20 weeks, and I could not figure out why I didn't feel better. The latter half of the pregnancy was easier than my 4th. I just had the inevitable mobility issues, the crazy kids because of our flood and apartment lifestyle, and my mother's illness to take care of. Oh, I also had low platelets that my OB made me insane about. And anemia for the last 2 pregnancies. Despite this, I am crazy enough to still want more- just maybe not yet...

[Pear]

I threw up at least once a day until I delivered at 39 weeks. Single episode days were the good days. The worst was when I told DH to take me to the hospital, but wouldn't tell him exactly why, because I needed him to hold it together until he could get me there. I lost 30 pounds while pregnant and DD was not small.

DD is an only child and will remain that way.

[amldaley]

I won't list all my health issues here, but yes, pg with DD1 was complicated and difficult. I went through it again b/c I wanted another child. I wanted another child so badly that 9 + months was a trade off for having DD2 for the rest of my life. And she was so worth it.

[elephantmeg]

I worked FT with DS and part time when I was pregnant with DD and both times was sick and tired. Threw up throughout both pregnancies. Decided not to have #3...

[citymama]

I thought the first pregnancy was rough - until I got pg with DD2. The first pregnancy was not a deterrent to getting pg again, but the second was. I remember telling DH in my first trimester that I hoped this pg went ok bc I am *never* getting pg again! I think of this every time I have baby urges. My second pregnancy was hard: I was sick, exhausted, uncomfortable, throwing up, had horrible, painful varicose veins, constant nausea, inability to eat...and I'm not going through it again. (My ugly painful veins were my party favor from the second pregnancy - the unwanted gift that never went away.) I was certainly more exhausted being 4 yrs older and tired to begin with, the second time around. And yes, I worked FT too.

WtG, add me to the list of never wanting to hear how wonderful someone feels being pregnant. Well, good for them I guess, but that's not me!

[TxCat]

I told my DH today that if he wants more children, he can have them with somebody else. I am not a good pregnant person.

[acmom]

That's so funny...that is exactly what my husband tells me every time I talk about a third. "Remember....you are not a good pregnant person!"

[jammytoast]

#1 had no issues, but #2 had such crippling sciatica, pelvic tendinitis and pelvic seperation that I could barely walk or sit or roll over starting from about 12 weeks onward. #2 was it for me.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

I told my DH today that if he wants more children, he can have them with somebody else. I am not a good pregnant person.

:yeahthat:

lol, the other day i asked DH if it were possible for men to be pregnant and carry kids, would he do it to get a third and he said yes, he totally would. ah, if only!!

seriously, i did not like being pregnant at all. like hellokitty said, it really sucked bc it is supposed to be the one time you can eat whatever you want w/ no consequence but I could barely eat because i was either retching my guts out for the first half, or in the second half i would get killer heartburn from practically everything I ate. I hated hearing other moms go on and on about how pregnancy was awesome because they could eat this and that....I just wanted to be able to eat a normal sized meal without some sort of horrible discomfort. Not a happy preggo person here.