Inspired by my own musings on the unexpected benefits of motherhood and a post on Yahoo's Life of Mom video blog about the hidden benefits of pregnancy, I've spent some time today reminiscing about all the awesome things I got to do while pregnant, but have absolutely no excuse for now. So instead of dwelling on things that once were (okay … maybe dwelling a little), I thought I'd help all the pregnant ladies out there (or those of you considering getting pregnant!) find a few ways to take full advantage before it's too late. Below are my top five secret perks of pregnancy. Be sure to try them out shame free!
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1. Frozen treats galore, whenever I wanted! One of my favorite pregnancy perks was how willing people were to make sure I was happily fed at all times. I mean, every once in a while it got annoying to always be asked what I wanted to eat or to be expected to be the first to dig in at parties, but for the most part it was awesome. It was especially so when I managed to convince my husband that I needed to have some sort of frozen treat at least once a week. Whether it was frozen yogurt or milk shakes or Coke floats, he never gave me a hard time about it–after all, the baby needed the calcium. Right?
2. Get ready for Chef Hubby. Yes, number 2 is food-related also. (Can you tell I was ravenous throughout most of my pregnancy?) Hands down, my worst first trimester symptom was exhaustion and after a long day at work followed by a long commute home, most nights I couldn't fathom standing in front of the stove to cook dinner–and I love to cook! Thankfully, my husband does too, and I got to nap for an hour every day while he whipped up a tasty meal.
3. Constant kindness … from everyone. Pregnant women make people happy and when people are happy they are kind. Whether it was stopping to let me cross the street, holding doors open for me, or letting me cut in line in the restroom, lots of people–including many strangers–went out of their way to make things a little easier for me. Though it was slightly uncomfortable early on, by the time I was in my third trimester I had learned to just go with it.
4. Massage madness. Post-baby, I feel kind of guilty asking my husband for rub downs–he works hard and needs to relax too. But when I was pregnant, I had no shame. Obviously, I was far more sore than he could ever imagine. Plus, I was carrying his firstborn, so he owed it to me.
5. I got to stop worrying about my growing body! Pregnancy is pretty much the only time in your life you won't have to worry about how bloated you'll look in that dress after you've eaten. Your days of sucking in your tummy are over, in fact, it becomes nearly impossible before you're even in your second trimester. Enjoy the freedom now because as soon as you pop that baby out, you'll be back to your old ways.
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