Usenet Writings

What's It Like: 17 Weeks

©1992 Beth Weiss, Posted to misc.kids Usenet newsgroup, February 9, 1992

I'm 17 weeks pregnant with my first child, but so far, pregnancy isn't so bad, although it's got its disadvantages

• I haven't wanted pizza since I got pregnant
• I outgrew all of my bras in the first 2 1/2 months
• I can't stand to have anything tight around my waist
• Some painful cramping (especially when I sneeze)
• I get tired more easily and have less energy
• I spend too much time in the bathroom

I don't think any of those are so bad, though.  I found a sprained ankle more restrictive than pregnancy has been so far.  Most of the time, I don't even think about it.  I do exactly what I would do if I weren't pregnant: I raked the yard today, ran some new electrical outlets.  The only difference is that I was too tired when I finished to make a "real" dinner.

I had light bleeding at 2 months--I was scared by that, but the doctor was very reassuring, explained that it was normal, and what I should do if it became more severe or red.  I must have called five times in 24 hours; and the doctor and nurses kept reassuring me; I guess they realized I needed to be told more than once.

I thought I'd be worried about other things: the baby's health, primarily.  I haven't been, yet.  Once I was assured that it wasn't an ectopic pregnancy, I quit being scared.

So far, it's not that bad.  I've known women who've had easy pregnancies; they seem to think that my being too tired to keep up with my 6:30 a.m. racquetball games is abnormal.  I've known women who've had really rough pregnancies, and they're convinced mine is as easy as they come.  So far, it seems pretty average, which I suspect most pregnancies are.

Women who've been all the way through it all say it was worth it--no matter how many of the classic pregnancy/labor problems they had.