I like to think I’m a pretty positive person. Okay, I may not be the most positive pregnant person but generally speaking I try to always look on the bright side of life. Even through the knocks I’ve taken during this pregnancy i’ve tried my utmost to see the silver lining and deep down I know that it’s all going to be worth it. And I always count my blessings, knowing that so many women have it so much harder than I do. The fact alone that I have been  able to carry three babies full term is a blessing on its own.

But for the sake of honesty and and keeping things real I will say that I’m I’m 100 percent over this pregnancy in every way possible. Some women like to tell me things like ” Rather in than out! When they come out you won’t be getting any sleep” – like I haven’t had two newborns before! But you see that’s not my reality. My reality is that I’m not getting any sleep and feeling so sore all the time that there’s no ways that statement can be true in my own situation. Also, I’m really dying to meet her now so why would I want her inside for longer than she needs to be?

What is my reality is this ; Carrying this little girl has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to endure physically in my whole life. This third pregnancy had brought with it a bout of really tough challenges and although I know with all my heat that its all going to be worth it in the end, i still feel I, and all the women who have had to endure tough pregnancies are entitled to feeling the way they do: frustrated and exhausted. Impatient and just generally over it!!!

If i have to think about my time being pregnant as a whole i’ve been very blessed to have endured a relatively safe and smooth one – no high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, premature birth or anything serious that has put my baby at high risk. But I’ve endured my fair share of discomfort and frustration.

And so for the sake of keeping it real around these parts I thought I would write a list of all the things I’ve had to face. If not for sheer and utter sympathy from all of you, then as a reminder of just how much we go through as moms. And who knows, maybe I can even use this post to rub in my little girl’s face one day when she starts to give me grief. And we all know that day is coming.

  1. Exhaustion beyond all reason – It’s a tiredness you cant explain. My body would literally go into shut-down and I would fell a heaviness one the front of my head and over my eyes. Not even sleep was enough to cure it.
  2. Morning sickness that lasted 16 weeks – i don’t know what’s worse: feeling so sick and not being able to vomit or actually getting it all out. Nothing could really prepare me for third pregnancy nausea.
  3. A bad head cold at 10 weeks pregnant while on holiday – this on TOP of morning sickness was a real treat i tell ya!
  4. Migraines and another bout of exhaustion – Migraines that I would wake up with and endure the whole day, sometimes waking up with them for second day in row.
  5. A stint in hospital with a bad infection. You can read more about that here, but basically my entire body took a knock with my white blood count (which should be under 5) reaching a lovely 260 on day three.
  6. Round ligament pain/cramps. Any third time mum will know this too well – its feels like a calf cramp in your groin/lower tummy area and theres nothing you can do but breath your way through it. Mine lasted up to 2 minutes at a time and every time i would use them as practice for dealing with contractions. And then of course the back pain that hits at 30 weeks!! OUCH!!!!
  7. Another stint in hospital at 34 weeks with pre-term contractions and dilation. A three night stay in hospital to stop contractions and receive steroid shots daily to boost my baby’s lungs proved to be yet another challenging time away from my kids.
  8. An iron infusion – Early on in my pregnancy a blood test showed i was highly anaemic. and despite my best efforts of eating red meat, taking Ferramed tablets and liquid iron I ended up having to have an iron infusion. Its normally quite a straight-forward process but after 4 horrible attempts of getting a needing into  my hands, the anaesthetist had to be called to put it my arm. On a good note, I felt like Iron Woman afterwards and my headaches seemed to subside. Also my Petrol cravings (yes that’s right!!) seemed to fade after 2-3 weeks, proving that my lack of iron was clearly to blame.
  9. Two broken teeth. Like this baby sapping all my iron wasn’t enough. No, she wanted all my calcium too!! Two broken teeth three weeks apart has resulted in two dentist visits. One I handled like a champ, the other, not so much. Whether it was the fact that the dentist i was refereed to (mine was on leave!) was young enough to my niece or the fact that lying in that position was stopping the oxygen flow to my heart, i began feeling sick after the injection and thought i was going to faint. I got hot and sweaty and felt the walls closing in on me. Once again, i sat there thinking, “Oh God what now?”
  10. And of course my all time favourite at the very top of the list : Heartburn. Now I’m not talking ordinary heartburn here guys – for the sake of transparency I’m going to say it for what it is: The inability to sleep at night without the feeling of acid rising up through my throat. The amount of times I’ve thrown up or woken up choking on my own vomit, is enough to put you off more babies. I’ve made Gavascon a billion-dollar company over night and sent many a nights wondering whether I should have ownership rights or at the very least invested in the company who makes the stuff. Between Gaviscon, Rennies and Rennihexal tablets, I think it’s safe to say I’ve spent half of our daughter’s University fund. And she better not have the nerve to complain about it either.

So yup guys that pretty much sums it up. Not all peaches and cream right? Can anyone top this list?? What are some of the challenges you have had to face? On a side note, I saw my doctor yesterday who said it could be any day now!!! EEEEK!!!

Hi I’m Leigh! Did you enjoy reading this post? I really hope so and would love you to stick around a little longer! Please feel free to browse my blog for other articles or to keep up with all the latest news and to be the first to hear about some great competitions, come and find me me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also email me directly at leeloobaggins@hotmail.com or simply subscribe below and never worry about missing out!