Life
Between my three pregnancies I have been pregnant during every month of the year, sometimes twice. To be honest, while being pregnant pretty much sucks all year long, being pregnant in January is the freakin' worst.
From missing out on champagne toasts and great deals on tropical vacations and gym memberships, to having to dress in a million layers to survive in a place where the air freezes my face and looking like a whale on ice skates whilst trying to avoid slipping and falling on the ice; there's nothing even remotely appealing about being pregnant in the cold, cruel month of January.
For me, the first year of the month is a time of reflection and renewal. A time for looking back at 2016 and making plans for the coming year. Looking back on the last year, I'm honestly trying not to cry, and as someone whose life is about to change dramatically, it's harder than heck to make any freakin' plans for the next year. Should we plan a vacation for 2017? Hell if I know. Will the baby be healthy enough to travel? Will they be good at traveling in the car or plane or will I spend any road trip sitting in the back seat pleading with them to stop crying. Will I feel like it? Or will I end up spending the trip trapped in a hotel room with a baby or breast pump?
Should I plan to run any races? I have no idea how long it will take me to recover after childbirth, let alone train for a half-marathon. It's too bad that almost all of the races I like running have registration deadlines in January. Do I put my money (literally) on a day and take the chance that I may spend money on a race I won't be able to run? Probably not, honestly. So, yeah; I have more than a few reasons why being pregnant in January sucks, including the following:
New Year's Eve
While all of my friends were drinking champagne, attending parties, and watching the ball drop, I was puking, falling asleep after dinner, and getting annoyed by fireworks waking me up at midnight. Ugh.
Resolutions And Goal Setting Seem Impossible
While I typically don't get involved in the "normal" practice of setting resolutions for the new year (or the "normal" anything for that matter), I am a planner. Expecting a baby in a few weeks means that I had better not make any plans, at least not any plans that I intend on keeping. Babies have a way of changing the best-laid plans. I have no freaking clue what will happen in 2017.
I'm Starting The New Year At My Highest Weight Ever
I am not a vain person, but as an eating disorder survivor it's so hard to start the new year at my highest weight ever. It seems like everywhere I turn an advertisement or celebrity reminds me that I should want to lose weight and be my "best self." Being pressured to set weight loss goals, while pregnant is so gross. I'm trying hard to focus instead on continuing to grow a tiny human in my body.
This Time Of Year Sucks Anyway
As someone with Seasonal Affective Disorder, I pretty much think January is the worst month ever. The excitement of the holidays is over, it's cold and dark all of the time, and I feel trapped in my house trying to stay warm. Add to that the aches, pains, and worries of pregnancy, and life seems pretty bleak.
It's So Cold
Why do I live somewhere where the air hurts my face? Where I have to worry about having the baby at home or on the side of a snowy highway, due to crappy weather?
Of course, when you ask those questions you inevitably start dreaming about the alternative. It turns out that dreaming about moving to Hawaii seems impossible when you are pregnant. How could we afford it? How hard would it be to move with a newborn? Even daydreaming about beach houses becomes no fun when you're pregnant.
My Insurance Deductible Started Over
Just when I was getting close to meeting my deductible, the freaking thing started over again. Having a baby is expensive. Having a baby right after the first of the new year is that much more expensive. On the bright side, I suppose that means we wouldn't be able to afford a vacation this year, anyway.
Dressing In Layers
My body temperature fluctuates rapidly. One minute I'm cold, the next I am sweating through my shorts. I have to wear many layers to stay warm outside, and then have to remove them all at my weekly OB-GYN appointment, only to put them all back on again 15 minutes later. Grrrr.
My Kids Are Home On School Break
I am so tired. The house is so loud and messy and then, blessedly, they go back to school, Hurray. But, just when I, and they all get used to the school routine again, one of them gets sick, and then there's another freaking school break, and then parent/teacher conferences. So much for routine. Or some damn quiet.
I'm An Emotional Mess About The Inauguration
I am really trying to hold my shit together about Inauguration Day (doesn't that sound like the title of a horror film?). It would be bad enough considering the next four years of doom and watching Obama's farewell speech without pregnancy hormones.
I Can't Go To Washington For The Women's March
I would really love to go to Washington this month and join millions of women and allies in a demonstration of feminism, solidarity, and protest, but, a) My OB-GYN won't let me travel and, b) I would probably end up having the baby on the Capitol steps, which sounds way cooler than it would be in reality. So, instead, I will watch online and pout, while history is made and a new movement is born. I will have to settle for watching the newest member of our family be born, which will probably be just as amazing.
