Pitusa Mama on Pregnancy

Clara in the Pima Abaya[/caption]

How I found out I was pregnant

Since I can remember, I have worried about not being able to get pregnant. When we first started trying, we were just looking at the period calendar but not trying very actively. One month we decided to give it a go by looking at the ovulation tracker and being more active on the days marked in green and with the flower 🌸 symbol. I thought it was so unlikely that I could have gotten pregnant and had almost convinced myself it was time to see a specialist.

When I began having pregnancy symptoms, I was convinced there was something else wrong with me! We were in Spain 🇪🇸 at the time, so I went to the doctor there and told him my symptoms, and we decided to check that I wasn’t pregnant before I took any medication. I took a blood test 💉 and was not the least bit surprised when the results came back negative. From Spain, we went to London 🇬🇧 and knowing I wasn’t pregnant I went to town on boozed-filled lunches and going out at night. Luckily, I did not take the medication I had been prescribed and decided to go back to the doctor for a full check-up when I returned to the States. 🇺🇸

All the while it felt as though my period was coming as my boobs were swollen and my stomach bloated. When we got back to my Miami, I realized that my legs were more swollen than normal and I figured it was due to the lack of exercise. I started going to the gym like a maniac 🏃🏽‍♀️. My period still did not come. By the 5th day of my period being late, I decided to just take a test for the fun of it since I had purchased several cheap ones in the UK at 4 for £3 (whereas in America they are like $20 a test, so I was hesitant to use my American supply of tests!). I realized once I had taken the test that I had thrown away the instructions so I went rummaging through our trash! By the time I found them and could match the results, two very faint lines were showing, indicating that I was pregnant! I couldn’t believe it, I thought something was off, so I whipped out one of my high-tech American tests and as soon as I took the test, I could see the oval instantly turning 🔵 blue. I couldn’t believe that I was finally taking a test that showed “pregnant”! I thought this day would never come. I was immediately greeted with guilt for all the drinking I had done not knowing I was pregnant. I felt like flying back to Spain to murder the doctor who had done the blood test! I guess the moral of my story is that a blood test for pregnancy will not show a positive instantly. It takes 7-12 days – something I never knew.

So my advice to women who worry about not being able to get pregnant, don’t worry until you start actively trying for several months! It is a waste of energy. A good rule of thumb is if you get your period each month you are probably ok.

 

Dressed in the Tribal Kaftan

 

So how has pregnancy been for me?

Well, I thought I would summarize by listing the pros and cons. For the first 3 months, it was terrible as I really suffered from morning sickness, but from that point on I was okay. There are lots of side effects to pregnancy that no one had told me about – I guess because for every woman it varies. These are the side effects that I’ve had:

CONS:

    • Morning Sickness / Nausea 

 

    • Depression 

 

    • Anxiety

 

    • Paranoia

 

    • Mood swings

 

    • Bad gas! *Side note: No one told me about HOW BAD YOUR GAS IS WHEN PREGNANT! So I am giving you this warning. Be warned and let your partners be warned that it’s bad!

 

    • Constipation

 

    • Swollen legs and feet

 

    • Darkening on my face (under eyes and upper lip)

 

    • Insomnia

 

  • Constant fear of the food you are consuming 😟*Side note:I expected one of the benefits of being pregnant was being to eat all that I desired without any concern of weight gain. I was having daily chocolate 🍫 and “homemade” lemonade until I was told I was borderline of having gestational diabetes, so I had to cut out all sugars from my diet. So it’s definitely not true that you can just eat whatever you want. You actually have to be healthier than you ever have been and have a diet focused on protein + vegetables, which SUCKS (for me)!

One thing I also did not know is that pregnancy is more like 10 months, not 9 months. So why we always say 9 months is beyond me, as it is really 10. They calculate 40 weeks from last period. Obviously, you are not pregnant right after your period, so remove two weeks from that and you get 38 weeks. But babies are normally 1-2 weeks late so you are closer to 39-40 weeks – again, closer to 10 months! So get the 9 months out of your head! It’s 10 months, 2 months short of a year!!!

PROS:

    • Of course, the biggest pro is having a baby 👶🏻 at the end of it all and as I have not yet met mine, I keep telling myself it must be really special for people to want to go through pregnancy all over again.

 

    • Sometimes you get special treatment 😊 *Side note:In the UK, you won’t get much special treatment. I was in London Heathrow airport at 7 months pregnant and I had to beg security to let me skip the 2-hour line because my legs literally would not be able to take standing for that long. Also, I took a train 🚆 ride to Cambridge that was packed, and on the entire train just one man offered his seat – which I ended up giving to my mum, stupidly thinking someone else would offer their seat – but NO! In Miami, on the other hand, men sprint across the room just to open the door for you or to help you with your groceries.

 

    • A BIG PRO has been not having a period for 10 months. Big, big pro! ✔️

 

  • You join a mama club. People who you have not spoken to in years or who you barely know will message you with tips and general support. Pregnant women always say hi to other pregnant women. Normally starts with “how far along are you?” 🤰🏻. It’s really lovely because you suddenly feel a connection with women that you did not experience before and you feel less alone.

My favorite styles to wear during pregnancy:

  • The Clara Dress has been my absolute favorite dress ever for pregnancy. I feel I could wear it anywhere from a wedding at 3 months pregnant to the beach or to dinner right up until 9 months pregnant. The elastic in the back makes this dress, which is not intended for maternity, very much a maternity must-have.

    Shop the Clara Dress.
  • The Tassel Kaftan is just super easy for the beach. It's the same light cotton that is also used in the Clara Dress, making it a perfect dress for the hot summer months (which seem never-ending in Miami!).

    Shop the Tassel Kaftan.
  • The Babydoll Dress has also been a pregnancy favorite as my legs have been swollen so I like to keep them covered, but it's also fun to show my newly-enlarged pregnancy boobs 😉
  • The Pima Abaya is just so perfect for any occasion, for non-pregnancy beach days, for lounging-at-home days, for pregnancy and post-pregnancy recovery days. Its deliciously-soft fabric and easy-to-wear style makes it every girl's must-have, pregnant or not.

    Shop the Pima Abaya.
  • The Nayla Dress is a new favorite from Resort 2019. Soft and long, it’s a light and comfortable dress for pregnancy. I also like to pair it with the Pima Kimono.

    Shop the Nayla Dress.

So to all those mamas and mamas to be out there, thank you for your love and support 🤗 and I hope I can give back that same lovely support that I have received. 

As for my baby, I am now in his birth month and I patiently wait for his arrival 👶🏻 and prepare for his delivery. I will share that story once it happens!

Love,

Clara

The Clara Dress

 


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