Why I DON’T Want Another Baby

Both of my pregnancies were AWFUL.  Yes, I said it.  For my first, I threw up and suffered nausea for 20 straight weeks, all day and all night.  My blood pressure was up and when the nurse called to tell me I had gestational diabetes I was devastated.  Anyone who knows me knows about my fear of doctors and thinking the worst in all health related situations, so I was so scared. No one in my family had ever been diagnosed with GD, none of my friends either.  I kept thinking WHY ME!? I was not overweight, my eating habits were normal- but after researching I learned it can happen to anyone.  The only positive of having GD with #1 is that I didn’t gain a whole lot of weight. The only major pain in the ass was taking my blood sugar after every meal, but I realize that people live with diabetes their entire lives so it really put things into perspective for me.

Fast forward to pregnancy #2. Same thing.  Throwing up and nausea all day, every day for 20 weeks.  I’m not exaggerating when I say that I kept a plastic cup in my car for vomiting to and from work.  The only thing that made me feel a tiny bit better was regular fountain coke, preferably from McDonald’s or Wawa.  Same blood pressure problems, and since I had GD with the first one, I ended up having to take THREE three hour glucose tests just to be sure I didn’t have it again.  Oh, and since my blood pressure was raised, my urine contained some protein, so I spent a few 24 hour periods throughout both pregnancies peeing into a urine receptacle. Meaning I could not leave the house. And it had to be kept in the refrigerator.  So since we only have a bathroom on the 2nd floor, I’d have to lug a damn pee jug up and down, all day. I was MISERABLE.

Another weird thing that happened:  for my first pregnancy, the last few weeks I felt like I was leaking.  Legit fluid coming out of my vagina.  I was worried so the docs sent me to L & D.  They tested whatever it was, and said that it was not “fluid.”  So for a week or 2, I remember wearing pads (they would be soaked) and the sensation of gushing every time I stood up.  It was wild.  I never heard of this happening to ANYONE else.  So eleven days before my due date, I got out of bed to go to the bathroom, and I had the same gushing sensation.  Except this time, it was 100 times worse…my water broke.  When I was in labor, I developed a fever so I had to be given antibiotics.  To this day I believe I was leaking fluid that entire time which is why I developed an infection.  I’m definitely not a doctor but what else could that have been?  SO GROSS.  Luckily that did not happen with #2.

Both births also ended up with me in the hospital for days with high blood pressure….like really high. For # 2 I was admitted for days and hubs was home alone with a newborn and 3 year old.  It was a very tough time for all of us but we had help from our families, thank God.  I am still on BP meds and will be for the rest of my life.  It’s hereditary so it’s not a surprise.

So when random people ask me “Are you having any more babies?” I immediately want to go into the above story.  I resist though, and politely say “no, my hands are full with 2.”  If it is a close friend or acquaintance though, you better believe they heard everything in even more detail.