When I found out I was pregnant, I knew my life was going to change forever: My family was growing and I was going to bring my baby home – but no one, I repeat no one, bothered to enlighten me about the many many alarming physical changes that I would undergo.
I found out that I was expecting twins – two lovely baby girls. What a joy – I thought, till I looked down at my feet one day. I clearly remember that this was soon after I had started recovering from the morning sickness – what a joy that is too (being unable to keep your food down – almost makes you start to feel sorry for all those size 0 models that don’t eat anything). After I had managed to fight away my body’s instinct to throw up anything and everything I would consume, I looked down at my feet to discover two giant blobs of fat or rather a stack of marshmallows – I couldn’t believe my eyes. My feet had swollen to twice their size and actually looked pretty darn scary. I felt like I had two Elephant legs too! And while yes, it sounds funny now that I look back on it, I actually started to think I had developed Elephantiasis – you know the parasitic infection that causes extreme swelling in the arms and legs. It was no parasite though – just the two little seeds of JOY growing inside my womb.
And then came the moment that I put on my slippers to go to the loo (immense pressure on your bladder too – especially when there’s not one, but two growing humans pushing down on your bladder). I actually remember planning on just shifting to my loo, putting up a bed or comfortable chair there because I ended up spending more time in the loo than outside of it (another one of pregnancy’s well kept secrets): You Pee, YOU PEE A LOT! Anyway, as I slid my feet into my slippers, I realised that they no longer fit. I couldn’t see my tendons or ankle bones, even when I flexed my toes. What? I picked them to see if the size was right and of course it was, it was a 37. I had been a 37 for all of my adult life. But no, those shoes, in fact all my shoes no longer fit me. I tried on my husband’s shoes (who btw, is a size 40) and BAM! THEY FIT!
I was now, a size 40. I remember my husband joking about how instead of my womb, the children were growing inside my legs, haha! Funny, he thought this was funny. I’ll wait for his feet to grow twice their size and see if he can still retain that sense of humour. Not so easy, eh?
But yes, water retention is like your worst nightmare. You watch your body balloon up in ways that make you feel like Violet Beauregarde from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And the only person that could find you ballooning up to be amusing is probably only Roald Dahl himself and of course, my dear husband. *Sigh*
I’d also like to report, that post delivery, my feet have returned to their normal shape and size – a luxury that does not befall all pregnant women, haha.
But no matter how many alarming physical changes a mother endures during those 9 months, and the changing sleep cycles, the pain of it all washes away the moment you lay eyes on your little one. In my case, there were two, beautiful angels that landed in my arms. Every day since has been a day I am thankful for; for being blessed with two healthy, beautiful daughters that make those 9 months feel like a distant memory now.