The top 12 benefits of expecting

I thought I would write this in case anyone thinks I am being ungrateful and whiny about being pregnant!  With all my talk of fatigue, supersonic sense of smell and being denied rare meat, I suppose my readers could be forgiven for thinking that I'm not as enthusiastic as I could be!

So here are the top 12 benefits of expecting a baby in my opinion:-

1) The biggest and most obvious has to be that in nine months you'll have a baby to love, adore and brag about.  Such a massive benefit that I don't think anything else needs to be said.

2) All that shopping - not only for things that the baby needs but also for maternity clothes.  Now I appreciate that if you're having financial problems you might not see this as a benefit but I can't wait to get spending!  For my birthday I asked for vouchers so the maternity clothes shopping starts this weekend - woo hoo!  We're still holding off on buying any baby stuff until we know what sex we're having so there's another couple of months of saving before that pleasure starts (although we have already been window shopping to see roughly how much money we'll need).

3) My husband catering to my every whim has to be high on the list!  Not that he wasn't adorable before but he is particularly good for running to the shop depending on what 'baby' is demanding I eat at any particular point in time.  For example, the ice lolly run last week, or the cracker run a month or so ago.

4) I've always enjoyed reading and now I can indulge my hobby with all sorts of baby books.  After my scan on Tuesday, I spent most of the day reading What to Expect When You're Expecting: Fourth Edition which I thought was a really well written and informative book.  It was recommended to me by a friend and I would be happy to pass that recommendation on as well since I enjoyed it more than other pregnancy books I've read.

5) Doing less chores - not only is my husband having to run to the shops for me but he also has to do more cooking and cleaning now thanks to my fatigue.  I'm not at the point of milking it yet - I genuinely need more help from him - but I imagine I won't be able to resist asking him to do things which I am perfectly capable of doing myself at some point!

6) I'm really enjoying talking to other pregnant ladies and mums.  This group of women, who I used to not be able to relate to, are now a wealth of useful and interesting information.  I used to do my best talking to them but I was regularly jealous of their pregnancies and children and found it very hard stay focused on what was going on with them.  But now I can waffle on for hours in a way which some other women would find incredibly tedious!

7) No periods!!!  As someone who has had endometriosis repeat on them several times over the last 10 years, this is a massive benefit for me.  I've had surgery 7 times during those 10 years and it's great to know that I have at least another 6 months of being pain and surgery free.  

8) I might not be that far along but I can already see that my hair is thicker and glossier.  I know that it'll thin out once I give birth but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts!

9) Seeing any gain on the scales as a good thing! I lost 7lbs during my sickness and nausea spell and since then I have gained 4 of them back.  I seem to go 2lbs higher each time my period is due but, unlike when I actually have a period, those 2lbs don't vanish again once my period is over.  I know that this rate will pick up as I get further along and, at the moment at least, I am looking forward to it. 
  
10) My eczema has cleared up.  When I first got pregnant it flared up quite badly but now it has settled down again and is much better than it's been for a long time.


11) My nails are growing so much quicker and stronger than they ever have before.  It makes it harder to type and text but looks really nice!  I think I'll treat myself to some manicures as my pregnancy progresses. 

12) It's something I've not done since my school days but I've really enjoyed knitting since I found out I'm pregnant.  It's lovely to be doing something which I know is for my baby and which he or she will hopefully cherish as a reminder of their childhood.  So far, I'm just working on a blanket but I'll definitely be more adventurous once I know what sex we're having.  And there are some great designs out there even if they are cute and silly - check these adorable booties out http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/slipperchick.htm