Today is the 20 week mark of this pregnancy.  Halfway…but not really, since 40 weeks isn’t 40 weeks of gestation.  But still, it’s an easy milestone to latch onto in pregnancy.  So far, this time around has been the same in many ways, but different in some, too.

:: There was fairly constant nausea and fatigue for the first 15 weeks or so.  Though in the weeks since, I have felt much better than I remember feeling in past pregnancies.

:: There have been some days, though, of horrible headaches that pretty much put me out of commission for as long as they stick around.  This isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with headaches, but it hasn’t been an every pregnancy thing, either.

:: I have had some major temperature-regulating issues.  In the beginning, some parts of my body would be sooo warm, while other parts were shivering…all the time.  Lately, I have just been really cold, which is very strange for me.  I don’t know that I’ve ever really tried chopping vegetables with hands shaking from cold before.  We do keep our house at a relatively low temperature, but though Tim has offered on a number of occasions that we can just turn up the thermostat, I have a hard time accepting that my body just won’t adjust to what has always been a normal environment for me.

:: I have gained lots of weight, everywhere…probably about what most doctors would say I should gain in the entire pregnancy.  Definitely not new, but something I always kind of hope will be different the next time around.

:: I have eaten a lot of green olives and mexican food.  Two foods that have, for the most part, never been unappealing to me in any of my pregnancies.  I have, however, been avoiding “whole wheat” anything for much of the past few months.  While I know white flour is just not supposed to be good for me, it doesn’t upset my stomach, so that’s what I go with.

:: I have been seriously petrified of the impending labor, from the very beginning of this pregnancy.  Not worried that anything will go wrong, just certain that I can’t do it.  I am not great at physical discipline to begin with, and finding resolve for labor seems impossible right now.

:: The past few weeks have brought with them what I think is carpal tunnel issues when I sleep.  I only ever had issues with this during my last pregnancy, and this time around, it seems to be even worse, sometimes keeping me awake for long stretches at night because my hands hurt or have lost feeling.  But that has been motivation for me to try to address it, with some success so far.

As always, each of these symptoms of pregnancy bring with them the reminder that my body is growing a baby, whom I will get to hold and love and take care of, and who will make me [almost] forget all of the uncomfortableness that pregnancy can bring.