tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post4436800519899004076..comments2024-02-16T02:56:00.399-08:00Comments on Between Fact and Fiction: Gratitude, Opposition, & PerspectiveNatalie Whipplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09978251567306345129noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-75662992464196382112012-02-29T12:21:17.297-08:002012-02-29T12:21:17.297-08:00Wow, so you are pregnant! Congratulations! I remem...Wow, so you are pregnant! Congratulations! I remember when I was pregnant with my daughter, the first four months, I would literally, any time I stood up, I would throw up. It didn't matter if I'd just eaten, hadn't eaten all day, whatever was in my stomach was coming up and right then. <br /><br />My OB tried everything she could think of - bed rest, change in diet, work restrictions, change in prenatal vitamins, blood tests, anti-nausea pills (which helped a little). I lost almost 15 pounds the first trimester. <br /><br />Finally, after trying every prenatal vitamin on the market, she told me to take Flintstones vitamins and prepared a diet program for me. That did the trick. Turns out I have a severe reaction to prenatal vitamins. (I found out a year ago it's not just prenatal vitamins, it's all vitamins. Apparently my system can't handle massive doses of vitamins all at once - makes me terribly ill). <br /><br />After that I started to gain weight (gained 25 lbs in the remaining 5 months). I was eating more in a day than I did in a week but it turned out just fine. Thankfully my beautiful daughter was 7 lbs 11 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. It was worth every minute!<br /><br />Soon you'll have the same joy and look back on it as having been an admittedly miserable time but worth it to see that beautiful new person grow up. Big hugs to you!Shellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00821185386989278726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-66717564236469978672012-02-08T11:36:33.757-08:002012-02-08T11:36:33.757-08:00At least now you're getting better, which is g...At least now you're getting better, which is good!William Kendallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00331324250821836822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-86565756879959456792012-02-06T13:07:06.049-08:002012-02-06T13:07:06.049-08:00Wow...what a good post. I'm not pregnant and s...Wow...what a good post. I'm not pregnant and so can't relate to what you feel, but sincerely hope you do feel better.<br /><br />I have to admit that I'm ashamed of my lack of productivity. My health is kind of not the best now and my anxiety (and proneness to depression) are rearing up. But these things are like full-time jobs. They absolutely take over me and I go through each and every day the same: no productivity, no accomplishment, no writing, even reading is something I can do for only 20 minutes at a time. I'm ashamed at my flocking to the TV and the computer for distraction. It leads me nowhere, it doesn't take me closer to my dreams. I'm not working hard and without learning or working hard than how on earth will I achieve and gain and earn the dreams and life I want.<br /><br />I try to think that "when my health is better, this will be different"...then I wonder if it is an excuse. I'm hoping it is not. I'm hoping that with time my mind and health will become clearer and suddenly a flood of focus and concentration will come over me and put me back on track again.<br /><br />The problem is that I'm over 30 years old and time has been wasted and time continues to be wasted. Time, it seems, seems to take its own sweet time. And my feeling of guilt, doubt and impatience rise. So difficult to stay level headed and be positive.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-39694840348252350942012-02-06T02:02:49.566-08:002012-02-06T02:02:49.566-08:00I hope you continue feeling better Natalie :)I hope you continue feeling better Natalie :)Ellen Brickleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184391430927483100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-92175571287257125472012-02-04T04:20:36.748-08:002012-02-04T04:20:36.748-08:00Wow I feel so sorry for you! But I understand what...Wow I feel so sorry for you! But I understand what you mean. The good things in our lives lose meaning if there isn't something bad to set it off. <br /><br />I think about it as a tapestry. The dark bits give depth and meaning to the brightness and color... <br /><br />Hope you feel better again soon. :-)Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-37402650568207421232012-02-03T19:45:58.416-08:002012-02-03T19:45:58.416-08:00I so know how you feel! This pregnancy for me has ...I so know how you feel! This pregnancy for me has been utterly terrible. First the nausea for three months and now I've got an out of place pelvic bone, sciatica, and can hardly walk. Luckily I only have five weeks left but not being able to go to the grocery store, or clean the house, or you know, lie down horizontally for the last month and a half has really made me grateful for those simple, every day tasks. I hope you continue to feel better and that we can both keep that grateful attitude after labor. I've been known to have attitude problems as well... :) thanks for sharing!Kadie Kinneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06927776529456799034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-26039413608712609412012-02-03T17:44:11.660-08:002012-02-03T17:44:11.660-08:00Jessie I had mine a few weeks ago! It's a boy:...Jessie I had mine a few weeks ago! It's a boy:)Natalie Whipplehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09978251567306345129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-89642344483886836322012-02-03T17:42:42.508-08:002012-02-03T17:42:42.508-08:00I'm glad you're feeling better again! Janu...I'm glad you're feeling better again! January put me over the prego-sicko hump, too, and you're right...life is so much more glorious when you are healthy. It really made me think about people who are chronically ill. How do they function? How do they stay optimistic? How do they not just sit around and moan on the couch all day, which is what I did my first trimester? I find out if it's a boy or girl on Tuesday. Your sono must be coming up soon, too:)Jessie Oliveroshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06232456334069794107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-54391335646935614992012-02-03T17:12:45.287-08:002012-02-03T17:12:45.287-08:00Pregnancy in general is weird. Awesome too, but al...Pregnancy in general is weird. Awesome too, but also horrible, miserable, memorable and magically forgettable when you're ready to do it again. I guess it has a lot in common with writing. :-)Becky Wallacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02880501542510014819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-79532866590356292292012-02-03T15:00:38.693-08:002012-02-03T15:00:38.693-08:00So sorry you haven't been feeling well. But th...So sorry you haven't been feeling well. But this all so true. My husband has chronic lung problems and has been on steroids for about 40 years and in the hospital many times. You learn that health is relative and are grateful for all the good in life.Natalie Aguirrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-58855612778915665752012-02-03T14:07:04.896-08:002012-02-03T14:07:04.896-08:00This isn't rambling! This is fabulous! Thanks ...This isn't rambling! This is fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing, Natalie. I'm sick for all nine months of pregnancy, so I totally know what you're talking about. Your post also reminded me of my brother, who was super ill three years ago with kidney failure, cancer AND West Nile Virus. He said he'd often sit in his front room looking out the window and watching people walk from their homes to their mailboxes. He'd wish so badly he could do that too. He wanted to tell the people to be grateful to be able to do something like that: just getting their mail from their mailboxes. You're right. Gratitude is powerful. It is one of my resolutions this year.Kathryn Purdiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18337488365098780737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-58187803090457812312012-02-03T13:48:18.044-08:002012-02-03T13:48:18.044-08:00You are a very strong person. A pregnancy like thi...You are a very strong person. A pregnancy like this is incredibly hard (I know, because I had two like this), more so when you already have kids that need you. It's true - you develop a new appreciation for things that you couldn't do while you were sick. For me, it was reading. For 5 months I didn't pick up a book because I didn't have the brain power to concentrate. It was only after that I realized how much I'd missed. <br /><br />Perspective is a wonderful thing and even a bad experience can teach us to value something.Jen J. Dannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00817943866838270699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-21245608331478286802012-02-03T12:56:03.554-08:002012-02-03T12:56:03.554-08:00This is so true. About 8 years ago I had to have s...This is so true. About 8 years ago I had to have surgery to correct a progressive, potentially fatal condition involving my airway. It was a lot of time spent in hospitals, a lot of time in recovery, and a consequence of the surgery was that I lost my voice. It's mostly better now, 8 years later, but it will never be normal. I can't shout, you can't hear me in noisy restaurants, and it's got a burr to it. But you know what? I'm just grateful to be alive and breathing, two things I totally took for granted before all this happened. Going through all that really helped to put things in perspective for me. So I totally get where this post comes from.<br /><br />Glad you're feeling (mostly) better now, though! For all the perspective and gratitude and all that, it still sucks being sick.Seabrookehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09400079400485962650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-7057218057167268632012-02-03T12:47:24.911-08:002012-02-03T12:47:24.911-08:00We've talked about this, but being pregnant wa...We've talked about this, but being pregnant was one of the worst things I've ever been through. I was sick, like you, to the point where I could hardly stand, but yet had to go to work every single day. I just wanted to die. So, I totally get that. And I discovered as I went through that, that I couldn't just give up. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't see any other alternative to just powering through and making the best of it. Am I better for it? Sure. But that doesn't mean I still don't think twice about getting pregnant again.Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10480712973194174171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-40398953831303869862012-02-03T12:24:47.085-08:002012-02-03T12:24:47.085-08:00Rambling is sometimes just what we need. I'm ...Rambling is sometimes just what we need. I'm glad you are feeling a little more better, but even more that you had some insight through the whole thing.Tasha Seegmillerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11489911822054861132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-51460830419650703572012-02-03T12:02:50.179-08:002012-02-03T12:02:50.179-08:00This is all so true.This is all so true.Jordynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07544006301357995240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-85892119863909152402012-02-03T12:00:13.651-08:002012-02-03T12:00:13.651-08:00"Life never gets easier, I don't think, b..."Life never gets easier, I don't think, but our capacity for joy increases when we let the opposition improve us rather than embitter us."<br /><br />So much awesome.Kristanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771013578685419826noreply@blogger.com