Pregnancy is one heck of an experience. For some it’s butterflies and all things lovely, for others it is an experience that allows you to learn alot about yourself, your body and its strength.
But no matter the encounter, the journey to parenthood is motivation enough to push (see what I did there?) through the months of changes and make it out safely on the other side. Whether it be the excitement to meet mini me or the limitations of pregnant bod, all moms-to-be eventually want the same thing – to get back our bodies and be rid of the pumpkin being carried in the tummy.
This blog post features the pregnancy story of badass momtrepreneur, Audia Cadogan, who shares the good, the bad and the frightening about her experience.
The Pregnancy Journey: How it Went
The Village: Describe your pregnancy journey.
Audia Cadogan (AC):
My pregnancy was a rollercoaster but a truly unforgettable experience. Week 9 was when I started to feel my worst. I was terribly sick for weeks. For the most part, I had a healthy pregnancy, but as I said, it was a rollercoaster with random incidents and ended with me having an emergency C-section for her safe arrival.
The Village: What did you love most about pregnancy?
AC:
Just knowing I am growing another human being to come into the world (This was also the scariest thought about pregnancy…lol)
The Village: What did you dislike the most about pregnancy?
AC:
I disliked the uncertainty of what day I would feel good, what day bad. I got sick instantly or had food aversions. I disliked that in my last two weeks of pregnancy is when I got stretch marks after rubbing my body with Bio Oils for the entire pregnancy (rolls eyes).
The Village: What was the kindest thing a stranger did for you during your pregnancy journey?
AC:
At work I had to have curry gravy on ALL my lunch meals from a catering company nearby. After a while, I could not manage to walk to the restaurant and one of the chefs took it upon himself to contact me and ensure I got my food delivered daily. That was really sweet.
The Village: What was your favourite pregnancy privilege?
AC:
My husband gave me EVERYTHING I asked for.
The Village: What were some of the changes your body experienced?
AC:
My feet increased by two whole shoe sizes; and my skin, especially my face, got extremely darker than usual.
The Village: What about pregnancy totally surprised you?
AC:
One day at work, I basically was fainting in and out at my desk. My supervisor at the time brought me to my doctor immediately. My checkups showed that I and my daughter were both healthy and fine “at that time”.
Confused? Yeah, so were we. Apparently my energetic busy body was moving so much that she wrapped herself in my cord and temporarily blocked proper oxygen flow, hence the fainting. That was PRETTY SCARY but pretty cool and interesting at the same time.
The Village: What was one thing about labour that surprised you?
AC:
I was in labour for 15 hours and I didn’t even dilate one centimeter more than in the first hour. Upon doing the C-section, we realized that my daughter was wrapped in the umbilical cord and if it we had pursued a natural birth, who knows what would have happened. That was a surprise, a scare and a blessed moment that we still give God thanks for.
The Village: Tell us your advice for moms-to-be?
AC:
Trust your instincts – you are already a great mother. Listen to your babies from inside your womb. Talk to them, sing to them – they really are hearing you. Lastly, there is no perfect guidebook to having a smooth pregnancy nor for parenting to be ‘easy peezy’. You learn as you go along and that is perfectly ok. No one knows what’s best for your baby but you.
Final Thoughts
Enjoyed reading about Audia's pregnancy journey? No problem. Check out the next in the series! Read Kimara's story. Want to share your pregnancy journey? We welcome all stories! Shoot us a message and we will be in touch.