Pregnancy: Sometimes there are sacrifices
The ups and downs of pregnancy can be a sure ticket to giving yourself or anyone around you whiplash; one moment you’re overwhelmingly happy, the other you’re so frustrated, you can barely think. And while pregnancy is different for each person, ultimately, the journey sees women sacrificing something for a peaceable few months.
For this #boymom pregnancy was not the easiest but with the occasional sprinkle of ‘aww’ moments the experience was one that she sincerely appreciated and cherishes to date.
Tara and her husband Andre at their maternity shoot.
In this Village Voices feature, we highlight the story Tara Munroe, a self-proclaimed foodie who had to hand in her badge to bring forth life.
The Village (TV): Describe your pregnancy.
Tara Munroe (TM): I had horrible morning sickness in the first trimester, had an awesome smooth second trimester and felt like a whale with heartburn and nausea during the third trimester. Sleep was also a struggle during the last lap. I was looking forward to chowing down during pregnancy but the throwing up didn’t permit it, plus the kicks I received from my little footballer were super intense! Generally, the pregnancy wasn’t completely awful. Most days were normal and I got to do a lot of bonding, which I thoroughly enjoyed doing with my son.
Tara and her son, Dominic-Eli.
TV: What did you love most about pregnancy?
TM: Feeling my son move for the first time! And feeling him move and communicate with me overall. I also enjoyed the moments I got to actually eat!
TV: What did you dislike the most about pregnancy?
TM: The nausea, the vomiting and not being able to sleep during the last few months because I am a tummy sleeper and well that wasn’t possible; being told that I had to sleep on my sides for the pregnancy was ROUGH. As a certified foodie, you can just imagine how terrible and frustrating experiencing morning sickness was for me – it was the worst!
TV: What is the best/kindest thing a stranger did for you while pregnant?
TM: When people allowed me to go to the front of the line in business places and when people would randomly give me food I was happy. Also, getting to go straight inside the bank without having to join a line or wait was the absolute best.
TV: What is something about pregnancy and/or labour that was completely surprising to you?
TM: The contractions in labour are no joke! I wish those on NOONE. Also, I was surprised by the fact that if your water breaks too early, they’ll instruct you not to push despite feeling the strong urge to. That was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my entire life. My OB accidentally broke my water which made my son engage even further down into my cervix, but because my cervix was not at the centimeter of dilation that was required, if I had pushed I would have harmed myself and him.
The thing that surprised me the most during pregnancy was losing my mucous plug. It’s this clump of blood and mucous that women pass out shortly before they deliver and it was an unexpected sight for me… it was kind of wild to see.
What is your advice/tip for moms-to-be?
TM: Be open to anything and don’t accept other people’s experiences as gospel. Be prepared to be very forgiving of the new person you’re about to be and accept help from the right people. If you have a birth plan, know that it may change during labor and that’s completely fine. Lastly, if you’ve thought long and hard about how you want to raise your child and how you’d prefer other people to interact with your child, STICK to your plan once it’s about the safety and wellbeing of your little human.
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