Think You're Pregnant? These Were My Clues.

The Clues that I was Pregnant.

I had an inkling that I was pregnant before I actually knew. I just felt so odd. I experienced pretty much every pregnancy symptom under the sun - and I had them all much sooner than the books say is normal. Was I just hyper sensitive? I don’t know. But I’m willing to share these ridiculous tales with you because at some point, a LOT of you will find yourself in the same position I was in. Beware: This is REAL talk. If talking about body functions grosses you out, you should probably stop reading. But for all the ladies out there who care to know, I am happy to share my experiences (to a degree) about how I began to suspect there was something growing inside of me.

1. Frequenting the Loo.
In the very beginning (we are talking 3-4 weeks along) was waking up 5-8 times in the middle of the night to pee. Super abnormal. Also super annoying. Since that has continued, I’ve gotten used to sleep walking, and I almost don’t remember when I wake up anymore. Except for when I run into the walls. I think I need to get a nightlight.

2. FEED ME.
Beginning in week 6, I started waking up starving and panting for water. Like a wolverine-ish camel. A special new hybrid. First, I was craving kale and citrus fruits. Then a few weeks later, I began salivating just at the THOUGHT of bacon. And cheese burgers. And steak. Pastrami sandwiches. Barbeque pork. Weeks 9-12 were bacon OBSESSED. Now I have just settled into a new routine of protein mania. This is the one reason why I think this child could be a boy.

3. Nausea.

It’s the most boring and frustrating symptom, because it wipes you out. Nothing helps except eating. Which seems counter-intuitive. But it helped! I munched on pretzels, ritz crackers and English muffins. I watched my belly expand, but I don’t think it was due to anything more than just eating a lot of carbs. Thankfully, I did not experience the level of nausea that a lot of women experience. That's the one pregnancy symptom that seemed to bypass me (thank goodness!)

4. So. Exhausted.

This is one of the biggest indicators. When you all the sudden LOSE THE WILL TO AWAKEN, there is something going on. Before I found out I was pregnant, I was in the midst of the busy holiday season, working and auditions and having fun with new friends, and then all the sudden – my energy was just gone. Absolutely gone. I crawled out of bed as late as possible and crawled back in before 8pm. Netflix became my new best friend. And my favorite activity was sleeping. And eating. But no – sleeeeeeeeping. You cannot possibly get enough. It’s different than just being tired, though. You just lay there, wallowing in the weirdness occurring in your body. Wondering what could possibly create such an exhaustion.

5. Tears.
Exhibit A: This Josh Groban Christmas song came on our Pandora station, and I wept throughout the entire 4 minutes. I’m not talking a few trickling tears. I’m talking WAILING weeping. My husband was working on his computer and just stared at me. I surprised my own self.

Exhibit B: One night I was hungry for a cheeseburger. Really hungry. People, I was hungry. When Stevie asked me what I wanted for dinner, I burst into tears saying,” I just want a cheeseburger so badly.” He, being the good man that he is, got me a cheeseburger. And onion rings. And a root beer float. Bless that sweet man. He’s been the true champion of this pregnancy so far.

Exhibit C: I’ve been crying at least once a day for about 10 weeks straight. Sometimes its due to a cute commercial on TV. Sometimes it’s when my mom says something sweet on the phone. Sometimes it’s when we walk by a donut shop and it just seems so meant to be. But it keeps happening. Ain’t nothing I can do to stop it.

Oh, There's More.
These 5 symptoms were the ones that really stood out to me. But there are a lot of weirder things that people NEVER tell you about - like the cramping, killer bad gas, daily bloody noses, incredibly tender breasts, shortness of breath (just from walking up the stairs, geez!), headaches, super heightened sense of smell, dizziness when you stand up, insane dreams, etc. I experienced ALL of these precious moments in the weeks leading up to the discovery that I was pregnant. And many of them have continued on throughout the pregnancy. Looking back, it's really funny that I was surprised at finding out I was preggo. I mean, how obvious can it get?

Having a combination of these symptoms? Dude, YOU'RE PREGNANT.