A while back I went on a rant about all the things no one warned me about when I started on my IF journey.
Today, I should be blogging about the totally cool Versatile Blogger award Paige sent my way -- thank you! But instead I feel compelled to blog about "Things They Don't Tell You: The Pregnancy After IF Edition". Everyone deserves to be warned about some of the weird things that are in your future.
I'm going to talk about breasts and bad breath, so if either grosses you out you have been warned... :)
Things They Don't Tell You #1: Breasts
I started this baby journey as a 32C. I thought my breasts were too big but took minimal comfort in the fact that many nice women spend good money to have their breasts increased to that size. I had a miscarriage and all the crappy stuff that goes along with that, and found myself a 32D. I started fertility treatments, didn't exercise all that much and gained 5 pounds. I grew to a 32DD. Scary, but concealable.
And then I got pregnant. I swear that my breasts now weigh 5 pounds EACH. I still need to figure out how to actually measure them, as it truly is astonishing. Almost daily my husband and I stare in awe at what is going on with my chest. I don't mean the good kind of awe.
I first bought a bra at 8 weeks that was 32DDD. Yes, that's triple D.
I got fitted again about two weeks ago and low and freaking behold I am a 34G. Did you even know that there is such as thing as a G cup?! In my aversion to large breasts I had not learned this little tidbit of knowledge.
Have I mentioned that I'm self-conscious about my breasts? Have you gotten that sense yet?
Keep in mind that I am not a large woman. I'm about 5'4" and on the low end of a healthy BMI. This means that my breasts are ridiculously disproportionate to my body. It is weird I tell you, weird. Only two shirts from my previous life still sort-of-fit in a rather obscene way. TWO. And that won't last. I have so many cute baby-doll shirts that seemed perfect for transitioning into pregnancy should I ever get to that stage. But I can't wear any of them because they literally don't fit around my breasts. The maternity shirts I bought that fit on women with my breast/chest circumference literally swim around my shoulders and arms. No real human being has my current body shape...
I am frightened as to what is to come as that 34G is starting to feel tight.
I would not have changed my dreams of getting pregnant, but I sure would have appreciated some warning here. Mental preparation. Or maybe I am way out on one end of the range of variation... a freak? I hope for the rest of you that I am a freak here.
And now, onto
Things They Don't Tell You #2: Bad breath.
Not mine, but other people's. Now that my sense of smell is ridiculously acute I get to sample anyone's breath who stands within 5 feet of me. It's gross, just FYI.
Definitely with you on the breast issue. I'm not a G ... I can't imagine what that's like ... but I do feel sort of clownish these days, or perhaps like my mother, whose breasts are doing what 60 year old breasts do.
ReplyDeleteThe good news is that this is temporary. Really. I swear. In the meantime, we get to shop in the muumuuu (sp?) section.
Holy breasts batman!!! My sisters got huge too - I thing she went up to a G as well and she is a rather small girl. I am soooooooo sorry, you must be uncomfortable. Regarding the bad breath, that is just down right disgusting....again, you have my sympathy. xoxooxox
ReplyDeleteWow! G that is amazing. So to warn you. If you plan to nurse, when your milk comes in they will get bigger yet.
ReplyDeleteDitto on the bad breath.
I was getting ready for work this morning and towelling off and realized that I no longer recognize my breasts as my own. They are like someone elses -- bigger (although I have only gone from a 34C to a 36D and so I'm really sorry about the G), and the areolae are larger and darker and frankly very foreign looking. It's just weird. And unsettling that the boobs I've had for about the last 20 years or so are now so different.
ReplyDeleteAnd on the shirts? Yeah, I can wear very few. I've gotten some pregnancy tank tops and wear those under blouses, allowing me to keep the top buttons opened as well as the bottom one to accomodate my belly. But none of my jackets. blazers fit.
Every time I come home I make the Boy brush his teeth before he comes near me. It's rude, I know, but otherwise? ICK. I'd ask other people too, if it wasn't so rude!
Thanks for the warning! Good luck with those things. I'll be curious to hear if they shrink tremendously after breastfeeding.
ReplyDeleteHah! I wish I was still a G. I am now up to an L. Only one company in Britain makes a bra that big. I highly recommend you visit breakoutbras.com. They are the only place I can get bras from. If you have the money, bravissimo sells clothes made for us ridiculously large women. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThe expansion is very annoying. With my m/c I went from a D to a DD, with my first son a DD to a DDD and most recently with my second son a DDD to an H. I did not know they made H's. It is awful!!!! I feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteSome women do keep getting bigger...I was "lucky" to only grow early in my pregnancy. By 20w or so I was already an H and stayed there all the way through my pregnancy and nursing.
As for bras - Nordstroms does a great job at measuring and fitting larger sizes. They carry the british company's bras (probably the same company mentioned above) so you can try them on. If you are going to nurse your little one - get a good supporting underwire bra. I use the medela one and love it. I tried with my first son a soft cup, but couldn't stand the saggy boobs, I couldn't imagine that now. You have to be more careful about clogged ducts, but you can avoid that by rubbing the sides during nursing. Bras are the one area I splurged with my pregnancy shopping, I felt like it was worth it because I am so self conscious about it anyways.
Good Luck!
‘’Don't know if this helps but I had tonsil stones and awful bad breath. My friend told me to check Oraltech Labs as it helped him get rid of bad breath and his post nasal drip. I've been following Oraltech Labs advice for about 4 months now and I feel much better, also at work people are not avoiding me anymore so it seems to have cured my bad breath as well’’
ReplyDeleteI almost envy you the increase...I am also 5ft 4in and on the way low BMI (working on it though!), and though I got bigger before my m/c, it was certainly not bra-changing growth! Not that I want a D...but a B would be nice!
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting on my posts. It has been nice to feel 'followed', and your advice and comments are much appreciated.
THANK YOU! I really appreciate the sympathy/empathy, and especially the advice on where to get bras and clothes... MUCH needed. Love you all!
ReplyDeleteG? Yikes. I'm currently a D. What the hell is in store for me?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your incredibly kind words, they mean so much to me! That mans story is very inspiring...I also wish there was a brand or symbol of some sort we could wear so that people would just know. It would make life so much easier!
ReplyDeleteOh and I hear you on the breasts thing...mine got insanely huge during my pregnancy, my friends and husband laughed about it all the time as they were so disproportionately huge compared to the rest of my body..I'm only 5'2'' and just like you not a big person so it was just odd. I also had difficulty finding bras that fit me.