43 Times Pregnant Women Faced The Ultimate Test Of Patience

To help you make sense of what pregnant women go through, Bored Panda contacted Vicki Broadbent, a writer, director, broadcaster, and founder of the parenting blog Honest Mum. "There is a myriad of changes which take place when you're pregnant: hormonal so chemical/emotional changes and of course physical as your body expands to house your precious cargo," the bestselling author of Mumboss (UK) and The Working Mom (the US and Canada) said.

Vicki herself has two boys and a baby [intimacy] the way. "I believe pregnancy has provided me with somewhat of a maternal superpower too. My instincts are sharpened so my boundaries are stronger; I have less tolerance for any [nonsense] or drama as I'm protective of my mental and physical health and that of my baby's and my focus is firmly on that which brings me joy," she explained. "I recently read that women are born with all of the eggs they'll ever have in a lifetime and that when my mother was in my grandmother's womb I was there, nestled within her as a tiny egg. How incredible is that? I like to think there's a generational strength that has been passed down to me from this strong line of women, empowering me on a cellular level."

That's true, female babies are born with all the egg cells they're ever going to have; around 1-2 million of them! No new egg cells are made during their lifetime. When a girl reaches puberty, she has between 300,000 and 400,000 eggs left.

Pregnancy starts taking its toll right from the get-go. "First-trimester nausea and fatigue certainly aren't fun. Nor is indigestion and insomnia of the second trimester but as this is my fourth pregnancy and third baby (I sadly lost a baby last year), I am relishing the magic of pregnancy as much as possible," Vicki Broadbent said.

That being said, Vicki still faces challenges. "I can't lie and say I'm fully at peace with my changing body as society/the media and my own pressure to not look 'too big' does affect me but I'm certainly trying to be kind to myself with loving affirmations and making healthy food choices and safely exercising. I'm doing daily meditation too so I can be more responsive and less reactive — hormones can be wild at times — so that helps!"

Tommy's, the largest UK charity researching the causes and prevention of pregnancy complications, miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, and neonatal passing, also recognizes that it's natural to get a bit stressed when you're pregnant and acknowledges that coping with your symptoms and changing lifestyle, as well as everyday life, can sometimes be overwhelming. To relax, Tommy's offers these tips.

Personally, Vicki prefers meditation and allowing herself to feel all the emotions that arise. This includes crying when she needs to. 

"Talking candidly about how I'm feeling is key," she said. "I kept a lot of trauma buried within me after a tough first birth and I learned from that period that not expressing my pain was detrimental to my mental health so now I talk (and talk) to those I love."

The mom listens to her body too. "When I need to sleep, I sleep and any guilt I might have harbored to try and be superwoman in previous pregnancies has definitely gone this time around."

Vicki discusses her experiences in her blog Honest Mum as well as on Facebook and Instagram. She will be releasing a new post today so be sure to check it out. Nobody is quite as articulate and sincere as she is.

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