Long time no musing. When I read back my last post, it’s hilarious and illuminating to me. I’m not blowing my own trumpet…here me out. I wrote that post about 14 days before I realised I was pregnant again. That feeling of ‘fatigue in all my bones and muscles’ was partially due to just doing life, but probably also partially because I was also at the early stages of HOUSING A LIFE.
From the point I found out I was knocked up at the end of April through to the middle of July, I became a permanent resident of a place I like to call The Valley. The Valley is a place I’ve been to once before – when I was pregnant with our first daughter. It involves eating the bare minimum for about 12 weeks (till my 16th week of pregnancy), while barfing twice a day. It also involves having no energy whilst dragging yourself to work and pretending everything is OK. This time round my stay in The Valley was made even more challenging by the fact that my toddler couldn’t care less about my new condition.
It was rough.
Shout out to all those women who are sick during pregnancy. It’s one of those few things in life you can’t just outsource to someone and pay them to take care of it. Hate cleaning, treat yourself – pay someone. Don’t want to cook, treat yourself – order some food. Morning sickness, suck it up, there’s no way out. Thank God I made it.
Once I checked out of The Valley I had to practice getting my life back. I had to wean our daughter off her tablet I also started working out again. It took me a few more months before I could work my day job at my full physical potential. Needless to say I could turn my attention back to Mummy’s Muse in mid-August. It feels good to be back.
The experience of pregnancy sickness while working on Mummy’s Muse made me think a lot about the role of unforeseen circumstances on this journey. I often asked my husband (who owns his own business), what would I have done if I was fully up and running and this happened? He said I would have found a way. I find it hard to believe, but we tend to find a way when there are no other options. A little creativity and preparation can go a long way in being ready for life’s curveballs.
My greatest moment of pride and self pity while I was in The Valley came on a random Tuesday afternoon en route home from work. I had to throw up…at Oxford Circus Station…on the tube platform. Too far inside to run out and definitely not going to survive the tube journey home. Your girl pulled out a sick bag she’d bought for the day this might happen, barfed gracefully into the bag, wiped her mouth (wipe was supplied with the sick bags), threw that mess in the bin, held my head high and got on the tube.
Moments of triumph definitely can exist when we’re in the depths of our personal valleys.
There is this feeling I get every now and again. It tends to come when I’m approaching – or actively hitting my head against – a brick wall. Obviously not an actual brick wall. The only way to describe it is as a giant wave of doubt. A Tsunami of Doubt. I’m going to get …
I’ll be honest, when we went into lockdown, I was ANGRY. A huge part of me was anxious, like many others- especially around public health and the impact on our NHS. Aside from that I thought, you really couldn’t make this up could you? Just as I was due to receive tech packs, prototypes and …
When someone asks me this question, I groan silently and deeply inside. Depending on how beat up I’m feeling, sometimes the groan is audible. There is nothing wrong with this question, those of you that ask me, please don’t stop asking me. The groan has everything to do with me and nothing to do with …
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
12 Weeks In The Valley
Long time no musing. When I read back my last post, it’s hilarious and illuminating to me. I’m not blowing my own trumpet…here me out. I wrote that post about 14 days before I realised I was pregnant again. That feeling of ‘fatigue in all my bones and muscles’ was partially due to just doing life, but probably also partially because I was also at the early stages of HOUSING A LIFE.
From the point I found out I was knocked up at the end of April through to the middle of July, I became a permanent resident of a place I like to call The Valley. The Valley is a place I’ve been to once before – when I was pregnant with our first daughter. It involves eating the bare minimum for about 12 weeks (till my 16th week of pregnancy), while barfing twice a day. It also involves having no energy whilst dragging yourself to work and pretending everything is OK. This time round my stay in The Valley was made even more challenging by the fact that my toddler couldn’t care less about my new condition.
It was rough.
Shout out to all those women who are sick during pregnancy. It’s one of those few things in life you can’t just outsource to someone and pay them to take care of it. Hate cleaning, treat yourself – pay someone. Don’t want to cook, treat yourself – order some food. Morning sickness, suck it up, there’s no way out. Thank God I made it.
Once I checked out of The Valley I had to practice getting my life back. I had to wean our daughter off her tablet I also started working out again. It took me a few more months before I could work my day job at my full physical potential. Needless to say I could turn my attention back to Mummy’s Muse in mid-August. It feels good to be back.
The experience of pregnancy sickness while working on Mummy’s Muse made me think a lot about the role of unforeseen circumstances on this journey. I often asked my husband (who owns his own business), what would I have done if I was fully up and running and this happened? He said I would have found a way. I find it hard to believe, but we tend to find a way when there are no other options. A little creativity and preparation can go a long way in being ready for life’s curveballs.
My greatest moment of pride and self pity while I was in The Valley came on a random Tuesday afternoon en route home from work. I had to throw up…at Oxford Circus Station…on the tube platform. Too far inside to run out and definitely not going to survive the tube journey home. Your girl pulled out a sick bag she’d bought for the day this might happen, barfed gracefully into the bag, wiped her mouth (wipe was supplied with the sick bags), threw that mess in the bin, held my head high and got on the tube.
Moments of triumph definitely can exist when we’re in the depths of our personal valleys.
2 replies to “12 Weeks In The Valley”
Pingback: Too Much? ⋆ Mummy's Muse
Pingback: Why I Exercise ⋆ Developing Mental Strength ⋆ Mummy's Muse
Related Posts
Tsunami of Doubt
There is this feeling I get every now and again. It tends to come when I’m approaching – or actively hitting my head against – a brick wall. Obviously not an actual brick wall. The only way to describe it is as a giant wave of doubt. A Tsunami of Doubt. I’m going to get …
Licking My COVID Shaped Wounds
I’ll be honest, when we went into lockdown, I was ANGRY. A huge part of me was anxious, like many others- especially around public health and the impact on our NHS. Aside from that I thought, you really couldn’t make this up could you? Just as I was due to receive tech packs, prototypes and …
How’s Your Business Going?
When someone asks me this question, I groan silently and deeply inside. Depending on how beat up I’m feeling, sometimes the groan is audible. There is nothing wrong with this question, those of you that ask me, please don’t stop asking me. The groan has everything to do with me and nothing to do with …