Drew loves it when I write on here, so baby this ones dedicated to you!

So I’m not a big one for myths or old wives tails (some people look at me and say “you are carrying low, you can’t possibly be having a girl”…erm…OK how do I respond to that?) but the pregnancy brain phenomenon has got to be true!!  I have a few stories to prove my belief.

Story number 1.

Me and my friend MarLa used to carpool to nursing school together.  This one day I had ridden in MarLa’s car so she dropped me off at the end of the day to get my car which was parked at Walgreen’s (Pharmacy) where we would meet.  I had a bunch of stuff with me that day including a massive school text book that is heavier than a bag of bricks!  Stumbling to get my keys I went to put the book on the roof of my SUV.  As I put it on the roof I distinctly remember a sweeping thought dash through my mind “I’m gonna forget this”, but strangely enough I still put it up there.

Well I got in the car and drove home.  When I arrived I got out the car and started gathering up my stuff to take inside….”wheres that book!!!”.  I had only gone and left it on the roof, driven off and lost it on the way home!! I immediately got back in the car and drove back the way I had come home.  I phoned Drew  and told him the story so he left work and drove to Walgreen’s to see if he could find it.  I drove all the way to Walgreen’s trying to remember if I had heard anyone honk or give me some kind of signal.  I kept looking at the road as much as I could and on every corner, it had vanished!!  I would just LOVE to know where that darn thing went.   That thing would have caused an accident anyways, maybe the police picked it up before I could get to it…haha.  I never saw that important and expensive text book again, and couldn’t afford to replace it.  Maybe loosing that text book should be my excuse for poor grades instead of the pregnancy brain.

Story number 2.

I’ve been in some sticky situations in my life time.  For example,  a few dear high school friends will remember the time we were on our Duke of Edinburgh expedition in France and got completely lost and disorientated just as the sun was going down.  We were soooooo scared, so tired and probably all cried ourselves to sleep that night as we camped on top of a cliff face!  Well, I can’t say I cried myself to sleep over this next story but I definitely had the same feeling of being completely stranded with no safe and easy way out.

I had just left nursing school after a pre-clinical conference in which we have to wear smart business attire.  I was 5 months pregnant so I was in between normal clothes and waiting to seriously buy maternity stuff. I was wearing this black dress because I couldn’t do the buttons up on my dress pants (trousers) anymore.  I started off down the highway (motorway) without a care in the world when all of a sudden my SUV starts jerking and sputtering.  We were having no problems with the vehicle at the time and this was the first time since we had bought it off some friends that any inkling of trouble was about to start.  Suddenly I looked at the gas (petrol) gauge….with this car there is no light that comes on to indicate that you are dangerously low but the little ‘check engine’ light was on and the marker was way down on empty….I was only running out of gas!!!!!!! I kept driving as long as I could which wasn’t very far until I could pull over away from an exit.  I stopped the car and thought “this can’t be happening”.  I got my bag and rummaged for my phone only to remember that I had left it on my bedside table that morning, which I hardly ever do.  What now I thought.  Drew was at work until 5pm and it was around 3 so it would be a while until he came looking for me.  Should I sit there and hope some policemen drive past?  No, I’m not one for just waiting to see what happens.  I could see an exit for a small mall up ahead but quite a little walk but thought it was my only hope.  I could ask to use a phone in a store or get to a gas station and buy a tank and walk back…haha.  I got out the car and started walking!!!  It was windy and kinda chilly but the sun was shining at least.  I said a quick prayer and made my way in smart black shoes and this fitted black dress along the side of the busy highway.

As I’m walking along I notice a white car has pulled over up ahead of me, dreading the conversation when I get there I keep walking.  The window is turned down so I tilt my head and look through.  There’s this guy just sitting there alone…”Hey I work at a mechanics just down the road I can take a look at your car for you” he said.  “Oh its not broken I just ran out of gas, I’m just gonna keep walking til I find a gas station” I say.  “Well I could give you a ride, you’ll be walking for a while the only one I know is right around the other side of the mall” he said.  “Nah, I think I’m just gonna walk” I reply.  He took it quite well and I think he understood that I didn’t wanna get in the car with him.  I kinda felt sorry for him because he could have just been trying to be nice and helpful yet these days its just not a risk a young girl should take while carrying her unborn child.  So he drives off.  Well just as he drives off another car pulls up as though they were kinda next in line to talk to me!  It was a couple this time with a really young baby in the back seat.  They looked really nice and I felt like I could trust them.  They asked if I was OK and I told them what had happened so they said they’d take me to the nearest gas station.  So I got in and off we went.  I found out that they had been driving in the opposite direction and had turned around to come and help me!!!!  I was kinda touched.  They seemed really cool, kinda sporty, mid-30s with a 3 month old baby girl asleep in her car seat.  We chatted the whole ride before  we got to the gas station.  The guy came in with me and we bought a little gas tank; as I was paying for it he went out and started filling it up for me.  They took me back to my car and the guy put the gas in while I got back in the driver’s seat.  He finished, put the tank in my trunk (boot) and I started up and left!!  I looked at my watch and in less than an hour I was back on the road!!  I could have been walking for at least a whole hour to the gas station then a whole hour back!  That couple must have been sent from God!  But I could not believe the situation, no phone, 5 months pregnant, in a dress and heels, walking down a busy highway…..oh my!  I got home and phoned Drew, he was shocked and kinda mad at first but what was I supposed to do!!!  They don’t have those cool little emergency phones on the side of the road like they do in England!  He was just glad I was OK in the end.

Story number 3.

This is a little story that happened yesterday, little but funny.  I have been working at the Tea Room for two years now, I’m the longest standing employee so I know my way around the place and the customers pretty well.  Which is why these next two stories are so bazaar to me because I have never made mistakes like this over the whole two years I have worked there.  Also, you must take into consideration that the tea room isn’t a hard place to work, its a small place, mostly older women come in for a quiet cup of tea and the menu is small too so you can’t go too wrong.

Well yesterday I had a table of four ladies, granted it was the lunchtime rush and I had a few tables who were all ordering dessert and stuff at the same time, but nothing I couldn’t handle normally.  So I took the order for this table of four ladies and went off into the kitchen to place the order with the prep person.  After a bit she called my name to let me know my order was up and the food was ready to be taken out to the table of four ladies.  So there I am picking the plates up and walking out to serve their food…..I put down the plates and realize I never served them their drinks!!!!!! Oh my goodness!!!!  I run back into the kitchen and shout at Drew, Help me! Help me! I forgot their drinks!!!!  I take the next two plates out cuz I can’t just serve two of them and not the others!  So I put the plates down and say in a really sweet and charming voice “ladies I’ll be right back with your drinks”.  Inside I was screaming.  I quickly get their drinks, thankfully only two ladies got hot tea so I didn’t have to wait for water to boil, but oh my…I could not believe it!  Can you imagine going to a restaurant and placing your order and about 5 minutes later your food just randomly turns up when you are expecting drinks!!! Hahahahahaha

Story number 4.

This story happened later in the day after the incident with forgetting the drinks.  In fact this story is extremely similar possibly slightly clumsier and funnier.  This time I had a table of five, three older women, one young girl and a little boy.  They were just ordering tea and scones.  So I take the order as usual and then go off into the kitchen to get everything ready.  I get a couple of teapots and put them on a tray then I go and fill up two glasses with ice because the young ones ordered pink lemonade.  I head out toward the table and serve the glasses of lemonade and then go to the tray and pick up the teapots. “Hmm…that’s weird they feel very light” I think to myself.  I take the lids off and come to see that not only have I forgotten to fill the pots with hot water but I have forgotten the actual tea leaves too!!! At this point I’m ready to call it a day and announce to the whole room that I’m nearly 31 weeks pregnant, took a big test at nursing school that same morning and really really can’t be bothered to walk all the way back into the kitchen to fill up these two teapots!  But I refrained myself and politely and calmly said…”I’ll be right back m’am”.

As I said before, I have never done anything like that before so I wholeheartedly believe it is due to pregnancy brain, maybe possibly overdoing it by volunteering to work at the tea room after a big test….but I was kinda excited to have the test over with and miss my friends at the tea room so I thought why not.

Pregnancy Brain

I found this on the internet about pregnancy brain and liked what it said:

Pregnancy brain is a condition that affects expectant mothers, usually during the first and third trimesters. Sometimes known as placenta brain or baby brain drain, the condition is usually characterized by short-term memory loss or forgetfulness. Some medical experts say that pregnancy brain is a myth, but evidence shows that many women have experienced this condition.

Studies linking memory and pregnancy are limited, and their results have been irregular. However, pregnant women have claimed to experience frustration while trying to remember the most simple everyday tasks. Some working women who are pregnant have become emotionally distressed because pregnancy brain has rendered them unable to work effectively.

It’s understandable that women’s emotional levels vary greatly during pregnancy. Hormonal surges, combined with the fact that pregnant women must eat for two and may be getting less sleep, are contributory. A great deal of the mother’s time is taken up with thoughts of the baby, so a little forgetfulness is expected.

Increased levels of the hormone progesterone are thought to be a culprit in pregnancy brain. Progesterone can often cause headaches, mood swings and fatigue. The increase of progesterone is often greatest in the first trimester and may be the reason for increased forgetfulness.

The effects of pregnancy brain vary greatly among women. They can be as simple as forgetting phone numbers that one has dialed for years or placing toilet paper in the fridge. One mother-to-be drove home only to find she had arrived at a previous home she had not lived in for six years.

Doctors have devised a few key steps that may help pregnant women decrease the risk of pregnancy brain. Sleep is a key factor in keeping the mind mentally healthy. A pregnant woman should try to get the same amount of sleep as she did before the pregnancy. Eating a well-balanced diet is essential to keep both mother and baby healthy. Doctors recommend that pregnant women take prenatal vitamins in order to ensure the intake of vital vitamins and minerals.

Exercise is also essential to keep the circulation flowing, decrease tiredness and make the mother feel mentally healthier. Another tip is to drink plenty of fluids. When pregnant women become dehydrated, their electrolytes may be disrupted, causing decreased memory and confusion.

The good news for pregnant women is that pregnancy brain is only temporary. It should start to decrease once the baby is born, although some mothers claim that pregnancy brain can last for some time after the birth. However, with most of the mother’s time spent taking care of a newborn baby, this is only to be expected.