Aversions

Aversions. It’s a real beast. 

I feel any “negative” pregnancy symptom that isn’t experienced is a blessing. One that I’m blessed to realise the blessing of its absence because I actually experience it is this: aversions. 

Currently, I’m hidden away in my room because of it. And it’s weird how something as simple as boiled plain rice can make me head to the hills. Such a common Ghanaian staple, and it sends me to my room like a stubborn 8 year old 😂😂 Let me not start listing the others before I have to head to the…. 

And some wonder why I haven’t stepped foot in or anywhere near our work canteen. Hmmmm… it’s going to be you and me, Oats-from-a-mug, for lunches at work for quite a while if these aversions don’t get significantly better soon. 

Whilst some aversions can be avoided, others need to be borne long enough to prevent me from graduating to a cookie toss. So I’ve developed a breathing-through-my-mouth technique that helps me survive a few minutes of whatever aversion it is without drama. Often enough time to use the washroom and hide again if “love” is in the air 😅

Before pregnancy, I can hand-on-heart say I underestimated the power of aversions and their psychological impact. Imagine! Now a billboard showcasing a picture of freshly boiled rice can put me off totally… and now even as I envision this my mouth starts to build a good flow of “water”. I need to calm my thoughts before this escalates any further to running to the washroom. 🤦🏾‍♀️

Amazing how our bodies work. Even more amazing with the joys of carrying a child. My aversions have peaked and dipped over many weeks and the sheer variety of it all is amazing. Some have remained a constant from the early weeks. Others seem to join the club later. Whilst others I can only test the waters to actually see if I’d react badly or not. 

Test and learn. Another thing almost guaranteed on this incredible but definitely beautiful journey, aversions or not. 

8:32pm 

- Pregnancy Diaries || Tuesday, 6th July, 2021 || 18 weeks, 0 days