by Danielle N. Hall

7/3/2018

One of the most horrible experiences EVER is the hangover! Symptoms include fatigue, thirst, headache, dry mouth, nausea, light and sound sensitivity, muscle aches, dehydration, loss of appetite, diarrhea, heartburn, excessive sweating, irritability, bad breath, and vomiting. Sounds like a new medication ad, I know… I mean the body really goes through some changes!

This one time…not at band camp…I remember having a pretty rough night. Ok, ok…maybe I’ve had a few memorable occasions and not just one rough night. Anyway, I recall watching a regular Friday night comedy special. There was the usual case of Schlitz Blue Bull available and random snacks. I indulged. I got extra creative and decided that it’d be a great idea to get a bagel and pour chocolate syrup on it. My creativity didn’t cease there…oh nooooo…I had that Emeril spirit and decided to kick it up a notch. I grabbed a little bit of lime flavored Jell-O and topped it with whipped cream. You can just call me Chef Girl-Ar-D. Well, needless to say, I probably needed to go back to culinary school because that combo juuuuust didn’t quite get together. The result was a catastrophe. I hadn’t experienced spending so much time in the throne room getting that acquainted with the throne. We did share much quality time on a few other occasions as well. It was a hangover to remember.

Now that was a true story, but also true is another hangover account. Picture it, DC, 1999. I was excited, nervous, confused, and happy: simultaneously. On the morning of December 13, 1999, I started having these unusual pains and discomforts. They were an indicator that there was some activity going on beneath the service. I had arrived at work at the day care center where I was employed and I just couldn’t seem to get comfortable. Not long after arriving, I decided it may be best for me to go back home to assess and deal with these changes. Time progressed and a few hours later I made my way to the hospital. I called my parents and they beat me there! Time was ticking, Dad got tired, but mom hung around.

I was offered medication to help ease the discomfort, but I declined. Somewhere near the 10pm hour, I changed my mind and took them up on their offer. A few hours passed by and after being extremely exhausted and going through these changes, an observant baby girl made her debut at 2:05am on December 14th…weighing in at a whopping 5lbs. 13oz. What an experience!

I had only gained 12lbs. The entire pregnancy: though it appeared as if I was gonna give birth to twins. After having given birth, I lost 14lbs. This was awesome! I walked often during the pregnancy and was pretty active. I lost 14lbs., but managed to gain a new trophy: the mother’s pouch, which I am dubbing as “the hangover”.

Now this picture isn’t me, but I could’ve posed for it. I couldn’t understand why I had acquired this new gift, but I learned to embrace it. It is a reminder of one of the most rewarding experiences: becoming a mom. I’ve since become the mother of two more jewels and I’ve experienced tremendous weight gain and some weight loss…but that hangover is yet holding on. I proudly wear my badge of honor and I thought I’d encourage any mother who still has her pouch (in spite of efforts to reduce it), to wear your badge with pride. Don’t stop working at reducing it if it makes YOU happy, but don’t be discouraged if it hangs around for your lifetime. You are a mom and you rock!

P.S. – I haven’t had those other types of hangovers anymore…I’ve got a new appetite and I hunger and thirst after righteousness: not Schlitz or any other concoction I’ve made in the past. God made the difference!