Boom...Blame it on the Economy

So there is a joke among the ladies at work about the Undeniable BABY BOOM. Apparently (according to Lori) the reason for the boom can be blamed on the Economy of all things... Everyone is trying to save money so they stay home and well, as Mojo on 104.3 likes to say, "Drinks Coffee" :) Literally, I know over a dozen couples that are expecting.

So I decided after sharing stories with one of my coworkers who is 19 weeks pregnant, hearing stories from my mother in law about one of her coworkers with who is 12 weeks, and comparing notes with a business associate who is about 25 weeks that I would share how different our pregnancies seem to be.

My coworker, Lori, and I seem to be some of the "chosen few" who have not experienced the horror of morning sickness. We both have nausea and fight our way through it but have not been SICK. Our business associate, let's call T1 and my mother in law's coworker, T2, both have had morning sickness that seemed to last all day. They both have stories that break your heart and would make anyone think twice about having a baby. I have the nausea and have to eat or feel as if I am going to be sick but never have I felt half as bad as the T's have.

My symptoms have been mild. I have to visit the little girl's room every 20 minutes, I have nausea unless I eat, I can't sleep worth a diddly right now but that's a whole 'nother posting on its own, I seem to be avoiding pastas, (Sorry Guys) my boobs seem to stay sore, and I crave Coke & Cherry Icees (yum yum)...Daily! These other ladies' symptoms are completly and totally different from mine.

Lori has just recently started visiting the little girl's room half as much as I do. She craves coffee...actual coffee not Mojo's "Coffee", that I know of. She is showing her little bump and is now wearing maternity clothes. She does not have any food that she tries to avoid. She finds out the sex of her baby next week and has not gained but a few pounds which is all baby. Her pregnancy seems even more perfect than mine.

T1's chest has filled out drastically...seriously the girl walked in our office after a few weeks and we all were like "Whoa...your boobs are huge". Her belly is poking out and is too cute. The girl is all baby too. She has started drinking milk which I can't even seem to make myself. She craves chinese food. She has entered extreme nesting faze and she and her husband are even looking at purchasing a new house.

T2 is an unsual case. When I heard her stories I couldn't help but giggle. According to my mother in law, T2 craves vanilla ice cream with A1 sauce poured over it and she satisfies this craving ALOT...ewww! She is also extremly emotional and seems to cry at the drop of a hat. I saw her a couple days ago and her belly has already started to show. T2 is only a couple weeks ahead of me. I think her symptoms are a total 180 from mine.

Now my question is... how can we all be experiencing these very different symptoms when there are only two genders? Can symptoms be a predictor of what our child will be like? If one person is sick and the other isn't does that mean one's child will be healthier than the other? How can pregnancy symptoms vary so much much from one woman from the other?

I can only pray that I continue to avoid the morning sickness and the vanilla ice cream & A1 cravings :)