We are vacationing in Maui this week with my family and it is great to get away. We have been eating and playing cards and watching movies and did I mention eating? It is glorious to be away from work and away from the daily routine of life.
Yesterday we went to church, like we always do, and afterwards we enjoyed some time poolside in the sunshine with a book. It was heaven. Until it was not heaven and it was more like a fiery punishment in hell. Today I have the single worse sunburn I have ever had in my life.
Let me preface this by saying this is the first year I have packed sunscreen for this trip, and it is primarily for my anglo-saxton husband who moonlights as a reflective surface. In previous years I would sit and worship the sun from dawn until dusk, rotating like a rotisserie chicken, until my bronzing timer would *ding* and I would be rewarded with a glowing tan.
Apparently, being pregnant causes your hormones to go haywire, and a common side effect is sensitivity to sunlight. Of course, I thought this would be one of the things of pregnancy that I would just avoid, much like morning sickness and rapid uncontrolled weight gain. (ha! haha!)
Today I am paying for my 40 minutes of regret able sunshine by sitting on the couch COMPLETELY IMMOBILIZED. My arms and shoulders don’t feel too bad, but my legs feel like they are being stretched by a medieval torture device. At any given moment my shins are probably going to pop right out of my skin and detach from my body, causing me to bleed out and die.
When I absolutely have to move from the couch, I walk on my tip toes hunched over like Quasimodo, hobbling up the stairs or to the bathroom. I’m hoping that by tomorrow my hot neon red legs will have faded to pink and my SPF 5,000 will protect me from this EVER happening again.
Add this to the list of Weird Things That Happen When Pregnant.
the sorensen six 
Go to the little Grocery Market in Paia that sells all organic and whole foods stuff (for incredibly high prices!) and buy the 100% pure Aloe Vera “gel”. I put gel in parentheses because it's very liquidish but it's totally raw. Anyway, I and my brother had a SUPER bad sunburn in Maui and that stuff was AMAZING! It didn't even hurt the next day. Put it on every couple hours. Mmmmkay?Or don't. Either way, you're in Maui!? Sunburns don't hurt as much because you're in Maui for heaven's sake! :)Have fun!
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Ouch! I didn't know that about being pregnant. At least you are in Maui with a sunburn like that! Hope it will go away soon so you can enjoy the rest of your vacation. Eat lots of yummy food and have tons of fun with your family!
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Same advice I gave on facebook. Apple Cider Vinegar, smells disgusting but it works. Have fun and enjoy the rest of your vacation.
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Micci! I really, really feel for you. The first time I went to Hawaii, against everyones advice, I did not wear ANY sunscreen. I proceeded to bask in the sun for about 6 hours thinking I was not getting any color. Yeah…not the case. It ruined my whole trip. I have never peeled THAT bad. It was horrible and hurt so, so bad. Nothing quite takes that sting away. You just want to be naked in cold water. All the Aloe in the world couldn't save me. Hope you feel better and the trip is still fun.
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No for pregnancy sunburns!! I used to get check burns like every of day of my pregnancy. So weird. Why do our bodies react to fetuses with crazy side effects like sunlight sensitivity?
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