Pregnancy and the Introvert

OK so first a quick definition of introvert vs extrovert. This has nothing to do with how friendly a person seems or even how comfortable they are in big gatherings. The easiest way to explain it is like a battery. If at the end of a long hard monotonous week at work you need to 'recharge your batteries' do you need to go out and see people or stay home and be alone? The energy you need to recharge yourself either comes form being alone (introvert) or being with people (extrovert). I am most certainly an introvert.

As an introvert I used to encourage my roommates to go out, help them get ready promise to clean up and then stay home with the door locked and lights out pretending the apartment was empty when I needed to 'recharge'. This doesn't mean I didn't like to go out or I don't like spending time with people. I just need alone time or I melt down.
Now how is this affected by pregnancy? Well on the surface it's only the fact that you have to go more places for a while. This past week we had activities scheduled every night and 3 planned for Saturday. I ended up skipping Thursdays Relief Society event just to recharge at home because I knew if I didn't I wouldn't make it through Saturday.

***Once again let me remind you needing to recharge at home so I can 'handle' these activities has NOTHING to do with whether or not I want to go to them. All of Saturday's events were things I was excited to attend, especially my fabulous baby shower (thanks Nancy, Laura, Amber and Wendy!!!).***

However by Saturday I was really struggling to have the energy to socialize. This confused me a little. I mean, I've made it through way more socializing in way better form in the past but lately it's been really hard. Why is it so hard right now? Is it some weird nesting hormone that makes me never want to leave my house? Even small trips are becoming increasingly hard for me to handle.
Finally I realized what it was. Pregnancy for this introvert, even as much as I love it, has been 8 months and counting of never being alone. I don't think every introvert feels this way. And I don't want anyone to think I don't love pregnancy. In spite of the slightly snarky posts published here, I love being pregnant. There's such a purpose in it. And all body image jokes aside, I almost always love the feeling of being pregnant (exceptions: while vomiting, while wiping urine off the inside of my leg, when I forget how far my tummy extends and ram it into something).

What I'm saying though, is that to me, as much as I love it, pregnancy is a slow leak on my energy battery. It's never quite full because I am never truly alone. Now that I realize this I think I can plan better and I can definitely understand better why I have the current social ability of your average hermit.

And so...please forgive me if I avoid you at the grocery store.

PS A way fun test to see your personality type here. Good definitions of the personality type once you know what it is here. I'm INTJ, Nate's ESFP.