If you saw our announcement,
you’re aware… I’m pregnant!
While I have
no intention of turning my blog into a pregnancy or mom blog, it is a scrapbook
of my days. I’ve been blessed by God to
carry this child, and I want to remember every second of it; and to help those
also expecting or interested, I’m sharing my journey…
As I’m moving along in my
second trimester, (it’s weird… time simultaneously is moving so fast yet so slow) I wanted to look back on the first few months.
Here are 10 things that surprised me about
my first trimester…
1. Heightened anxiety – I am
a pretty anxious person to begin with, so along with the joy & gratefulness
of receiving a positive pregnancy test, I was a wreck. Due to some complications early on, I had & still have constant wonders if this pregnancy
would remain viable, even after seeing and hearing the heartbeat & multiple ultrasounds later. It's stressful, to say the least.
2. Morning sickness – or
should I say, ALL DAY sickness. For
about the first 12 weeks, being nauseous was an all day occurrence for me. Waves of it would come & go, but the nausea
was worst in the morning & at night.
It wasn’t toilet-hugging debilitating, but I had a constant feeling of ‘throw-up’
sitting at the bottom of the throat. I usually was always able to talk myself out
of actually throwing up though -- mind over matter!! haha
3. Exhaustion / tiredness – all I wanted to do was sleep. Like, be in bed by 7:00-8:00 every night. I am usually go go go & never sit down
after I get home from work, but the couch definitely became my best
friend. Also, simple things like walking the parking lot into work, left me short of breath.
4. Bloating /indigestion
(and tight pants!) – most women don’t start showing until they're into their 2nd
trimester, however after eating lunch & supper, most days I had a
noticeable little bump. It was gone by
morning (that’s how I knew it was just bloating) – but now it’s here to stay…
at least until March, I hope. ;)
5. Hunger – for as nauseous
as I felt, I was still hungry all.the.time.
I had to eat every two hours otherwise the nausea would get out of
control.
6. Cravings – besides sleep, I wanted any food full of carbs.
Though I loved carbs pre-pregnancy, during those first 12 weeks, carbs
were about the only thing that sounded good. Bread, cereal, pasta, but
especially baked goods… muffins, bagels, banana bread. Bless my mom, she so
very kindly dropped off lots of homemade banana bread those first few weeks.
And Zac -- he makes me breakfast almost every morning before work.
I'm also craving ice water -- the colder, the better.
7. Aversions – food-wise, nothing was so bad that I couldn’t
stand to eat it or smell it, but every once in a while just cooking supper made
me queasy. I usually forced myself to eat whatever it was that I just
cooked, but a few times I just ate cereal instead (Cheerios, Golden Grahams, &
Honey Bunches of Oats are my jam!) One thing that surprised me was my lack of
interest in my usual breakfast smoothies – I’ve been drinking one every day for the last 3 years and during the first 12 weeks, I just couldn’t do it. I still really don't want them.
Smells – perfume, lotion, air
fresheners… though I think the fragrance
may actually smell nice, it’s just SO overpowering it makes my stomach turn. Even one tiny little squirt makes me
nauseous.
8. Frequent
urination – I used to never get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Now,
I usually get up twice. I know this is
only going to get worse as the pregnancy progresses... maybe that our body’s way of
prepping us for those late night feedings?
9. Sore
chest – my goodness, I swear just looking
at my boobs made them hurt. Haha They
were sooo tender, I didn’t even know it was possible for them to hurt that much.
10. Secrets are hard – we weren’t comfortable sharing the news of
our pregnancy with family & friends until the second trimester, and it was
incredibility difficult not to be a hermit, or having to pull for any excuse as to why I couldn't have an alcoholic beverage. I am THE worst liar on the planet. I secretly wanted to shout from the roof tops “I’M FINALLY PREGNANT” but, I refrained. ;)
While the above list sounds not to fun, there are somethings that do help during those first 3 months...
- Keep
crackers on your night stand.
- Voice
any concerns to your doctor & try to stay off internet forums (though I am
totally guilty of this).
- Listen
to your body: sleep when you’re tired & realize that you can’t do it
all. Take on less, slow down, & let
the
housework slip. It's not the end of the world.
- Drink
lots of water.
- Get
some fresh air – if you can muster up the energy to get outside & take a walk, chances are you'll feel better.
- Remember
that God has a plan for you – you may not understand it, you may not like it,
or it may not go the way you
thought, but He would never give you anything you
couldn’t handle.
If you’re
struggling though your first trimester, know that you’re not alone! Life is not easy right now and it’s full of
change -- I get it girl! If you’ve been through it
before, what was your experience like? I'd love to read your comments!
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving, friends!
We all have so much to be thankful for.
If you're hosting Thanksgiving this year & need some tablescape inspiration, check out this post from last year.
