First Trimester Recap

Wow, was I mistaken. It’s no secret that the first trimester and I were not friends. I think I felt good for the first two weeks I had found out I was pregnant which, after my first ultrasound, was about week 3-5. Then week 6 happened to me.

Pregnancy is not for the faint of heart. Don’t get me wrong- it’s the most amazing gift and I am so very grateful for this little babe growing in my belly, but WOW do all the gorgeous IG pregnant moms just make you feel so terrible about yourself when you feel nothing but misery.
It started with extreme fatigue. The “it takes all I have to get off the couch and do ONE load of laundry on my off days” fatigue. The “I may have the flu” fatigue. The “I can’t even keep my eyes open for Netflix” fatigue.

Then the lovely nausea set it. Side bar- I’d like to meet the person who deemed pregnancy-induced nausea/vomiting as “morning” sickness. They clearly didn’t have it bad. I was one of the fortunate to have ALLLL day nausea and vomiting, with the prime time being evenings. I tried it all. Ginger. Lemon. Oils. B6 Preggy Pops. Yada yada yada. No relief. None. It was vomiting daily. Unable to drink more than a bottle of water a day, actually the taste of water made me sick (Gatorade for the win). I would be sitting there fine and boom uncontrollable dry heaves and maybe vomit maybe not. Never know. But my all-time low moment was gagging and nearly puking in a patient’s room at work. It was getting out of hand. I talked to my doctor about it and I tried taking Diclegis. It’s a B6-antihistamine combo drug that’s Class A safe for pregnancy and as far as I’m concerned- a wonder drug. In all seriousness, it made life tolerable. I could get through a 12 hour shift without my head in every trash can and actually went from puking multiple times daily to once every 3-4 days. So doable!!! I know everyone wants to give you all the advice when you get pregnant so I will too: (on this one thing)

1. Try eating every 1-2 hours. EVEN when you’re not hungry. It helps knock down the nausea.
Always have gum/mints on hand. So gross but I found when I had bad breath- it would make me nauseous. Gimme alllll the gum and mints and toothpaste and mouthwash.
2. Try cold fruits; especially citrus. That helped me.
3. Find some liquid to keep you hydrated; whether that’s bone broth, Gatorade, Pedialyte, whatever. Little sips. Frequently. It helps to throw up when there’s liquid involved, TMI.
4. Lavender essential oil- even if you’re not into them, try it with aromatherapy.
5. Don’t hesitate to ask for help- whatever stigma is out there about taking medications when pregnant? Forget it. If it’s safe and your provider is on board and you need it to complete daily life-DO IT! There’s no gold sticker for being miserably nauseous all the time.

My purpose in this is not to have a pity party – but purely to put it out there that all of pregnancy isn’t what you see on you IG feed from famous bloggers. And it’s OKAY that you don’t want to take a single photo because your weight gain feels like pure weight gain- not fabulous belly bumps. And all the progesterone has created acne that your pubescent self would be ashamed of. Facial, chest, back you name it- I got it. And it’s not glorious. And per the OBGYN- just a salicylic acid wash is safe. If anyone has recommendations there- I’m all ears.

So if you’re feeling sick in pregnancy- find comfort in knowing ME TOO, GIRL. It hasn’t been the sunshine and roses I pictured it to be- but hey I’m growing a human being- no one said it’s easy! There’s so much more going on behind the pictures of IG and trust me it’s so easy to fall into the trap that everyone’s so perfect when you feel like a mess. At least for me it is. “YOU GET A BABY OUT OF THIS WHOLE THING” is what I keep telling myself. And it’s ALLLLL worth it.

I’m finally in the second trimester and I wish I could say the nausea and vomiting is gone- but it’s not. And I’m okay with it. I AM having more energy and am able to stomach that one cup of coffee and it’s amazing. To all the pregnant mamas out there- keep your chin up you’re doing a great job. Even if you’re eating more junk food than you planned on, even if you haven’t been the gym since you found out because you’re too exhausted, even if you feel crappy- you’re providing the place where that little heart and mind is growing and developing and THAT’S AMAZING. To all the moms in general- you’re freaking superheroes.

 

(& Baby G)