1st trimester down
admin January 18th, 2008
So I am beginning my second trimester and I thought I’d reflect a little about my pregnancy for anyone who might be interested. I know I read many of these stories before deciding to reproduce myself.
Some resources say that women “just know” when they are pregnant. I was not one of those women. The only thing that might have clued me in was a passing thought that I seemed to have to pee more than usual. But then I figured it was just me drinking more liquids or my body figuring out that it could pee whenever it wanted to when I was at home. Really, I also didn’t really think that I could get pregnant the first month of trying. I had heard that the average was 6 months, and I had friends who had been trying a few months already. Plus, I knew one girl who got pregnant the first time, and I figured it was like knowing someone who won the lottery. The chances of winning after knowing someone who has won are so small, you might as well stop playing.
So, when I peed on that stick (I recommend First Response) and I got a faint line, my husband cautioned me not to get my hopes up, and so I didn’t. It turns out that I was testing too early. It also turns out that any line is a positive line. Because of all this caution and the faintness of the line, I never got to have that “Holy shit I’m pregnant guess what honey we’re pregnant woohhooo I can’t believe it” moment. And, I’m sorry I missed that. I realize now that I was looking forward to that moment.
My first symptoms were excessive peeing and cramps. I really don’t think I pee as often now as I did the first trimester, although on a long hike both me and the hubby can be seen scouting for good secluded spots at least twice before we get back. At least now I only make one middle-of-the-night run instead of the previous minimum two. Cramps are also normal as your insides grow and shift and shouldn’t be a concern unless they are very painful and accompany blood. All of this I read online. God bless WebMD.
I was hoping that being young and healthy the “morning” sickness would pass me by. It didn’t, but I have to say that it was light compared to other people I know. My worst moments were puking in the car, and having to jump out of the shower so that I didn’t puke in there. I think I still have plastic bags stashed all over the house and the car for that reason. What helped me the most was taking the vitamin just before I went to sleep at night (no more nasty vitamin burps or pukes – shudder) and NEVER getting hungry. I ate as soon as I woke up, and then at every sign of hunger after that. I kept snacks in the car, in my office, and next to the bed. I ate small amounts frequently. And I didn’t let myself get too tired. If I thought that 8 PM was too early to go to bed, my retching reminded me that it was not. I must mention that through all of this my husband was wonderful, often heading out late at night to get me something that I thought I could eat, or forgoing nice restaurant meals for ordering-in at home.
Let me also mention that at this point you might be feeling so bad all the time that you start to get angry at the source of your sickness – the baby. I certainly did. I couldn’t drink or eat many things I wanted to, and here I was sick all the time because of this damned baby. The best thing to treat this, I found, is an ultrasound picture. Little fetal babies are just so cute, especially YOUR little fetal baby.
By week 10-11 this phase was mostly over. It feels great, other than the annoying stabbing pain in the side, that apparently is my uterus pulling away from the inner wall (fun!). I am enjoying this trimester as I still look normal and I hear that the third comes with its own annoyances. The two things that still annoy me are my inability to drink wine or cocktails (grr) and my inability to run. Many of my friends have 5Ks, 10Ks and triathlons coming up and according to my heart rate, I can’t join in. Apparently even good hikes are dangerous. Even though apparently the 140 heart rate limit is no longer the standard, my pulse timings are telling me I’m near 180 on the easiest jogs, and that is not allowed. So, walking and weight excercises are it. Fortunately, my body seems to be OK, and I have not gained any weight. I am even a little worried about my lack of weight gain while at the same time happy that I am in my normal clothes. It will happen soon enough, I’m sure.
I know every person is different and every pregnancy is different too, but perhaps more of these personal stories will help people figure out their own bodies, and their own willingness to sacrifice it a little to grow this baby thing. I have the utmost respect for women who decide not to have kids. So far though, I’m glad I didn’t.