the OMINOUS first trimester
The past 14 weeks have been an absolute whirlwind for us. Having had a miscarriage back in November 2018, the first 12 weeks of this pregnancy have been especially nerve-wracking. We still managed to enjoy and treasure that newly pregnant state though with crossed fingers and Ryan keeping our emotions in check - reminding us not to get too carried away. It’s actually very difficult when all you can think about is the tiny human bean you are growing inside your belly, and how magical that is. I was sure we were pregnant before we took the test, and having faith in the power of beta hCG, I bought the cheapest pregnancy strips on sale this time around. It then took a LOT of effort to convince Ryan that the faint little pink line most certainly meant we were growing a baby!
I had bought a ‘Write to Me’ BUMP journal to document the pregnancy but I didn’t write in it or take any bump photographs until we safely reached week 14 and had our dating scan. Having blurted out the good news to our families very early on the first time around, this time we endeavoured to keep it a secret, so nobody would feel disappointed if things didn’t turn out how we wanted. Despite our best intentions however, that teeny tiny little bean caused so much nausea when we went home to visit my family in Northern Ireland we had to reveal why. I spent the entire weekend incapacitated on the couch, and when I attempted to go shopping with my mum we had to ask for a bag to be sick in!
The biggest challenge of the first trimester for me was the “morning sickness” (I write inverted commas because let’s face it, whoever named it MORNING sickness clearly had not experienced it!) Mine started at 6 weeks and was bad all through the day, but worst after 5pm until bedtime, often to the point where Ryan would spend an hour cooking a meal in the kitchen and when he set it down in front of me, I couldn’t even take a bite. Poor guy – he was very understanding about my lack of interest in his food. As a student, I was very lucky in that the staff at hospital (who I told on a need-to-know basis) were incredibly understanding about my repeated disapearences when the nausea hit, and often treated me to ginger biscuits if I was looking a little peaky. Saying that, I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to have the responsibility of a paid job and trying to keep pregnancy a secret at the same time with all the nausea!
I’m not sure whether it was all the snacks I was eating to stave off the nausea or the lack of abdominal musculature in my belly (from thirty years of an aversion to exercise) – but my belly ballooned very quickly within that first trimester making me look questionably bloated! There is nothing like the magic of sharing that news though with everyone once you reach the second trimester and bringing them joy – that makes all the nausea and viability worry worth it.
Things I was most surprised about in the First Trimester
- How debilitating persistent nausea can be!
- Too much caffeine has been proven to increase the risk of miscarriage.. luckily I took a gross aversion to it anyway.
- You feel absolutely exhausted all the time, and require naps daily (for which I would lay down on the sofa after hospital and crash for an hour or two!) We are talking complete zombie impersonation; I craved our bed at 8:30pm and would sleep right through.
- I needed to pee in the night three times… you can blame this on the hormones apparently because the tiny bean shaped baby can in no way be blamed for pressing on the bladder at this stage!
- My breasts increased in size dramatically before we even took the pregnancy test, and let’s just say OUCH… I mean I’m talking putting on clothing resulted in discomfort and hugging anyone was pure pain!
- I temporarily (thank goodness) went through a minor phase of food tasting very strange and metallic.
- As a vegetarian I craved and guiltily consumed one McDonalds cheeseburger, crispy hoisin duck pancakes, and a pack of sliced ham.
- Despite the fact that I am naturally allergic to exercise, my blood pressure dropped to 90/60 at my booking visit and my midwife hilariously stated that it must be because I am so fit.
- How emotional I was at every single early scan, and we are talking literally sobbing on the ultrasound couch with happiness and relief. I will never forget the words the midwife used at our first scan. She said: ‘well we are in the right place… there is just one… and there’s a heartbeat. I’m measuring 7 weeks and 4 days.’
