Pregnant & Petite: First Trimester
My first trimester was a mess. I never felt so exhausted, sick, and overwhelmed in my life. I’m not someone who gets sick all the time, so when I get ill it is like I’m run over with a truck. Except this time, I was run down for 5-6 weeks.
[line] How We Found Out [line]
I took a pregnancy test on my hubby’s birthday! I missed my period by about three days and I honestly didn’t think much about it because although my period comes like clock work, recently it has been off by a few days. It was our second month of trying and I was assuming it would take us a few months. The day I took the test, I just had this feeling that I was pregnant. I took a cheap pregnancy test and walked away. When I came back, there was this super faint second line. I took a picture of it and sent it to my two best friends and said, “do you see this?” Later that day, I took a First Response test that showed a darker line. I put that test in a box unwrapped and gave it to my hubby and said, “happy birthday!”
[line] How We Told Our Parents [line]
My mom wanted to buy us a piece of furniture as a house warming present since we recently bought a house. I told my mom there were some items in a Bed, Bath, & Beyond catalog that I had my eye on. In the back, I slipped in a picture of a crib and said I’ll need this one by December 🙂
We went to Disney World for a family vacation on Steve’s side and once we arrived there, we gave his parents a card. We didn’t have an ultrasound yet, but Steve decided it would be funny to put a fake one from the internet. The card said, “The Best Parents Get Promoted to Grandparents” and I wrote underneath for the fourth time. I don’t think anyone really read the card because they all stopped when they saw the fake ultrasound which everyone thought was hilarious.
[line] Our Ultrasound [line]
We had our first appointment at about 9 weeks with the nurse practitioner. Since baby was still small at the time, I had a vaginal ultrasound. When I first saw our Mexipino (Mexican-Filipino baby), I was amazed! I was like “that’s it!” That’s my baby! I have to admit, at the time it didn’t feel real to me…even though morning sickness was in full force. We even saw Mexipino do some crunches!
[line] 24/7 Sickness [line]
I did not experience any morning sickness until week 5. At first, I noticed I was having a hard time eating. I was hungry but I just couldn’t eat the food that I would usually pick. Eventually, my food choice grew slim and I detested anything warm. I only wanted cold foods. When we told my parents, they took us out to a really nice steakhouse and I could not handle sitting at the table watching everyone eat. I thought that was the worst, but that was just the beginning. It got worse after week 7 and got better around week 10.
I had (and still) have a hard time waking up and feeling ok. In the beginning I would munch on saltine crackers before I got up but that didn’t help me as much as I would hope it would. I would try and eat every 2-3 hours but it didn’t help. I LOVE the many windows in our house but that became an issue when sunlight was too much of a stimulant. I would literally sit in the dark. I ordered Preggie Pop Drops, which is basically candy with vitamin B6 to help with the nausea. It only helped for a couple hours. I was nauseous all the time. My nurse practitioner gave me Diclegis, which is a prescription drug to help with morning sickness. It has vitamin B6 and unisom (sleep aid). Unfortunately, the unisom put me to sleep for the whole day and I don’t think it ever help my nausea, so I stopped taking it. (You’re supposed to take 2 at night, 1 in the morning, and 1 in the afternoon.) I took one at night and would sleep until 10am but fall asleep a few hours later and wake up at 5pm. I can’t imagine if I took 2 at night.
I would avoid the kitchen at all costs. My number one food aversion is eggs. I never really like eggs pre-pregnancy but now it’s the devil. My hubby loves eggs in the morning and sometimes he would make eggs and leave his plate out with ketchup on the island…I would come downstairs and immediately get a whif of it and vomit.
I didn’t vomit a lot until the beginning of my second trimester. After those three days of non stop vomiting, I got better! And this was week 12-13.
I’m in my early second trimester now and I still have a hard time getting up in the morning and I can tell my appetite is coming back slowly. But I’m still exhausted. I can hold my head up a higher and I am able to last in the grocery store without feeling like I’m going to pass out.
[line] Other Symptoms [line]
I was bloated every now and then. Not a fun feeling. When the nausea went away, it was replaced with headaches and dizziness. I know I could take Tylenol for the headaches, but I just don’t want to. I also, and still have weird dreams. They were vivid in the beginning, now they are just plain weird. With how much water I’m consuming, I’m peeing more frequently as well. (And I try to pee before falling asleep!)
[line] Cravings [line]
Pizza. Macaroni and cheese. I can’t tell you how many times I ate pizza for lunch and dinner. Plus, I ate a lot of mac and cheese at Disney World! Fruit is something I’ve been able to consume in the mornings. There was a point where I couldn’t eat crackers anymore. In fact, I would take one bite and I would immediately vomit. The same thing happened with cereal and toast.
[line] What Saved Me [line]
Considering the fact that I had no energy and basically home bound, I could not get a single thing done in my house. That meant blogging took a back seat because looking at my laptop screen made me nauseous, I had no organized thoughts, and I could barely sit up to type a sentence. I barely did the dishes, so thank God for the dishwasher. And groceries? Thank you to whoever invented Shipt. There was a point early in my trimester that Chipotle burrito bowls were the meals I could tolerate. Although it didn’t last every long.
And cleaning the house? I’d beg my hubby to help me. At least clean the toilet bowls! I was SUPER GRATEFUL when my parents-in-law came in for a weekend to visit and they vacuumed and cleaned my windows. I never felt so happy to know my house was clean.
[line] Who Saved Me [line]
In addition to my parents-in-law, I am so thankful my sister-in-law has always checked up on me and was giving me tid bits on what helped her. One thing that helped her that is helping me now, is Lifesaver Peppermints. I sometimes have a weird taste in my mouth after I eat and I’ll just pop a peppermint and I’ll feel better! But having her support and encouragement has been uplifting. Especially now that she has given me books that she had when she was pregnant with her kids! I also have a pregnant friend who is a few weeks ahead of me that has been checking up on me as well. (And shared a great pregnant mocktail recipe!) It’s great to have a support system on the same road as you!
ALSO, I have to thank my hubby for putting up with me. The midnight Taco Bell run ( I know…) and the many random grocery runs for all the food cravings I had. He’s the real MVP.
[line] Our Plan [line]
We are NOT finding out the gender of our little Mexipino. The reason for this is because it simply does not matter to us. Also, I feel that knowing the gender takes away from the birthing experience. When I was a labor and delivery nurse, one the best type of deliveries were the ones where the gender was a surprise. The look on the parents faces can be described as the groom seeing his bride walk down the aisle. It is a pure, organic moment. It’s the moment you see your patient become a mother and her significant other become a father. It’s a moment that I want for my own deliveries as well. So until then, we have been calling our little babe, our Mexipino 🙂
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Are you pregnant now? What are some of your tips and tricks that helped you keep sane?
