Hi guys! It’s been a while! I’ve been really soaking up every second of my pregnancy (for better or worse) and trying to focus on my mental and physical health for the last couple of months, so I haven’t given myself any time to post. I’m hoping that as I start to get my energy level back up and feel more like myself I’ll be sharing a lot more fun content with you guys. I’m currently 18 weeks along so it’s been a while since I was in the treacherous first trimester, but man I remember it all too well.
When I think back on it, I can’t believe it felt so long and so short at the same time. There were those wholesome days that I never wanted to end, and then there were the ones I was hoping would end as soon as they started. There were so many challenges in my first trimester that made me break down into tears. I remember nights where I cried to Colt and wished for it to all go away. I started to feel like a shell of a person and like no matter what, I would never be able to escape it. I’m so glad that’s passed, but I wanted to document everything I went through in the first 13 weeks as a keepsake and maybe even a bit of a heads up for some moms to be.
Sleepiness
Like I said in my announcement post, I felt extremely tired throughout the majority of the first trimester. I could barely keep my eyes open! In some ways that was beneficial because I was able to catch up on the sleep I had been missing out on with my classes, but at the same time I had no energy to get anything done throughout the day. I was easily sleeping in until 11-12 every morning, taking a couple naps, and still falling asleep early at night. Overall though, there weren’t too many major issues with my heavy eyelids. I managed to get by!
Nausea
Ok, this was the beast. This was what made me feel like I was in hell. Nausea and vomiting is the most commonly talked about side effect of pregnancy, and it was also the one I looked forward to the least. I’ll share the story of how I found out I was pregnant soon, and you’ll see that nausea was my big red flag early on. My stomach hurt constantly and I was always feeling the need to puke, but I refused to do it (I’ve always been terrified of puking). And somehow I made it by quite a few weeks without throwing up at all.
And then it happened. I opened the flood gates.
I can’t remember exactly how far along I was when I finally started throwing up, but once it started, it didn’t stop. I actually ended up losing ten pounds in my first trimester because I couldn’t keep anything down. It was horrible. I started feeling so weak and it tore me apart. There were days when Colt would come home from work and I would be curled up next to the toilet welcoming him home.
I did try some different things to keep this at bay such as Preggie Pop Drops and a ReliefBand, but both only worked for so long before it became unmanageable again. I still feel a little nauseous from time to time, but nothing nearly as bad as the first trimester.
Food Aversions
This one went hand-in-hand with my nausea. It was no fun making food and realizing I couldn’t eat it or being completely disgusted by the food I used to eat everyday. One word- torture. As the trimester progressed, I noticed my aversions went away a little bit, but there are still foods that I don’t even want to go near.
Trouble Breathing
I’m not sure if this is a common first trimester symptom for most people, but it was definitely high on my list of struggles. I figured it would come around when I was further along, but right at the end of the first trimester I was catching myself gasping for air after taking a couple steps or even after standing up. I mean, I’m out of shape, but not that out of shape. It was especially hard when Colt and I went on vacation to Tennessee and we had to take breaks every few minutes so I could catch my breath! Most of the vacation was spent trying to survive the worst symptoms ever.
I’m so glad to be out of the first trimester for so many reasons. Baby Shaeffer is doing great and is looking super healthy. Their heart rate is staying pretty steady at the 150bpm range and they’re loving to roll around and give me little belly tickles. Colt and I are both so excited to announce little one’s gender and name soon, so stay tuned because it won’t be too much longer now!
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