Here I am finally emerging from the depths of the first trimester of pregnancy. It's been a bumpy ride. At 6 weeks "morning" sickness hit me like a ton of bricks. I spent the following weeks desperately trying to find foods that 1) I could keep down and 2) sounded appealing and were somewhat nutritionally sound.
It wasn't easy. I went from saltines (ate a whole pack for breakfast one day) to strawberries, to yoatgurt, to fresh mango, to rotisserie chicken (can I just say OH MY GOD, hooray for chicken skin, so f-ing good!) and finally now I am on a blueberry bagel w/whipped cream cheese kick. I say "kick" but what I really mean is that I'm on my third bag of bagels in less than 8 days. Yum. :)
So I now present to you the top 10 things I have discovered thus far about pregnancy in the first trimester:
1) Super saliva. Am I drooling!? I think this is probably the most embarrassing side effect I've experienced yet. You would think that gassiness (#8) would trump this one but since almost every pregnancy comes with gas I'm not so special. However, as I've recently learned, every pregnancy does NOT come with a hefty side of drool.
It starts right after lunchtime. Almost immediately my saliva will start to pool up in my mouth. I don't know why this happens but I know that I've taken to spitting into a sink/trashcan/cup every time I get a chance. At first I just swallowed my spit but that made me so sick/nauseous by the time dinner rolled around that I would have to throw up just to empty my stomach of all the ickiness. Sounds fantastic right? Well I also seem to accumulate a large amount of saliva right around the time I fall asleep - I don't think my husband has noticed yet but I've definitely had some embarrassing wake-ups!
2) Pizza face. If you thought acne was just for teenagers than you will be sadly disappointed once pregnancy rolls around. I was expecting it so it wasn't as devastating as it could have been. Unfortunately this type of acne isn't just limited to the face. I've discovered a couple on my shoulder blades, one on the back of my neck, a few on my chest and even one in my ear! Luckily, I've been approved to keep on using my Proactiv, so that helps keep the skin on my face clear and vibrant.
3) Hairy monster. What the F is going on with my hair ?? I'm not talking about the hair on my head, although that is growing faster than my stylist can keep up with, but body hair. I've never been a hairy person (my leg hair is super fine, I never get "cactus leg") but recently it's like I'm becoming my own personal Chia pet. NOT a fan, hormones!
4) Clip those nails! Similar to the hair issue, my finger and toenails are growing at a rapid pace. I used to cut my toes once a month, that's how slow they grew. Now it's at least twice that. My fingernails went from being clipped every two weeks to every few days - it's incredible. They are still brittle but that's always been a battle for me.
5) It smells like.... Good lord in heaven, I suddenly have the nose of a bloodhound. While it's been both a blessing and a curse it's definitely been a huge adjustment. Smells that used to be all but nonexistent to me are now suddenly a punch in the face. My fridge?? I have never smelled such a thing. Horrid. It's nothing bad or moldy, just food. But holy hell can I smell it. I can smell my boss's BO (it's like that Seinfeld episode about the valet and the BO) from across the store. Every pungent smell just lingers over me and swirls about. Even smells that I used to like such as baked goods and Italian food are like a whack over the head and a jolt to the gag reflex.
6) What does that say? Even my vision has changed. I've always been lucky enough to not need glasses or contacts but recently it seems as if my vision is slowly getting worse. I can't see as well at night anymore and street signs are suddenly looking less clear. I know this is a common side effect and there's really nothing I can do about it. Hopefully it goes back to normal after birth.
7) Pregnancy insanity (a.k.a Gestational Psychosis): I haven't gone all psychotic yet but I can see it coming. Within the past couple of weeks I have found myself in numerous situations where a single event sends me into full-on attack mode. I'm talking body shaking, teeth-grinding, PISSED OFF Jessie.
Example A: One night my husband was climbing into bed and he brushed his left hand up against me when he said goodnight. Only this is the same hand that he had just brushed his teeth with and it was ice cold from being under the faucet. I'm always freezing at bedtime so to have that freezing cold thing touch me was too much for me to handle. I tensed up and was ready to spring for the attack. My body started shaking with anger...and then I realized what just happened. Unbelievable. Poor Dave.
Example B: Last week a man came into my work saying he was here to pick up the water cooler. As in, the only source of drinking water we have in my little store. I looked upon the scene in disbelief as he dismantled the very machine that had provided me with hot water for tea and ice cold water for drinking 10+ times a day for 5 years. I was LIVID. PISSED. I wanted to kill him, hide the body and go on with my day. Just to save my precious water. Even more frustrating was my manager's reaction, "Yeah, our contract expired. No we're not replacing it." My jaw fell to the floor and my eyes burst into flames. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <----- that would be my poor dehydrated head exploding. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about it but mark my words, someone will pay for this.
8) Turning into a frat boy. Burping. It's become my new favorite pastime. I love burping. Feeling bloated? Burp. Having trouble digesting that bite and want to eat more? Burp. It's the solution to so many of my digestive woes. Also, the other gassiness. It's not such a big deal at the moment but I can feel it coming. Especially when I get my tummy up and running again and can eat vegetables and all the high fiber foods I've been missing these past 3 months.
9) I have a goiter, I know it. This just isn't right. Like I mentioned in this post, my very first pregnancy symptom was a swollen thyroid. That started on Christmas Eve and ever since then my neck has been slowly growing bigger and bigger. I know it's mostly a figment of my imagination but I truly feel as if I'm walking around with a giant goiter sticking out of my collar. It's uncomfortable, annoying and most importantly - it's pressing up against my gag reflex!! Smells make me gag, taking my daily pills makes me gag, thoughts of specific foods make me gag, moving my head up and down makes me gag! I've always had a pretty sensitive gag meter but this makes everything I've ever dealt with look like cake. Does this go away? EVER?? My throat feels like it's going to close up at any second. It's like walking around with a too-tight turtleneck wrapped around a choker and sealed with a scarf. I can't breathe.....help.
10) Weight woes & tight pants. My weight has gone down since the day I saw the positive result on that little pee stick. Not by a whole lot but it has decreased. I attribute this to two things, 1) I'm not eating large meals anymore, plus I'm having trouble keeping calories up and 2) I haven't worked out since December. As an ectomorph, this means that what little muscle mass I had gained in the past, is now completely gone. It's definitely disheartening to know that I worked so hard to gain some definition that has now disappeared.
Along with the weight loss comes a somewhat unexpected side effect, tight pants. I'm losing weight yet my pants won't button??? Welcome to the first few months of pregnancy! I'm not really complaining about it, I'm ok with a reason to buy some new clothes and I've already put in my order for a few Bella Bands to help me stay in my unbuttoned pants for as long as possible.
So tell me - did any of these symptoms surprise you? If you've been there, done that please tell me what some of your symptoms were. If you've never been through this, what are some effects of pregnancy that scare the pants off you?
Haha, I just noticed your "Graze with Us" change - I love it!
ReplyDeleteThe most surprising symptom for me was a stuffy nose...for 8 stinking months and counting. And while "painful feet" wasn't really a surprise - it's incredibly unpleasant.
But, I felt like I could handle ANYTHING after my morning sickness left - that was by far the worst!
I lucked out & didn't have morning sickness or the swollen thyroid, but almost all the other symptoms/side effects made me chuckle, because I remember them all too well. If you're taking prescription prenatal vitamins, that explains the monster hair & nails. My nails are incredibly brittle normally, but I had pretty hands while I was pregnant. By far, though, my worst side effect was pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel syndrome. It didn't flare up until about midway through my 7th month, and it was AWFUL. I'd wake up every night with both my hands turned into sleeping claws. It was painful enough that I begged my husband to just cut off my arms more than once. Luckily it went away once all the extra fluid left my system, but my doctor told me that I'm more susceptible to developing it in the future, and with any subsequent pregnancies.
ReplyDeleteI've also had vision changes with both of my pregnancies! Lucky though, it does return to normal after you give birth:)
ReplyDeletethis was hilarious. i love reading this.
ReplyDeletedude, after hanging out with my friend amanda, I know what you are going through!! hahaha. Did you know it's a old wives tale that if you grown a lot of hair on your legs you are having a boy? many women lose weight first tri cause of the nauseua, you'll gain it in no time..hahah it's true. Also the pizza face? Bad news..it may get worse as your hormones continue to fluctuate..it'll get better at the end though...OH and not to scare you..murder is the number one reason for death of a pregnant woman....
ReplyDeleteI suffered through so much of that...brings back LOVELY memories....lol.
ReplyDeleteI remember everything smelling/tasting different. That was really strange to me.
This is going to be WAAAAY TMI, but I was so.frickin.constipated ALL the time. I could hardly ever go! Boy was that uncomfortable. I always dreaded going to the bathroom, because I knew I was guaranteed to be in there at least 30 minutes. It got really bad towards the end of the pregnancy. Phew, I HOPE you don't have to go through that!
Thank you so much for this post! I am 6 wks, so a little behind you, but have had some of the same symptoms (and expect more to come). The heightened sense of smell was so funny to me... Until those smells began bringing nausea. Oh! And whatever genius came up with "morning sickness" must have been a man- it lasts all day on and off! :) I am really tired all of the time. I can sleep in until 10 (on a weekend) and need a nap by noon! Also, my nose is always stuffy and I have to run to the bathroom what seems like every 2.5 minutes. It's crazy how early all the symptoms come on, but I remember the "big picture" and remember how excited I am for a lil one and its all worth it. :) (Gave the hubby a "fair warning" I may not be this optimistic come the last trimester) Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to hear about your preggo-posts during this time!
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