this trimester knocked me out. i wasn’t totally overcome with insane nausea –but it was there. and often it came bc i was hungry. but the problem was, nothing at all sounded good to eat. nothing. more than all that though, i was dog tired. dog. tired. i would get up from bed to do something productive and could only make it to the couch. where i would stay for as long as ramona would allow. and then i’d get up to try to do something again and would find myself back in bed. it was brutal. poor ramona and i were cooped up and had cabin fever bad. i couldn’t even get up to take a walk around the block. thankfully, i have a wonderful hubby and amazing friends who really chipped in with spending time w ramona to give me a break.
here’s what helped me try to cope with nausea and extreme exhaustion (weeks 6-8 were the absolute worst!): 1. liz lange maxi dress bc not having to pick out an outfit each day is key || 2. hue ultra wide waistband leggings bc i already don’t fit in many of my pants! || 3. house of cards on netflix for when i was too tired to read or leave the couch || 4. saltine crackers (kept in every room in the house) || 5. ginger snap cookies (kept in every room in the house) || 6. lavender room spray for relaxation || 7. tons of sparkling water to calm the belly || 8. barney to keep ramona company || 9. lemon drops seemed to soothe a nauseous tummy when i couldn’t bring myself to eat anything || 10. (not pictured) a loving, patient hubby to pick up my slack and help take care of the things i usually take care of.
have you experienced a rough first trimester? what got you through it? how long did your symptoms last? i’m still more tired than usual but am way better than i was doing a couple of weeks ago and certainly see the light at the end of the tunnel.
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4 Responses to HOW TO SURVIVE THE FIRST TRIMESTER
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welcome
My daughter is 7 months old now, I found your blog on the Sakura Bloom sling diaries and love reading about your darling little Ramona! Especially since this is my first time as a mother of a baby girl, as we have three boys previously.
Just wanted to chime in that I feel for you since that was me last summer while pregnant with my baby girl! Couldn’t eat, sleep, get dressed or hold my head up for very long without major effort…even walking across the room seemed monumentally challenging! Everything was too bright, too loud, too rough to the touch, too cold/hot, too whatever…you name it. Crackers, perrier, and frozen lime pops were my sustenance. The misery lasted for about 8 weeks, although it seemed like more.
I stuck it out, not wanting it to go away *Sickness is a sign of a resilient pregnancy* just hoping the days would pass quickly. Lying on the couch watching endless Netflix episodes of MadMen, wearing my same old mickey mouse tee and bike shorts from one day to the next (love your suggestion of a maxi dress-why didn’t I think of that?) And wishing the sun was not shining so I could stop feeling so guilty about NOT taking my 3 older children to the beach or the zoo…NOT lacing up my jogging shoes, NOT camping with the family as I had done with previous pregnancies…and just hoping for the best all the while sending up grateful, anxious prayers that this baby would *be well*
The fun thing was we played more cards and board games that summer than ever before, since that was one thing we could do on the king sized bed where I camped out when I was not on the couch. And while I couldn’t join the family in the kitchen for meals, my three boys *ages 10, 7, and 5* learned simple meal prep like burritos, quesadillas, and grilled cheese that I had never thought to teach them before because I was always able to do it for them (when they were younger and I had morning sickness we lived on Cheerios; they LOVED that!). Also, since we weren’t out having fun in the sun, we did math games (fun ones that didn’t require me to move a muscle) and kept up on their reading like never before (they read to me while I “rested my eyes”), and boy did they ace school come fall! And, like you, I was reminded how wonderful my dear hubby is to fill in for me when I am down for the count. By the 2nd trimester I was feeling so much better; we were able to go camping, I was out running again, and life was much more normal.
All of this in the early weeks with baby #4 turned out to be good practice for our little family, though, since I ended up on hospital bed rest for the last trimester with a preterm delivery. My boys are all so in love with their baby sister that they don’t mind all that we couldn’t do during the morning sickness or while I was on bed rest, because having a baby in the family is a gift like no other. They are already asking when we are going to have another! Blessings to you Mama~Hang in there
this is all great advice. thanks so much for sharing your experience. it’s good to know that most often it’s just “a mama’s gotta do what a mama’s gotta do!”
Congratulations, Emily! That’s such great news!! Hopefully you’re now feeling better and enjoying the sweet spot- that wonderful second trimester. My second pregnancy was much tougher than my first, probably because I had a 13 month old to chase after…I relied heavily on Santa Cruz lemonade, cold baths and the kindness of friends. Though Orange is the New Black wasn’t on Netflix at the time, it’s a really great show that’s easy to get into. If you want to get even more out of it, listen to the Terry Gross/Fresh Air interview with Piper Kerman (author of the memoir upon which the show is based). Feel great and congrats again! xo
Lovely post! congratulations!