The First Twelve Weeks

I figured before I start my first weekly pregnancy post I should summarize the first twelve weeks. I can't believe I'm already in the second trimester - I hope this pregnancy slows down a bit! I need some time to prepare for this baby!

The first twelve weeks were a whirlwind. Between the emotions of finding out I was pregnant, the stress of worrying something would go wrong, and the ever-so-lovely side effects that come along with pregnancy, the first trimester went fast! If you've ever been pregnant, I'm sure you can relate to the ups and downs that come along with pregnancy, especially in the beginning. The greatest joy during the first trimester was seeing a heartbeat - something that was missing with our last pregnancy. The greatest shock of pregnancy were the physical and emotional side effects, or "pregnancy symptoms" as many call them.

Name a pregnancy symptom and I had it during the first trimester: nausea, vomiting, insomnia, headaches, heartburn, exhaustion, and crying. I do realize that none of those words are all that positive but I won't sugarcoat things - the first trimester flat out sucked. On a good day, I could eat a few crackers, take a few sips of gingerale, and sleep for a few hours - but only during the day. On a bad day, I laid on the bathroom floor, hugged the toilet, and laid on the bathroom floor some more. Thankfully, my mom would come over in the middle of the day with more gingerale, crackers, and some good old fashioned TLC. Dave would hold my hair and clean up after me like it was his job. If that's not love, I don't know what is. But during all this, I kept reminding myself that being sick was a good sign - it meant the baby was growing and that was reassurance that I needed. Luckily, around the 10th week, I started to keep food down again and the vomiting was replaced by constant nausea, a welcomed sign of relief.

Now that the twelfth week is coming to a close, I am happy to report I am feeling much better! The nausea persists but mostly only bothers me when I'm feeling hungry. I'm starting to sleep more at night although baby still prefers a long afternoon nap. The headaches are increasing in prevalence but they're manageable at this point. I hear a lot of these side effects will start to subside as I get further into the second trimester... thankfully!

Pregnancy is certainly a beautiful thing and everyone assures me all the sickness is worth it in the end. I'm thinking those people might just be right :)