I’ll start off by saying a huge thank you to everyone who has commented on my first blog and sent me private messages. You guys have been amazing with the well wishes and sweetest messages and what I love is the fact that I have had soo many of you sharing your experiences with me too which are always a delight to read.
Anyhow, let’s get down to business and discuss this ultimate shocker of a lifetime stage, The First Trimester. This trimester where a woman first gets to know the unknowing and the thought of what’s to come is the most nerve wracking, exciting, butterflies going wild feeling ever! And I’m sure most of you will agree with me as there are no words to describe the feeling of discovering you’re pregnant. I was sat there staring at my pregnancy test thinking OH MY GOD!! I AM GOING TO BE A MOMMMMMMMY! OMG!!Just like an exhilarated child!
So lets get started on my experience during this beautiful first trimester of our journey and some hints and tips that worked for me.
What she experienced isn’t always what you’ll experience..
So, once we cross the initial bridge of finding out we’re expecting, we don’t realise we have a whole lot of bridges to cross yet. This is just the beginning. Being the youngest in my family, watching two sisters and a sister in law all go through pregnancy, along with most of my friends, I wasn’t all new to the pregnancy expectations as I saw women close to me go through it all but let me tell you this, what you see with others is NOT always what you’ll be going through yourself so do not set expectations based on other individuals experiences.
Each pregnancy is different, every woman is different and our bodies handle every occurrence differently. So, throughout the years I had this misconception of the first trimester being the bane of a woman’s life, they’re sick, tired at all times, constant mood swings, bed ridden, you name it!
However, once I fell pregnant, all those thoughts on the brutal first trimester had left my mind. I was overwhelmed with the news of falling pregnant and was too excited to have any negativity cross my mind. I couldn’t wait to experience the changes in my body and life in general. And so, my first trimester began and I was blessed enough to experience hardly any sickness throughout my first 12 weeks and I genuinely believe that it all depends on the pregnancy itself. I have family members who’ve had the perfect first trimester with one pregnancy and a total nightmare with sickness with the other pregnancy. So it’s nothing we do, it’s how our body chooses to handle that pregnancy in particular. Don’t blame yourself for it or have the thought that maybe, somehow, it’s your fault that this trimester is a struggle.
Anyway, sickness is not the only thing that you experience in those first 3 months. Let’s have a whizz through the amazing events of this period.
Nausea/Sickness and that ‘metallic’ taste
Hands up if you know what I mean by that ‘metallic’ taste on your tongue. Oh, the things we’d do to get rid of that revolting taste! My way to go was ice lollies! Any time I felt this taste in my mouth and my mouth started to feel really dry, I’d treat myself to an ice lolly. My husband filled our freezer with fruit pastel ice lollies as that’s all I wanted. They totally got rid of that awful metallic taste that sat on my tongue most days! As for sickness, like I said, I was fortunate enough not to suffer from this horrific first trimester occurrence. However, the odd occasion when I did feel my stomach turning (and I know at this point it’s the last thing you want to do) I made sure I snacked on something dry, a biscuit or a cracker! Trust me it helps, its dry and just does the trick to settle your tummy! I did this most mornings, as most women tend to feel nauseas first thing, have a bite of a biscuit and it’ll help that awful feeling.
For me, brushing my teeth during this period always would cause that heaving feeling for me but it’s a common known fact during the first trimester, most women tend to gag when brushing their teeth. I just saw it as a good sign, just meant I was definitely still pregnant!
Of course, the term ‘morning sickness’ doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll happen just in the morning. Sickness for some women can last throughout the day and the poor women that do suffer from sickness during the initial stage, I think snacking/nibbling throughout the day is so important. It just helps settle your stomach and if you do vomit in the end, at least it’s not as painful where you’re bringing up acid as you’ve been avoiding to eat (due to sickness) which is no good for you nor the baby. Another thing to take note of would be to avoid spicy food if you’re experiencing sickness. Vomiting alone is a struggle for any human, and when its accompanied by spicy food, dear god, you do not want to experience that! So, keep it bland, dry and healthy for at least that initial period if you’re suffering from sickness.
Fatigue and exhaustion
I think most people will agree, no matter how fit and healthy you are, the first trimester hits you with some serious levels of tiredness. I remember coming home from work every night and throwing myself on to my bed for an hour or so just to get that little bit of rest/sleep my body had been craving all day. I could sleep for hours and even Armaan was shocked at how exhausted I was by the time I got home from work. Of course, having a good partner always helps as a head massage or a back rub here and there just helps mentally and physically.
So despite loving being at the gym and eating healthy pre pregnancy, I began to notice none of this held importance during my first trimester. The tiredness I felt took over my mind and I knew I had to listen to my body and not overdo it especially at such an early stage of my pregnancy. I opted for walks with Armaan instead and they were the perfect way to keep me active but at the same time not over do it.
Cravings and put offs!
Women at this stage have the funkiest cravings and I always love hearing all about it! At this stage I was allowing myself to eat whatever my taste buds fancied but yes, there were certain things that definitely became a preference over others;
Ice lollies – the initial stage of my pregnancy was during the summer and ice lollies for me were the best thing man had invented! Plus, they got rid of that metallic taste that would make me feel nauseas. I literally would run out of the office soon as I heard an ice cream van approaching! Got to a point where everyone in the office would look at me soon as they heard the ice cream van ha.
Ribena Cordial with ice – this is something I’d crave throughout the day and no other cordial but Ribena. The advantage of this was the fact that I was getting those fluids in my body and keeping myself hydrated.
Crisps – those that know me are aware that I could eat crisps all day, every day and literally that was the case during the first 12 weeks of my pregnancy (and we’re still going strong ha).
Cheese & Crackers (with Brandson pickles) – I’m not going to lie, this has always been our midnight snack during the weekends but then it sneaked in to my weekdays during my first trimester! I love cheese and could add it to all my foods but be sure to stay away from soft cheeses during your pregnancy ladies. Here’s an NHS guide to what foods to avoid during pregnancy http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/foods-to-avoid-pregnant.aspx
Sushi – I am a big sushi lover and a sushi dine was a must every weekend for Armaan and I! However, as much as you can indulge, there are certain things that are a total no go during pregnancy (see link above), like raw sea food. This was the biggest struggle for me! Till this day I still crave my favourite Spicy Ahi Tuna Roll from our favourite local restaurant, Victors. I have told Armaan, as soon as I give birth, this is the first thing I want to eat! So for now, to try and satisfy this ultimate craving of mine, I am opting for cooked sushi, which we all know isn’t the same but does the trick when times are hard. Basically, anything and everything unhealthy became my craving!
Here is a list of some of my put offs;
Veg – I wouldn’t wish this upon any pregnant lady but I was put off the smell of steamed veg! So, my alternative became green smoothies made by my husband (which tasted vile) as it’s so important to get those nutrients in to your body as you’re still preparing your placenta during this stage of your pregnancy so as much as you indulge, just be sure to take in all those significant nutrients and vitamins.
Smell of chicken cooking – oh this put me off eating chicken for a short period of time! During a normal week, I cooked chicken 3 times a week but when it came to my pregnancy, I really struggled with smell of the raw chicken cooking. Glad to be able to say that didn’t last for long but boy when it was around, it was awful!
Other than that, I’d happily admit, all I did during my first trimester was eat, eat and eat. I was a happy first trimester pregger!
Work Life!
As the nausea and fatigue starts to take over your days, waking up for work every morning can start feeling like a struggle. For me, personally it did feel that way but once I’d managed to drag myself out of bed, I was good to go! Saying that, it is so important to listen to your body and not to force yourself. During my first trimester, my BP was very low and my GP and midwife constantly told me to watch out for dizziness or faint feelings. I think that’s what caused my tiredness but to keep myself going and to keep my BP under control, I snacked throughout the day which made a whole lot of difference but I did end up getting some telling of my Dr during one visit, my blood pressure reading was quite low and he suggested working from home for the next few days and when I questioned this, his answer was ‘Asha, what you need to realise it is no longer just about you, its also about the little human growing inside of you and remember pregnancy is temporary, so you wont always remain this way’. So take my wonderful GPs advice and get that rest in if that’s what your body is asking for. Your employer will understand and if not then a Dr note can make that happen. And if you’re self employed then make the wise choice of sacrificing that time you’re putting in to your business to giving it to your unborn child for a short while instead.
Our bodies are amazing!
One of the most amazing moments of the first trimester is when you’re reaching the end of the 12 weeks and you suddenly start noticing a little bump. Yes you fall in love with your own body knowing a little heart has started to beat inside of you! So, during the first 12 weeks, I woke up every morning, lifted my top and observed my tummy side to side to see if there was any sign of a bump. It gets quite obsessive at times but don’t worry yourself ladies, once that bumpy of yours arrives, its there to stay for a good few months and you’ll have plenty of time to adore this mahoosive thing of yours.
During this initial stage, what you’ll also notice is severe bloating. This actually gives you an early bump but at this stage baby is too small to form a bump for mummy so I think the bloatedness just comes in and fills the spot knowing mummy is too eager to see a bump. If you’re in to your reading and find yourself googling every little thing then I would recommend a pregnancy app. I downloaded BabyCentre on my iphone and this app sends you weekly updates on your babys growth, how your body is expected to change, blogs on personal experiences and the list goes on. I found it very useful and still actively make use of the app when it sends me my weekly reminders.
So, as you’re leaning towards the mid-way of your first trimester, your amazing body will start preparing itself to hold your gorgeous little bundle of joy. You will start noticing the top half of your body has suddenly developed like never before! This can be a bit of a scare for some women at first, but honestly ladies embrace it and just adore every stage of this miracle.
Take a break!
We go through a lot of sudden changes mentally and physically during this initial stage of our pregnancy and it is important we allow our bodies and minds to accept this new reality and take time to relax ourselves. A holiday during my first trimester was probably the best decisions ever. I got time to relax, do what I enjoy, read, take in that vitamin C and at the same time stay fit by swimming.
So, our 2 week trip to Dubai was the most relaxing holiday and exactly what I needed during my first trimester. It doesn’t have to be a luxurious trip away, it could be a weekend break somewhere local, just anything that will help take away that strain and settle those crazy emotions our hormones are shooting at us. Get it done ladies!
So if any mummy’s have any tips for me then feel free to share your experiences in the comments below. I will start on ‘My Second Trimester’ blog soon so keep a look out ladies x
Asha Chohan 