Now that we are getting close to the middle of our pregnancy I am realizing that no one can really tell you all the different things that your body is capable of doing and what you are in for, each site I have visited says something more or less than the previous. While no one could have told me what I was going to be up against, with each person and pregnancy varying, I only ever recall hearing of morning sickness.
So as we approached the first days of knowing that we were pregnant I thought it was time to prepare myself for every possible sign of morning sickness. I already did a lot of reading from blogs to medical websites on what other things can occur within ones body during pregnancy but none of it really stuck until it hit me. Going to rewind a little, we found out we were pregnant a couple days after I had a major tension headache unlike any other. While at a football game I had to research what I was okay to take to relieve this unbelievable pain and needless to say migraines and tension headaches are very likely when you are pregnant, number 1. We picked up some meds on our way to dinner and just moved along, we had already been acting as if I were pregnant by watching what I was consuming and continuing my active lifestyle helped stay the course. So there were no mixed beverages while Darren enjoyed his few faves, there was a lot more mixing in vegetables to lunches taken at my desk but even more it was about consuming correctly, as I always try, with a few more greens injected into my meal routine.
The second thing I have learned is that your uterus is going to stretch and it can make one feel very uneasy, I had very many concerns of making it past 3 months to the "safe zone." Thankfully a friend had previously offered to see me through any questions I had and directed me to some websites to help with getting the basic tests at a better price, the previous month we had not become pregnant and it came up on our way to women's group that we were in fact trying to start a family. When I asked her about this feeling, she knew exactly what I was feeling and how to explain it to me. I knew that my body was going to change but actually feeling different symptoms and things unknown can be scary and uncomfortable at times but it has to occur to give the baby space to grow.
I felt a lot better about finishing up pre-boarding information for our fall cruise and of course I stated that I was pregnant as it asked and then they required me to have our doctor fill in a form that stated that I was not x weeks far along. We got it taken care of with a nurse visit to confirm my pregnancy and Doc signed off. Darren said I should not have done so as to avoid the paperwork but I kept thinking symptoms, what will my body decide to do while we are on vacation on a giant ship that it has not done before.
I did not get sick while on the boat, the only thing that I needed which I did not pack was allergy medicine but we were okay by day 2. I had purchased a few items before we left based on the list of okay medicines that the doctors office gave me at my visit. I had some anti-gas medicine, nausea, pain reliever, and nasal decongestant- as I had been getting sick just before I went to the doctor. Well, I was getting sick because my immune system was being lowered based due to being with baby, but the sun and stress free days helped to get rid of it while we were gone. Lowered Immune system never occurred to me as I take a multi vitamin and vitamin c daily, but it happens. Third thing I learned.
While I have not had morning sickness I did experience and still do, heartburn/indigestion. What?! I did not think as to what exactly all my hormones were up to, they are relaxing my valve that separates my stomach from my esophagus causing the discomfort. I had this feeling going into my 8 week appointment and doc thought it would go away, as did I read this usually occurs in the second and third trimesters, but at week 10 appointment to find a heartbeat she said it was not going anywhere and gave additional over the counter med recommendations. Darren picked one up and I tried prior to going home for Thanksgiving but it made my stomach feel uneasy so I decided to suck it up. There were a couple times the acid made me get sick as it rose into my throat, some days are better than others but I count on it showing up at some point in the day. This is the 4th thing that I have learned, in addition I learned through some research that heartburn is caused by some of my favorite foods; tomato, spicy foods, chocolate and citrus fruits- all things I love to have. I started to eliminate some of these but does not work out all the time and once the heartburn kicks in I say forget it and enjoy what I can while I have the desire for it.
This leads me to the 5th item I have learned, sometimes I just do not have an appetite. It disappears and my desire to figure out what sounds like a great meal is left blank. Because I know I have to eat so I do not get hangry, and I also have to give my body nutrients for myself and the baby. Sometimes we just make a decision that sounds good and once eaten makes it all better. I thought I would be hungry more often, and while I usually snack through the day anyway I thought I was in good shape but not when the desire to make a choice is nonexistent. My biggest issue is keeping hydrated, being constantly thirsty and water not always filling the void I have leaned on popsicles and some flavored caffeine free drinks that I normally would consider a treat.
Number 6, my body is going to produce more mucus. And also have some nosebleeds to help it along the way. Seriously, for someone who is already an allergy prone person and has to deal with a stuffy nose and congestion this makes it worse. I go to bed cleared out but soon after am breathing out of my mouth which grosses me out as it causes issues in dental hygiene. Sleeping on my left side as recommended has already been an adjustment as I have to work a lot harder to breathe with all the mucus building up. I never have been a back sleeper, I prefer my right side, it is how I can breathe best even though I will not be able to do this for too long as the weight of the baby will press on my spine and cause pain.
What else has this pregnancy got in store?! I will find out in due time as I get larger, tax season and race season sees us on some adventures. We are still trying to figure out how to transport myself at 8 months to the races here in town, it is going to be interesting.
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