Every pregnancy varies from woman to woman, and if a woman has multiple pregnancies, they can also vary from one another, as well! Most ladies know this, especially if they've ever read an article or researched symptoms. It's pretty much stated everywhere.
This is a cool fact, although it can be extremely annoying when you just want to relate to someone and know that anything and everything you may be going through is normal.
In 2008, I had a miscarriage when I was between 5 and 6 weeks pregnant. From then on, I have probably had about 3 pregnancy "scares" each year up until now. And by "scares," I simply mean the pregnancy would have been unexpected and surprising! :)
Ironically, in contrast to my opening statement, my pregnancy has been pretty darn typical! I downloaded the What to Expect app for the iPhone, and also the BabyCenter app, and they provide daily tips and insight to what I may be going through at the time. I also get emails and updates on online articles as well. It's been great reading along day by day, as a supplement to my books, just to know what to expect (go figure) and how to handle situations as they arise.
My first 6 weeks consisted of nothingness. I thought I had taken a faulty test, so I kind of hoped for a little nausea to make the news more real! Ha! Well, I got it! I threw up about once a day, had aversions to everything except potatoes- starches of all kinds, really- and I felt emotional at my disconnect from food. I had no idea it'd make me so sad that I could crave something, only to eat it and find out it was going to be upchucked in minutes. It really is true- you're super lucky if you don't experience nausea, which about 25% of women are blessed enough to say! ... Oh, and I surely can't forget to mention how Justin loved to stand over me and giggle every time I hugged the porcelain throne. I know it just made the pregnancy a reality to him, and thus, the giggling ensued. But I used to have snot, watery eyes, and pretty hardcore burn in my throat as I'd fuss at him to stop laughing and get me a cold towel!
As time went on, I mainly experienced bloating, gas, fatigue, and nausea. So typical. I felt like a wuss, leaving work early from vomiting, or just feeling like I couldn't keep my eyes open. Financially, it wasn't great for us for me to be giving up shifts, but I really just felt like crap, 24/7.
My baby bump (or should I say, Food Baby) showed up around 8 weeks. It truly was mostly due to gas, but I have always had a stomach that has concentrated gas and weight in my lower areas. So, it's almost like it stretches out easily anyway, haha! So, I quickly became uncomfortable in my jeans and felt like a whale most days, and I rushed off to get maternity jeans way early in the trimester. I even had the thought of how sad it would be if I miscarried again, only to have invested in some clothes so early on. It felt foolish, to tell you the truth.
The second trimester came- some people define it as starting after your 12th week, and some say it starts at week 14. Either way, I definitely felt relief from nausea at that time, and fell in love with food again! I loved tastings at work, smelling food being cooked, and I looked forward to my meals! I was able to eat more veggies and food with more flavor, and it was just an eye opener as to how much I couldn't have in the weeks prior.
Today marks 17 Weeks 0 Days! I'm feeling small flutters in my stomach at night when I lay down and all is quiet, and I am slowly getting my energy back. It has been a roller coaster of good days and bad days when it comes to my energy, but I think a lot of it is determined by how much I look forward to doing in a day. Being alone makes it easy to be a sloth and watch Hulu all day. There's no one to come around and judge. If I don't make plans to work or be with friends, I usually find myself in a rut unless I am just super motivated by a particular task (such as putting together the kitchen table/island/counter that I mentioned in my Home Improvement(s) post!).
My ultimate goal in this time alone, is to not only get the house so cleaned, organized, and decorated, but to find my way in my kitchen. I work at a restaurant that makes wonderful home-style food, and it's so good, that 4 days out of the week, I'm fed! I don't worry about doing more than making cold smoothies at home or throwing together salads and sandwiches. So, my cooking skills have not been put to use in quite some time, and I feel as though it's something I want to change. I'd like to have some staples for our family as Ali grows, and for them to be healthy and relatively timely to make. I'm hoping that Pinterest can help me in this area, and I know that emealz.com is pretty great with that, too. I just don't have that discipline when I work 4 days out of the week, eating well. I don't seem to mind sandwiches on the other days :)
Anyway, as I am now about a month into the second trimester, I now have slightly more energy and have no excuse not to get myself back into a healthy lifestyle that consists of more exercise and healthy eating habits. I want to treat my body and baby well for the rest of this 23 weeks, and now, I have ample opportunities!
If anyone has suggestions for great recipes- pregnant friendly and/or family friendly- just chime in! I'm all ears!
Until Soon!!
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