7 Things I Learned in the First Trimester

     Phew, the first trimester sure is a fun one... not! Despite some of the obvious downsides though, there were plenty of positives. For one, our baby is coming! I sure have learned a lot over the past few months, and here are just a few examples:

1.) Sometimes it Really is Hard to Eat

     Never have I ever imagined that eating enough food would be a problem for me.  I. Love. Food. All food. I have worried for a long time that I would become pregnant and gain way more weight that needed, because, well, food! I have never understood how a person could actually struggle to get enough food, excluding any reasons like poverty or extreme allergy situations. It just didn't make sense to me, until now.

2.) Aversions are a Real Thing

     As previously stated, I absolutely love food. If it tastes good, hand it over, I want it. One thing I really enjoy in particular is pistachios.  I love pistachios. I love sitting, cracking them open, popping them in my mouth, and then sucking any possible flavoring off the shells before throwing them in the trash. That all changed when I got pregnant. While pregnant? I loathe pistachios! Especially in the beginning, just the thought made me want to vomit.

3.) Morning Sickness is Nothing Like Having the Flu

     When I first started getting morning sickness, I'm not going to lie, I felt like I had the flu. As things progressed, however, I learned that morning sickness is nothing like having the flu at all. Sure, with the flu I feel like puking, don't want to eat, have no energy, etc. Morning sickness is much the same in that aspect, but it stops there.
     With the flu, I can throw up, call in sick to work, rest, and go back to work the next day, if not only a couple days later. Morning sickness is much more constant, and unfortunately, it didn't go away for weeks. Staying home was not an option unless I wanted to quit my job. Now that's not to say that every day was horribly horrid, but not knowing whether I'm going to go to work and be fine all day, or go to work and puke every hour is not something to look forward to.
     The feeling is also not the same, at all. I always imagined morning sickness like having the constant flu, but that is definitely not the case. It is hard to describe the difference in feeling, but let me say this: it is not the same!

4.) Morning Sickness is Actually a Good Thing

     When I learned this, I'm not sure if I was more relieved or disappointed.  I was disappointed in that I didn't feel I could be so grumpy about it anymore. As if I should find a reason to be grumpy about it anyways, but the little pity party I had been having for myself was surely over, still puking all over the place or not.
     I was definitely relieved in that I felt more secure about my baby's health, though. I have heard so many horror stories about miscarriages, and other complications during pregnancy, that especially before the first check up, I was pretty worried. As much as I tried not to think about it, worries about my baby seemed to settle somewhere in the back of mind, never gone away, but never fully present, either. That hasn't changed much, but to know that morning sickness is a good thing was of some comfort to me.

5.) It is Not Your Job to Please Everyone

     Really wish I would have learned this one sooner... I was so excited to find out I was pregnant that there were some people I just had to tell.  Looking back, even though we told these people early on, I am glad that we did. Some say not to tell until after the first appointment, or after the first trimester, because at that point the chances of miscarriage decrease significantly. I thought about that, but I decided that if something were to happen, I would want at least the people closest to me to know that my little one existed, that my little one had life.
     Where we went wrong was thinking, well, I told this side of the family, so now I have to tell that side. Or, well we told this person, so that means we have to tell this person, too. Because of this, we told a few too many select people, and what happened? I had multiple people coming up to me asking when I am due, how I am doing, etc. at only about eight weeks along... Let me tell you right now, just because you decide to tell one person, does not mean you are obligated in any way to any other person, no matter the relation. You tell when you and your spouse are good and ready.
     Oh, and if someone tells you they are pregnant, and not to tell anyone else yet, please don't tell anyone else! It is the mother's and father's decision on who and when to tell, not yours.
   

6.) Things Don't Always Go According to Plan

     Needless to say, things did not go according to plan.  Our pregnancy announcement was only so much of announcement, because everyone just knew. There were a few that Lance and I got to see a real reaction from, but not nearly as many as I had hoped with our first baby. I've learned that when it comes to announcing a baby to husband, family, friends, etc, things are not always going to go exactly according to plan, and that's okay. I may not have told my husband about the baby in the cute way I had imagined, and way more that I had ever wanted to know found out all too soon for many different reasons, but all that matters is that our baby is healthy, and our baby is coming.

7.) Yes, Taking a Nap After Work Only to Go to Bed Two Plus Hours Early is Totally Acceptable.

     I slept, so much, during the first trimester.  Even before finding out I was pregnant, I was so tired, all the time! Once we found the good news, it all started to make sense. Coming home from work, falling asleep on the couch, and only waking up long enough to make it to the bed until morning was not an uncommon thing. It didn't help that I definitely was not eating enough, so then I really didn't have any energy, but phew! Exhaustion is no joke!
     Now that I have hit the second trimester, I still have moments, or days, just as described above, but the energy levels do come back at least a little bit, so don't fret. Still, cut yourself some slack if you are even close to as tired as I was. You're making a baby! Your blood volume alone is what, doubling? According to BabyGaga, an increasingly popular baby blog, "as much as 50 percent more blood can be flowing through a pregnant woman. More blood flowing through the system means more blood reaching the placenta, and that means nourishment for the growing baby." Healthy baby? I say yay! So take a minute, and don't be afraid to take that much needed nap!


     All in all, the baby is what is important. Everything, and everyone else, come second, with the only exception being my Father in Heaven and my marriage, because I know that as I put those things first, my baby will be put first as well.
     I am excited to see what else the future brings, as I continue to learn about myself and my baby. It has been quite the interesting experience for my husband and I, as every bit of this is new, but it has also brought us closer together, and I love that. Babies sure are wonderful, aren't they?

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