My first baby bump! Last week, I definitely popped. It finally looks as though there's a genuine baby inside my belly, as opposed to a giant serving of pasta. Granted, my abs are fully relaxed here. Are you supposed to suck in? I'm driving my mom crazy with this silly question. All those years of pilates trained me to hold in my abs for good posture - and when I do, I can eliminate a full inch or two off my belly. How on earth are you supposed to pose for these bump shots? Mamas, please give me the scoop!
To document my growing belly, I decided to dust off our trusty Polaroid camera. I love having instant physical snapshots to place inside my new pregnancy journal. Hopefully I'll remember to keep at it each month.
I've gotten a lot of questions about how I'm feeling, so I thought it'd be fun to share my pregnancy experience so far. Now that I'm 17 weeks along, the first trimester seems like ages ago. But I'll do my best to remember...
BODY CHANGES:
Sore boobs! This was actually my first inclination that I was pregnant. It happened this way for the past two pregnancies, so I was definitely expecting that double line on the pee stick. My breasts got fuller as well. For the first time in my life, I finally fill out my bra! My favorite pregnancy perk so far.
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS:
1. Dizziness: I found myself needing to hold onto someone or something every time I got up from a seated position. At one point I almost fainted in public. I thought this only happened to pregnant women in old movies!
2. Nausea: Thankfully my nausea was bearable and mild, lasting only 2-3 weeks. I quickly discovered that it only happened when my stomach was empty. So I made a point to change my eating habits and snack throughout the day to avoid the bulk of it.
3. Paresthesia: My limbs kept falling asleep. I had a scary experience one morning while getting out of bed. I thew off the covers, placed my feet on the floor and THUD! I fell to the ground. Both my legs were completely numb - and I didn't even realize it. Weird, right? To this day, my arms still fall asleep when I place them on my belly lying on my back at night. I didn't even know this was a pregnancy symptom. Maybe it's not?
4. The worst cold I've had in years: Oh it was bad. And it lingered around for weeks. I'm pretty sure I went through 10 boxes of tissue. I've heard that colds are super common in the first trimester, when your immune system is the weakest.
CRAVINGS:
Grapefruits and kumquats. I couldn't get enough of that sweet-sour-bitter combo. And sweets in general. Hal teases me, since he's the one with the sweet tooth - yet there I was requesting cookies and milk at night. Normally, I'm a savory gal and don't crave dessert. But I often found myself making a cup of hot cocoa after dinner or indulging in something sweet at the end of the day.
AVERSIONS:
Garlic, onions and strong culinary herbs. Bummer, right? I'm a huge garlic lover. I remember making myself a huge vat of mushroom soup - that I ended up giving away to my mom because I couldn't even eat one bowl. I kept making (and wasting) elaborate garlic-induced meals until I got a clue. And then I became bland and boring for awhile.
EXERCISE:
Long walks. Hal and I love to take a lap around Green Lake - a people watcher's paradise. Sadly, I stopped doing yoga during this time, partly because I was afraid I'd miscarry again. Silly, I know. But I wanted to take it easy until I knew for sure this baby was a keeper.
BOOKS:
I had a friend who picked up her first pregnancy book on the way to the hospital to deliver her baby! I wish I could be that nonchalant and carefree - but I'm more the type to devour any and all information I can get my hands on. I like to feel prepared! I've already gone through quite a few books in the first trimester alone. Here are some of my favorites...
- Bringing Up Bebe
- Windows To The Womb
- The Gentle Birth Method
- Spiritual Midwifery
- Secrets of the Baby Whisperer
- Birthing from Within
- Spirit Babies
- Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives
MEMORABLE MOMENTS:
1. Telling Hal I was pregnant. Since this was our third pregnancy, it was sort of anti-climactic. No gifts or clever surprises this time around. Just the facts. It went something like this: Him: I quit my job today. Me: Oh really? Well I'm pregnant. Perfect timing, huh?
2. The first ultrasound. Because of my miscarriage history, I was able to make an appointment early on, around 5.5 weeks. Hal was out of town, so I went in alone, prepared for more bad news. But instead of an empty gestational sac, I saw an embryo with a tiny beating heart! Something I never experienced with my last two pregnancies. When the technician left the room, I broke down and cried.
3. Reiki healing. Soon after discovering I was pregnant, my mom and I attended our monthly Reiki circle, where local practitioners gather together to share experiences and give/receive Reiki. When it was my turn for a treatment, our teacher gave me and my baby the most beautiful prayer and blessing. After that session, I was glowing - feeling full of divine love and light. And I'm positive baby felt the same.
4. Sedona energy. If you recall, I was lucky enough to visit Sedona with my girlfriends during the first trimester. But when I wrote that post, I hadn't yet announced my pregnancy to the world. So I wasn't able to talk about how special it was to sit together in meditation on an vortex... with a baby in my womb! He was loving that special southwest spiritual energy.
5. The gender reveal. This story deserved an entire post of its own!
6. The second ultrasound. After we found out we were having a boy, we had another ultrasound to double check the findings of our genetics test. This one was incredible! He was so big and active - touching his face, wiggling around, waving hello and bouncing up and down like a mexican jumping bean. I couldn't stop laughing. Baby's heart rate was 170, so Hal found the perfect a tune with a tempo to match - James Brown's I Feel Good.
Overall, the first trimester has been fairly easy breazy beautiful. I know many ladies have polar opposite experiences, so I'm feeling pretty darn lucky. I actually love being pregnant so far. I'm sure it will get old quick - especially when I'm the size of the whale. But for now, I'm savoring every miraculous moment.
P.S. If you missed my first pregnancy posts, you can find them here:
