So I’m pregnant! Today marks 15 weeks and we’re expecting the arrival of our first bub in late March 2016. I’m delighted to have cleared the first trimester and to be entering the ‘honeymoon’ stage of pregnancy.
The first trimester was characterised by inconvenient nausea, odor and food aversions, sacroiliac joint pain (yes this happened weeks 7 to 10!), painfully tender breasts, but above all relentless tiredness. The fatigue was the worse, which then led to emotional distress. I felt completely dysfunctional at times and unlike my energetic self. As a first-time mum-to-become, I didn’t know what to expect! I dismally contemplated whether the fatigue would ever dissipate and whether my energy levels would return later in pregnancy? The fear that it wouldn’t scared me the most! But as I enter the second trimester, I am relieved and jumping with energy again (literally)!
I didn’t experience the clichéd food cravings. Honestly I’ve not had serious food cravings since I started my health journey many years ago. However, I was hit with an unexpected repulsion towards the smell and taste of cooked vegies, especially steamed broccoli. Steamed broccoli is a staple in our household. My partner and I were equally displeased with this first trimester revelation. Luckily, the same affect did not exist for raw vegies. So staying healthy throughout the first trimester involved plenty of salads, raw vegies, fruits and juices. As well as my pregnancy multi.
I was hit with an unexpected repulsion towards the smell and taste of cooked vegies, especially steamed broccoli. Steamed broccoli is a staple in our household. My partner and I were equally displeased with this first trimester revelation. Luckily, the same affect did not exist for raw vegies. So staying healthy throughout the first trimester involved plenty of salads, raw vegies, fruits and juices. As well as my pregnancy multi.
Another controversial food idiosyncrasy was meat. Some days it simply couldn’t be red meat, other days chicken was off the menu. Fish and seafood were always okay, so steering clear of those high in mercury, we got creative!
The first trimester was an exciting time. Finding out we were pregnant, seeing our baby for the first time during our ultrasound visits and just knowing every single day that my partner and I were creating a beautiful life. It was also an exciting time for getting creative with food and exploring new ideas for meals. The difficult experiences were coping with rapid physiological changes, relentless fatigue and nausea, resultant emotional distress and unassured reservations about my baby’s healthy development. Having been a developmental biology major sometimes I knew too much and a little more ignorance would have been bliss!
The first trimester is full of challenges. When it comes to nutrition, do the best you can! Rest when you can, eat when you need to, get creative with healthy foods that don’t repulse you or make you feel nauseous and ensure you’re drinking enough fluids. I found adding some lemon or lime to my water made it more appealing. Yes water was another aversion I struggled with. But this really helped, as well as some teas. As an ardent coffee drinker for many many years, I was shocked to lose this morning ritualistic propensity.
When it comes to nutrition, do the best you can! Rest when you can, eat when you need to, get creative with healthy foods that don’t repulse you or make you feel nauseous and ensure you’re drinking enough fluids.
But this is how I healthily survived the first trimester and whilst it was despondent at times, I feel tremendously lucky.
