Seeing those two lines on a pregnancy test can bring a whole host of emotions. Whether this was a much longed for pregnancy or a surprise, you will probably find yourself on an emotional rollercoaster of excitement, fear, anxiety, joy, uncertainty and many more emotions.
For some it can really take time to get your head round the fact you are actually pregnant because to start with their may be nothing, other than the test, to suggest there is a teeny tiny baby growing.
There will be many factors influencing how you cope mentally in this first trimester. If this pregnancy is a surprise (happy or otherwise) you might be struggling to figure out what this means and how you feel. If you have been on quite a journey to this point there might be relief and excitement. If you have experienced loss or the route to pregnancy has been tough you might be feeling anxious. Whatever your emotions they are likely to be more all over the place with the pregnancy hormones kicking in! And every day might feel different. There will be times where you are excited for the future and picturing life with your baby as well as times where you wonder if this is the right thing to do.
However you are feeling this is a time to be gentle with yourself, take time to let the feelings settle and get used to the idea of a baby. If you have experienced a previous loss or, maybe a difficult IVF journey, you might be finding it hard to connect with the pregnancy and want to stay a little detached just in case. This is very normal and is your way of protecting yourself. As time goes on and the pregnancy progresses you will hopefully be able to relax a little and enjoy this time more but there are many women who can’t fully relax and believe this is happening until their baby is in their arms.
Although initially there may be nothing to show or feel with your pregnancy it isn’t usually long before the first trimester symptoms kick in. Of course, everyone experiences things differently and I know there will be some of you laughing/crying at the fact that your first trimester symptoms were still hanging around well into the second or third trimester.
Morning sickness
I think most people are familiar with the concept of morning sickness. But this comes with a range of feelings. Lots of people will comment that the ‘morning’ part is a joke, this sickness can commonly be all day long. It might not be sickness for you, but nausea, or it might vary from day to day. Just to catch you out!
But it can also be really debilitating. There is a condition, hyperemesis gravidarium, which is a severe sickness. Multiple daily vomiting, unable to keep even water down and really affecting your own health. You might need hospital admissions for dehydration and all the usual tricks for sickness sound like an absolute joke. It can make pregnancy really miserable as it is incredibly difficult to manage and you may struggle to leave the house or even to leave your bed. This is not something you need to ‘power through’, this is not what everyone else is experiencing. Take time to rest and look after yourself, make sure you get medical help when you need it and keep your midwife or GP appointments.
If you are suffering from a more manageable level of sickness or nausea there are a few things to help you. You will no doubt find lots of tips from friends and family but some common ones;
Eating ginger – biscuits, sweets etc.
Using travel sick wrist bands
Dry crackers, biscuits
Make sure you eat as soon as you wake up
Eat little and often
Bland food
Salty food
Stay hydrated
Flat fizzy drinks
If nothing works for you and you feel it is affecting your day to day too much, speak to your midwife or GP. There are medications you can take if you choose too, there will be pros and cons so do your research.
If you are commuting it can be hard to manage symptoms, you will find ways to help you. You might feel more comfortable knowing you have a sick bag tucked away just in case, or sit so you can easily get off the train or bus if you need some fresh air.
The increase in remote working has definitely made things a bit easier so if you are able to spend more days working from home you will find it easier to manage. Look after yourself and if you need some time off or reduced hours, do it. You might not want to tell people at work that you are pregnant at this stage but if you are able to speak to your manager and just let them know you might need to ease off for a few weeks it can take some of the pressure off.
Tiredness
The other big factor in the first trimester is tiredness. And when I say tiredness this is like nothing else! Your body is working incredibly hard in those early weeks and you will know about it.
The changes in your body are huge, your heart and lungs working harder, making lots of blood cells, changing the amount of fluid in your body, huge hormonal changes, changes to your breasts. And that is before we even get started on growing a whole new organ (placenta) and a baby.
You will need to sleep so much more in these early months. This is a can barely stay awake kind of tiredness, where you just want to lie down and sleep when you are at your desk. People find all sorts of ways round this, ways to rest or sleep. If you have your car at work you might take your lunch break in the car for a quick nap, or maybe there is a meeting room you can hide in for half an hour (the onside boss might be helpful again). If you are lucky your company may have a parent’s room you can use for time out or you could ask to use a medical room if there is one.
If napping at work isn’t an option, then make sure you get as much sleep as possible at night. Go to bed early if that is what you need, have a nap when you get home and definitely get all the sleep you can at the weekend. You might not be able to see or feel much going on in your body but there is so much happening and you need to look after yourself.
If you are able to, try and be sensible about what you commit yourself to in these weeks, days out or get togethers really might be too much to do and wipe you out for a few days. Absolutely pregnancy is not an illness but you do need to listen to your body. In a couple of months things will probably be very different and you will be able to do so much more.
Dizziness
All the changes in your blood volume, heart rate and blood pressure can cause dizziness. You might not be eating and drinking properly if you are worried about sickness which also won’t help and you might be anaemic. Again, just listen to your body and if you feel dizzy or faint sit or lie down, have some sips of water or try and eat something until it passes. If it happens frequently or you faint, speak to your midwife to just to ensure there isn’t anything else causing it.
Aches and pains
You might also get some little niggles that bother or worry you in early pregnancy. Often the first thing people notice in pregnancy is breast tenderness or a change in size of the breasts. This happens really soon – often before you even get a positive test! If you need to it might be wise to switch to crop tops or more stretchy bras and start ditching the underwires. If your underwired bra isn’t fitting right it can cause pressure on the breast tissue which can be uncomfortable but can also affect milk ducts.
In the first trimester everyone is on the look out for signs that pregnancy is going well or isn’t. Any form of cramping usually causes some anxiety but it is a really normal thing to happen in the early weeks.
As your uterus starts to change and grow the ligaments that support it start to stretch and you can feel this pulling. It is an achy feeling, almost like period cramps, and is low in the pelvis which might be worrying. It is really common to feel as the ligaments at the front of the uterus start to be pulled. It will happen again throughout pregnancy as the bump grows and relaxin allows the ligaments to stretch with it. If you are concerned speak to your midwife.
It might not be obvious right away but your body is changing and you might be aware of other little aches and pains. Maybe as your spine starts to adjust there are some aches there, especially if you have any previous muscular injuries. Or the changes in your pelvis can cause some discomfort as the relaxin allows your joints to move a little more than usual.
All in all the first trimester isn’t really the magical time you might think! It can be hard work and a time where you really struggle. It can be difficult to imagine how you are going to cope for 2-3 months of this but things will improve. For most women the second trimester is hugely better, a time with more energy, a bump to show off and the feeling of baby moving inside. Occasionally those early symptoms linger, it isn’t ideal but do what you need to do to cope.
Above all listen to your body. You don’t need to try and carry on as normal if you can’t. Take the time to look after yourself and rest when you need to. If you don’t feel like doing your usual activities, then don’t. Take a break from exercise or groups you attend. You’ll be back when you are ready.
Beth x
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