The Whole Truth About The First Trimester

I walked out of the bathroom for the third time within one hour – I pretty much live in there these days. 🙂

A few weeks prior somehow my entire family was super blessed with the nasty flu bug and we had taught my three-year-old that when she needed to throw up, she needed to aim for the bowl. She is still pretty young to run all the way to the toilet, so our very special designated, lime green, plastic, easy to wash, but I will NEVER in my life eat or cook out of again, “throw-up bowl” was her new best friend for about 24 hours until it passed.

Luckily, my pregnant self didn’t catch the bug – but I have definitely made up for it over the past 10 weeks of morning sickness…that really shouldn’t be called “morning” sickness because let’s be real – it is ALL day, EVERY day, folks!

Anyways, I walked out of the bathroom for the third time within one hour – and waiting outside of the bathroom door was a set of big beautiful blue eyes looking straight up at me with messy bed head from the night before, pajamas that we hadn’t seem to manage to get out of for at least the past 24 hours and a big lime green bowl wrapped in her tiny toddler arms.

“Mommy…you can have my throw-up bowl if you want.”

I could see in her little eyes, she had really thought long and hard on how she could make me feel better. Her throw-up bowl was the sweetest gift from the bottom of her heart that she could give to me, to make me feel better.

And then my heart melted into a million pieces right there and I died.

But seriously, the first trimester in pregnancy is a little rough. Now don’t get me wrong – there are some women who absolutely LOVE being pregnant! They don’t feel sick, their boobs get big, they “have never felt better” and it’s everything they dreamed of and more… and to you women, I would like to say…I hate you.

No, just KIDDING!! I still like you! …maybe… 😉

But really – this article is for all the ladies out there who, like me, have really hard pregnancies and are wondering why in the world they are going through this and if it will EVER end and if it is REALLY worth it like everyone says.

I present to you The Whole Truth {And Nothing But The Truth} About The First Trimester:

Photos from pixabay.com

1. IT IS SUPER HARD: Like really, REALLY hard. In fact, being sick for several weeks non-stop can do a number on you physically and mentally. It is by far the hardest part of pregnancy and I promise it does get easier….or at least that is what I am still telling myself here at 11 weeks. Is it hard? YES! You bet! But is it worth it? Absolutely! 100%.

2. THE WORD EXHAUSTED BRINGS ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING: So you thought you were tired before pregnancy, huh? Well – now you know what it REALLY means to be tired. And not just tired…full blown EXHAUSTED…absolutely FATIGUED. I once heard that a woman’s body is working SO hard during the first trimester, it is equivalent to a man hiking up a mountain DAILY. I mean – after all, you ARE growing an actual HUMAN BEING inside of you right now, no big deal! 🙂

Your body will want to take three naps a day and will want to pass out at 7pm every single night – and then not want to wake up until 10am the next day. Your bed will be heaven sent and you will NEVER want to get out of it again… ever.

3. FOOD WILL BECOME YOUR BEST FRIEND & YOUR WORST ENEMY ALL IN ONE: Food. Let’s see if I can even type this one out without needing to run to the restroom myself. The very THOUGHT, sound or smell of particular foods will make a first trimester mama completely gag. And then there will be that ONE thing, she MUST have IMMEDIATELY or else she is going to go crazy… and she finally gets it…and eats ONE bite…and can’t stand it anymore and never wants to see said food ever again.

Some ladies crave healthy foods – and bless your heart! I was not blessed to be one of them. Bring on all the white bread and chips and salsa in the entire grocery store, mixed with chocolate shakes please. Nothing else. That is all.

4. BLOATING AND BOOBS MAKE YOU FEEL BIGGER THAN EVER: Your boobs will triple in size your first trimester and your little baby belly that we all wish was a baby belly is mostly bloating from all the action your body is going through down there. And can we talk about how BAD your boobs will hurt?! I mean SENSITIVE SALLY! The lightest touch from your toddler trying to climb up on your lap or the shower water hitting them can make you cringe. The plus side: Your husband will reallllllly like them.

5. YOU’LL GET TO RIDE ON THE FUNNEST SWING EVER…THE MOOD SWING: One minute you will be the happiest camper on earth and the next you will bawling your eyes out, wanting to yell at anyone and everyone that comes in your way. You will be super emotional and cry over everything good, bad, happy, sad or even things that should cause no emotion at all, will have you thinking about it for days. All pregnant women should probably wear a shirt that says they are pregnant at all times – so there is a fair share warning before approaching.

6. THE REALIZATION OF WHAT YOUR BODY IS ACTUALLY DOING…IS INCREDIBLE: I mean INCREDIBLE. YOU are GROWING a HUMAN BEING INSIDE of you… I am not sure if there is anything more special in life than that? A woman’s body knows exactly what to do – and although your baby may be the size of a blueberry right now, you are providing a comfortable, safe and happy home for him to hang out in for the next 9 months.

It’s no wonder our bodies demand so much of us the first few months – the changes it is going through is indescribable. So instead of shaming our bodies or hating them or being angry with them – let’s give them a little pat on the back for working so dang hard and doing a pretty good job at it.

7. SURVIVAL MODE CAN ACTUALLY BE AN OKAY THING: It may take a while to adjust and to accept your “new life” for a bit – but I am telling you, once you grasp it and take it as it is, life gets a little easier. Try not to push yourself too far – it’s important to listen to your body.

Your body knows what it needs – and mostly that is a whole lot of sleep and relaxation at this point. So embrace it. LOVE it. TRY to enjoy it. Put on your sweats and don’t feel guilty about rocking them for the next few months. Make a little bed on your couch and have a good time cuddling up watching movies while eating pickles as often as possible. And don’t forget – after all, you ARE making a baby…so you have a pretty darn good excuse to be taking life a little easier the next few months.

8. YOU HAVE A MIRACLE INSIDE OF YOU: A full blown MIRACLE inside of you. A perfect, beautiful, loving, teeny, angelic little miracle that is growing at a super rapid pace. Creating life is an amazing thing and YOU are doing it! There are so many women who would do ANYTHING in this world to experience being pregnant and growing a miracle in them {I am one of them} and I can tell you it is something that should never be taken for granted. It is a beautiful blessing.

9. IT IS WORTH IT ALL… ALL OF IT: In all seriousness, I say this from the bottom of my heart – that the exhaustion, the nausea, the food aversions, the bloating, the big boobs and the mood swings are worth it. ALL of it. It is worth the sick days. It is worth the hard days. It is worth the tears. It is worth the moments of wondering what in the world you are doing with your life. And it is absolutely worth the aches, the pains and body changes.

As an infertile pregnant woman, expecting our second miracle baby – I can promise you when that moment comes and your baby that has been inside of you for all of these months is placed into your arms – NONE of these first trimester symptoms matter or measure up to the complete joy and completeness that you feel.

You immediately will recognize why you were so willing to go through SO much for this little baby… and it is because of love. You love that little baby. You loved him when he was inside of you and only the size of a blueberry that made you sicker than a dog. You loved him when you saw him on the ultrasound sucking his thumb. You loved him when you felt him kick and twirl around inside of your body. And you suddenly get to hold him in your arms… the baby you had been dreaming of and praying for – is now really YOURS.

Oh it is worth it… I promise.

10. YOU WILL BE SO HAPPY: Never will you feel so anxious. Never will you feel so excited. Never will you be so worried. Never will you feel so much love. Never will you feel so blessed. Never will you be so sick. Never will you be so uncomfortable. Never will you feel so complete. Never will you be so happy.

When people ask how I am feeling, my response is always the same: “I have NEVER been SO SO sick…but I have NEVER been SO SO happy.”

Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day!

June 15, 2016 by Danielle Davis | 11 Comments