Happy weekend everyone!
So I have been stewing for a while about if I should share my pregnancy story with everyone. Reason being, is I feel like the majority of women who are pregnant for the first time should be reassured that everything is going to be okay, especially with how many scary things there are to read on the internet. Sadly, (only for me but still) so so sadly, my pregnancy has not been an easy one. I know there are women who have had it so much harder than me, and I know of lots of lucky ladies who have had worse hangovers than their pregnancies were. So with this in mind, I decided to share my [slightly horrific but hopeful] story with all you lovelies.
Where do I even begin? With the fact that I didn't even plan my pregnancy? Perhaps the fact that my boyfriend and I had a very new, extremely long distance relationship at the time? And by long I don't mean cities, provinces/states, not even just countries! No no, I mean continents (guess I can say I never say no to a challenge). There are so many wonderful points I can start off at, but I think I will leave my relationship for a whole other blog post, which it rightfully deserves.
I will start off with right after I found out. 5 weeks pregnant, shock of my life, but I finally knew why working at the restaurant I felt like my stomach was coming up my throat every time I walked by the kitchen or a plate of food. I could smell every ingredient in every single dish, some made my mouth water and in the same second another would make me nauseous. People joked around, "haha you're probably pregnant".... little did I know. Instantly by my 6th week, intense nausea insued. I mean green-faced, I'll throw up if you talk too loud nausea. It was such a treat let me tell you.
I could not look at eggs, and same went for chicken. Oddly enough those are things I used to eat all the time and thoroughly enjoyed. Most foods with an intense smell made me cringe, and if I actually wanted to eat it, chances are I couldn't because it wasn't safe for pregnancy. I was bringing up food from my 7th to about 17th week. I sat there some days and cried because I thought it would never go away, and I would never eat delicious food again. I layed in bed all day, sometimes for days straight, only getting up to vomit or use the washroom. I feel like this is necessary to share, because if you are feeling like this right now, I'd like you to know that it gets better. Some really helpful advice I would reccommend:
1. Don't force yourself to eat. Many people had this idea that I would starve to death if I didn't eat all day. The only death-like experience I had was throwing up so violently after eating to please other people that my throat felt like it had been stripped with turpentine, and my stomach felt like a soccer team used my stomach to break in their new kleets. Of course you should try to eat something at some point in order to not get even more nauseous, just make sure they are the right things, and at a pace you feel comfortable eating. No one will know exactly how you feel, except you, so listen to your body and try to make the best deicisions you can. Because you are suffering, not everyone else.
2. Crackers. You eat 'em. They are maybe the only things that give you no nausea and (for myself at least) gave immediate relief. Even if it was just 5% better, I would take it. My favrotires were soda/salt crackers. Simple, easy, not too many calories, and made a world of difference. They aren't the most nutritionally dense food you could consume, but when you're laying in bed going on day #2 of no showering, not changing your clothes, and the chunk of puke in your hair from day #1 is growing a friend because you can't stand long enough to shower.. you begin to re-analyze your prioroties.
3. Mineral water. Do you have any idea how hard it is to stay hydrated, when your body uses still water as a trigger for your stomach to pump whatever is in there back up through your mouth? And the fact that you need a ridicuous amount more water when you're pregnant? I give you the miracle of mineral water. Something about this bubbly fiesta in your mouth seems to avoid that excessively full feeling that still water can give you, and almost always helped me keep my fluid down. Not sure what it is, literally no scientific evidence for you with this, I just know that reading what other women wrote and from my own experience, it truly was a lifesaver. Staying hydrated is extremely important, please don't forget that. I learned the hard way.
4. Ginger lemon tea. Theres nothing else to say. Just drink it. Cut up a few pieces of fresh ginger root, boil in some water, add more water if its too strong or less ginger, or whichever combination of the two that your tastebuds desire, add a lemon slice and you drink it baby girl. I would usually go for about 2-3 cups a day, trying to stay around 2.
5. Pregnancy Pops. These little candies can be purchased in most stores that cater to babies, or online. I found mine on Amazon. They aren't the cheapest candies in the world.. but they help. I wouldn't necesssarily say they are a miracle candy but they do ease your queasy tummy if you happen to need some serious help. Maybe you're at work and you don't want to puke on your computer, or a customer, or your boss..
I hope this information helps. The only other thing I can add is that all I ate was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the entire time. I probably wouldnt reccommend doing that as I could have made much healthier decisions. Having said that, with the amount of discomfort I was experiencing, it worked for me.
As bad as everything might seem during this time, there is in fact a time when you will be able to enjoy pregnancy. If you are like I was, and that seems like the most impossible notion right now, I urge you to hold on and fight through all of this. Remember, it's supposed to happen.. your body is supposed to feel like this, nothing is wrong with you and in a few weeks you will be able to enjoy food, enjoy yourself and feel your little baby grow inside you.
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