BabyAnnouncement

I’m pregnant again…..

Yay!

And a little bit of barf

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say something you might not agree with.

The first trimester of pregnancy SUCKS.

There is (at least for me) this narrow window of time between finding out that I’m pregnant and the sickness kicking in. And in that window I spend my time doing 1 of 2 things.

A. Worrying I’m about to have a miscarriage because I feel fine or B. Wondering (ok HOPING) that I’m now part of the club of women that are complete freak of natures and never feel sick during their pregnancy (those are some lucky bitches).

In both of my pregnancies I’ve eventually gotten sick (around 6 weeks) and found myself dry heaving in a bag while driving down the road multiple times a day.  It’s glorious.

So how does one survive the dreaded first trimester?

And while I’m no expert I have survived the first trimester twice now.

Here’s what I know.  

Exercise

Oh exercise.  It does not matter how fit you were pre-pregnancy. The second you have a bun in your oven exercise is going to become a WHOLE LOT HARDER. Anyone that says you should suck it up because you’re barely pregnant can go straight to hell.

I swear to God that both times that sperm infested its way into my egg I pretty much instantly felt out of breath during my workouts.

Like OH MY GOD DID I FORGET TO WORKOUT FOR 7 YEARS AND THIS IS MY FIRST DAY BACK kind of out of breath.  

It’s great.

And you want to scream at everyone around you that you’re not lazy or phoning it in, you’re just simply making a human, but you don’t because apparently it’s socially unacceptable to do that this early.

My advice:

Tell your trainer or your coach what is going on. They NEED to know how to help you modify any exercises to encourage you to slow down, and just be there for that supportive nod midworkout.  

Also… no one else is probably noticing how slow you are going you just think they are.  

Lastly, now isn’t the time to win any fitness awards. Listen to your body. If you’re not feeling it that day, you’re not feeling it.  It WILL get easier and a simple walk is always good exercise.

Food

Eating is pretty much my least favorite thing to do when I’m newly pregnant.  

Will this food make me nauseous?

Or will it make me feel better?

Or will it give me heartburn?

You could try not eating which is pretty much a GUARANTEE that you’re going to get sick.

With my first pregnancy I struggled with the big swing my appetite took.  I couldn’t eat protein, or drink smoothies, my healthy favorite foods like avocado and quinoa were DISGUSTING and immediately replaced with lots of dairy products and bread.

This time… I expected it a little more so it was less shocking.

My advice

Eat small portions and eat often. Toast with peanut butter the only thing that sounds good? Eat it and don’t beat yourself up about it.

You already feel like shit… the last thing you need is to mentally feel worse because you aren’t eating as clean as you did pre-pregnancy.

In both of my pregnancies one day I simply felt better and started eating normally again. It will happen promise. So if some french onion chips and dip are the only thing that sounds good today well… I don’t judge you.

And bonus points for anyone trying to get pregnant who can make some meals to freeze ahead of time. I promise you that you will want to travel back in time and kiss yourself for doing this. Anytime you don’t have to be in the kitchen cooking is amazing, but not always an option if you have other kids to feed.

Boobs

So not everyone sprouts big old porn start tits, but a lot of people do.  

Only problem is that they hurt so bad that you can’t really enjoy them.

Life’s a cruel bitch.

My advice

Get a great sports bra and wear it.  All. the. time. With my first pregnancy I wore a sports bra to bed for the first trimester… second pregnancy the girls were a little more used to it so while they were huge again, they didn’t hurt quite so bad.  

Mental health

You’re growing a human.  That’s a miracle. A miracle that someone women would kill for. And you can know that and still feel sad about the fact that you’re so tired and nauseous and bitchy.

You’re entitled to be stompy about the fact that things are harder and you just want to feel normal again. But please… don’t get down on yourself about the fact that you ate 7 (ok 14) starbursts today or that you couldn’t exercise, or that you had to go to bed at 730 pm.

I’ve spent far to much time in both of my pregnancies feeling like I should have my shit together by now. Or I should be coping with this better. So not only did I physically feel shitty, but I was emotionally destroying myself as well.

I’ve spent a lot of time looking back and wishing I would have had a little more grace for myself.. A little more kindness because all of this is temporary.  

My advice

miracle

 

Be kind to yourself. You’re the sight of a miracle.

So there you  have it

I survived the first trimester of pregnancy… twice.

You will too.

As my wise mama said to me recently.  “You will wake up one morning and just feel better. There will be no rhyme or reason as to why that day or that hour, but it WILL HAPPEN. Promise.”

Feeling like you want to get healthier?

Don’t know where to start?

Try my mini course today. It’s completely FREE. No crazy pills, potions, or shakes. Just sound nutritional and fitness advice to get you going TODAY.