The Early Days - What the first trimester means to me

Just like zebra prints, no two women in the world are exactly the same.

When it comes to babies, even in the same woman, no two pregnancies are ever the same. That's the beautiful part of it all, in not knowing fully what to expect on every journey.

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The first 12 weeks of pregnancy, so called the first trimester, seemed to pass all too quickly for me. Ok, for the second time, I had no sign of morning sickness so you have a right to be jealous. After all, you normally go to the toilet with a test kit in hand only after you miss your menses, meaning when the baby is 5 weeks or more. So that leaves you with barely two months left in this stage of the pregnancy.

My emotions during this period were mainly: Anxiety, Excitement, Surrealism 

Anxious to know if that positive sign was indeed positive, if I'm really having a baby, if he/she is healthy, if his/her heart is beating, if my body was developing a safe home for him/her.

Excited to think that my life is going to undergo a big change, that Angel is going to be a big sister, that I'm going to be a mum all over again.

A state of surrealism surrounds me at times, wondering if this was just a beautiful dream, if I half made up that positive sign in my mind, if life was too good to be true.

While the bump doesn't really show up yet at this stage and the pregnancy might jolly well remain a hush-hush affair, I did experience pregnancy symptoms which I will sum up below.
 

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1) Jaw-dropping fatigue

I usually pride myself for being able to survive on little sleep. I mean, those four years of hall life back in NTU where I had the tendency to throw myself into every activity, that was some serious training and I was able to stay up on many nights and yet feel energetic the next day.

In addition, blogging is also a habit I can only do at night when everyone sleeps and thus it has also boosted my ability to sleep late and wake up early.

When pregnancy arrived, that super power vanished. *puff*

I can sleep at 10pm at night and wake at 10am in the morning, only to find myself yawning and yearning the bed once more. Honestly, it was like making up for all the lost sleep I had deprived myself of. And the energizer bunny in me? Well, its battery just ran flat. I felt tired when I was cooking, I felt tired after taking a short walk, I felt tired when I was in a bath, I even felt tired when watching the TV. Much to the hubby's amazement.

No dear, I wasn't coming up with excuses and shrinking away from my responsibilities of doing the dishes or mopping the floor. Ok, maybe I was, but just a little.

After all, you only get to play the role of the Queen in this special 9-month period, right?

Tip: Take naps in the afternoon and sleep early at night. In between your busy day, steal some time to sit on the couch, close your eyes and just relax. Even if that means your other kid screams in your ear after five minutes every time.

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2) Food cravings and changes in appetite

The good news is I did not throw up a single time during both of my pregnancies. In fact, my appetite was good, sometimes even better, throughout. Well, I heard of friends who hugged the toilet bowl as if it was their best friend on many mornings, so I counted myself as pretty lucky.

That said, I do get turned off by some food like fried fish while others turned me on.

For my second pregnancy, I simply love anything FRIED, CRISPY and OILY. Yeap, I probably was just craving for my beloved KFC every day.

The hubby would cook healthy food (in other words, a little more bland) for me on weekends and I would go "I think I smell something nicer from our neighbour's." Or I would have the tendency to stop by fast food restaurants and just grab a pack of french fries. Or I would go through the hassle of deep-frying chicken wings for our dinner much more often than usual.

In addition, I also had cravings for Maggie mee (it must be curry flavoured!) and for spicy foods once in a while even though I don't really take chilli. Weird huh.

In terms of quantity, I think I still eat a lot (as usual) but I tend to get full faster. It's like I get hungry easily, but I get full just as easily too. And then after two hours, my mouth gets itchy all over again and I can't help it but start digging my way through the kitchen in search of more food. And I usually end up with chocolates, candies, ice cream or something sinful.

Tip: Take smaller meals but at more times a day, you can have up to 5-6 meals if you wish to. Don't feel too guilty if you crave for something unhealthy but do take it in moderation. After all, a satisfied mum makes a happy baby too.

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3) Pee, pee and more pee

Micturition, or the desire and frequency of urination, got the better of me this time round.I don't recall having to pee so many times during my first pregnancy, except when my belly was really huge. Come this pregnancy, I had the urge to pee at least 3 times a night even during the first trimester.

This symptom occurs as a result of the pregnancy hormone hCG which increases blood flow to the pelvic area and your kidneys become more efficient. In addition, the uterus adds pressure on your bladder (I always thought I had a big one), making it able to store less urine. That said, think of it as urinating for two and it's probably a good thing that your body is getting rid of waste.

Annoying? Try it for several nights in a row and let me know after your precious sleep gets interrupted every night. Which is aggravated by the fact that you actually desire much more sleep than usual. To look on the bright side of things, it's probably good training for you because that's how life will be once you have a newborn.

Tip: While pregnancy women should not cut back on fluids to prevent dehydration, do try to drink more in the day and avoid taking in fluids past 9pm unless you absolutely have to. That might reduce but not resolve the problem. Do sleep on the side of the bed nearest to the door so that you won't wake your loved ones in the middle of the night when you need the loo. Though you sometimes secretly wish they share your agony.

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4) Occasional mood swings

Last but not least, it's the norm for pregnancy women to be riding on mood waves. One minute you are on top of the world, the next moment you are in a deep, dark well. One day you are feeling confident of becoming a great mum, the next day you wonder if you are even capable of looking after yourself. Sometimes you feel like a gorgeous, sexy mum-to-be, while other times you simply feel like a big, fat, ugly mess.

I found myself getting more emotional when talking to the hubby and even when watching movies. It's like the simplest conversation or scenario could strike a chord in me and suddenly I had over active tear glands. Similarly, while a sweet gesture from my girl could instantly warm my heart, her bad behaviour could make me melt down more easily too.

After all, having a baby changes your life forever. So it's not unusual to have a flood of emotions coming in, not to mention your hormone levels are surging, making you tear up over the most trivial stuff and feel much more irritable at times.

Let's face it. Not all men understand what we go through and even though they try to comprehend, most of the time they haven't gotten the slightest idea. So don't blame them too much when you feel like they don't spare more thoughts for your feelings or that they are not being as sensitive as they should. The thing is, to understand a pregnant woman, you actually have to be one first. So let's not expect too much from the husbands but instead talk it out with other female friends who have been there.

Tip: Don't take it too hard on yourself when the negative thoughts set in. Women are complicated creatures and always will be, so it's ok that we become even weirder during the pregnancy period. Learn to take it easy, take more deep breaths when you need to, do some exercise or take strolls in the park when you are feeling down.

So that pretty much concludes my first trimester. No matter what, I love this feeling of being pregnant, of knowing that I'm never alone, of knowing that magic is taking place inside my body.

How did your first trimester go for you? Do share any tips or fun and memorable experiences!