My Pregnancy 101

I’m going to take some time and document certain aspects of my pregnancy.  This is mainly for me so that I don’t forget things that I’d want to add to a real journal one day and also to help anyone that might be wondering if their pregnancy is normal or maybe some of the things they can be prepared to experience.

Fatigue – the books are not kidding when they say you will be tired.  And I’m not talking tired like you just want to take a nap every day.  I’m talking the kind of tired where you just want to sit and do nothing.  There really is no respite from this kind of fatigue.  There were days I could barely keep my eyes open at my desk while working.  I would take 1 to 2 hour naps on the weekend and still be ready for bed at 9:30.  Just sitting was tiring let alone walking anywhere.  I catch a bus to and from work and making the trek to the bus stop in the afternoon took all the energy I had left.  I napped on the bus before pregnancy but once the exhaustion set in I was sleeping on the bus.  A sleep so heavy that I would dream.  And then I would still be tired after getting home and could barely keep my eyes open watching TV after dinner.  I slept so hard at night that I wouldn’t move.  I’d wake up stiff and sore from lying in the same position all night.  It was unreal.  Thankfully, that part has started to slowly lift.  I still get tired and love my weekend naps, but I’m able to stay awake and socialize with my husband in the evenings now.

Queasies – I don’t think queasies is a real word but that’s what I’m using.  I never really had morning sickness.  My queasies came on right around lunch time and lasted until bedtime.  There were some nights I could only eat a few bites of my dinner.  Nothing tasted good, nothing smelled good and nothing looked good.  BJ would not let me just make something different to eat.  He insisted on trying to please my appetite.  That was not the best course of action because I didn’t want anything that he ever suggested for dinner.  Sometimes, I would take a few bites and really enjoy my food and then all of a sudden a couple of bites later I was spitting it out and pushing my plate away from me.  This was particularly true with white meat chicken and green vegetables.  I could force a few bites down but that was it.  We had grilled steaks one night and I only ate two bites.  I put the third bite in my mouth and couldn’t even chew it.  I had to spit it out immediately.  I’m almost over all of that stuff now, thank goodness.  I’m not “cured” but I was able to eat a full chicken breast last Thursday!  Yay!

Breasts – my breasts started to grow pretty early on.  They were very sore, too.  They are still pretty sore, actually.  I am disappointed that they have stopped growing because I was hoping for some new bras but I still fit in my old ones.  BJ would do the “boob check” every day to see how much they had grown.  He noticed, as did I, that they definitely got harder and fuller.  They aren’t as mushy as before.  I am rocking a pretty nice cleavage these days even if they aren’t as big as I was hoping for.  See, I’m a very small chested girl…34A and I’m probably up to a B cup right now.  I was hoping for some good solid C’s but I don’t think that’s going to be happening.  There have been a couple of times that I’ve noticed I have some dried white stuff on my nipples.  I read that this is normal and may increase as the pregnancy progresses.  It wasn’t much, just enough for me to notice and wonder what the heck it was.

Headaches – I’ve had some doozies.  I actually have one right now.  I found out the hard way that being out in the sun/heat brings on some pretty bad headaches for me.  Although, they have been increasing in frequency this last week and I haven’t been outside much.  A few of them have been migraine strength and have sucked the life right out of me.  The others are tolerable but still very bothersome.  Tylenol barely takes the edge off.  If I’m at home, which I usually am (except today), I put some ice in a baggy and put it on the back of my head.  It helps but doesn’t fix the problem.  I’ve read that hormone headaches are very common, unfortunately.  I hope I can get a handle on them soon and try to avoid any triggers that I know of.

Cravings – I haven’t had any strange cravings per se but I do tend to gravitate toward cold food.  I love cereal and snack pack pudding and cold pasta salad.  Things that are hot just aren’t as good right now.  I also can’t drink room temperature liquids.  Just typing that made me gag.  I drink a lot of water and if it starts to get warm I can’t drink it.  I have to add ice to make it really cold.  I bought a tumbler to keep on my desk to keep my water colder longer.  I also am not that into sodas anymore.  I used to love drinking a diet sierra mist when I got home from work.  Now, not so much.  I drink a little of it and then switch over to water and end up pouring most of the soda down the drain.  The same with my beloved diet coke fountain drink.  I love that soda the most.  Again, I can drink about half of it and then I’m ready to toss it in the trash.  I don’t know if it’s necessarily a pregnancy thing or more of an “I quit drinking it for so long it just doesn’t taste that good anymore” thing.  Either way, I shouldn’t be drinking these things so I guess it’s good that I’m not really indulging too much.  I have allowed caffeine back in my diet, just in very small amounts.  I do love me some tea when we go out to eat.  I’m careful not to drink the whole glass, though.

Weight – I gained about 5 pounds from cycle prep and have since gained another 6.  I’m up 11 pounds since the beginning of February.  Yikes.  I’m not eating a lot more and I’m also not eating a lot of junk but the pounds still seem to find their way to my hips and my butt.  I really didn’t think my hips could get any wider but alas I was proven wrong.  I’m already walking differently because of this change in my body structure.  I’m not waddling (yet) but I am noticing my center of gravity has changed significantly.  I’m on target with my weight right now so I’m not worried but as someone that has struggled with weight in the past, it’s scary to watch those numbers climb.

Sex – I have no desire for sex…of any kind.  Between being the most worn out and tired that I’ve ever been in my life and having nighttime queasies I just have no interest.  Not to mention the fact that I don’t feel sexy at all.  Aside from the larger breasts, the other parts that have gotten larger are not appealing to me so I’m not very quick to uncover them.  We’ve been active, although not as much as pre-pregnancy but it’s definitely something I do to keep the husband happy.  I do not have any desires or needs right now.  I’m hoping the books are right and that things will pick up in the 2^nd trimester because I do miss the enjoyment of being intimate with my husband.

Dreams – the dreams are crazy and pretty much non-stop all night long.  Sometimes I wake up and have to remind myself that it was just a dream.  I haven’t had too many nightmares, thank goodness.  The few bad dreams I’ve had were pretty bad, though.  All of the dreams are vivid and even odder than before I was pregnant.

Hair – the hair on my head has turned into a wonderful mane.  I used to have to wash my hair ever 2 to 3 days or else it looked greasy and nasty.  Now, I can go 5 or 6 days without washing my hair.  It’s so awesome!  Yes, I shower daily I just hate taking the time to dry my hair.  Those precious 8 minutes could be spent on the couch.  :-)  The hair on my legs and underarms is growing faster so I have to shave more but that is not a big deal.  My bikini line has been waxed 3 times since getting pregnant.  The first time was fine, just like usual.  The second time I thought I was being tortured in war.  I didn’t tell the lady (a new lady) that I was pregnant because the last session went fine.  OUCH!  Not only did it feel like she was ripping my skin off, when she was done I was red and sore for several days.  Always tell the lady that you are pregnant.  I went yesterday and told her (another different lady) and she used a different wax and was much more gentle.  I was still a little red but I’m always red the first day.  I’m back to normal today.

That’s about all for now.  I’m sure there will be more later but I think this is a pretty good start to help me remember things.  I know it’s not the most exciting post so if you read all the way through, I commend you!  See you all later!