I don’t want to write loads about being pregnant on this blog, unless people say they want to hear otherwise (lord knows I can talk about it until the cows come home because I’m so excited), but I did want to write one post about it, because it’s been such a strange and completely different experience so far!
My husband and I were trying for a while to get pregnant without much luck, so one of the reasons I started BeNourishd in the first place was to motivate myself to stay healthy. There are a million factors why women struggle to get pregnant, and I wanted to make sure that diet wasn’t one of them for me! And who knows what caused us to be successful in the end, but I like to think that me being as healthy as I’ve ever been must have contributed at least a little bit!
Since getting pregnant, I have been sick. So sick. Oh man, so sick. I haven’t been on a drip, so definitely not at the ‘extreme’ end of morning sickness, but it’s been really hard at times. I’ve literally been sick almost every day for the last 9 weeks. It’s disgusting. Everybody said ‘eat ginger biscuits, drink ginger tea’, but both of those things made me feel worse, not better! I had all these visions of me being all ethereal and glowing with this little secret inside me, but in reality I have felt like the complete opposite of earth mother, especially with the hayfever, which I’ve not been able to take any medicine for!
But it feels like that’s on the turn now. I’m starting to wake up feeling okay, and feel mostly pretty okay during the day. I wouldn’t say I’m a ball of energy yet, although people do say that you start to feel that way during the second trimester, but I definitely feel improved.
And also – SO EXCITED. Having the scan last week was genuinely one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was so nervous beforehand – I was worried that there would be something wrong with the baby or – worse yet – that there would be nothing in there, and it would turn out to be an imaginary pregnancy! But when she put the scanner (Probe? What are those things called?) on my belly and this tiny little baby appeared on screen… I definitely shed a tear or two just out of pure amazement. I’m not really showing yet, so to see this pretty much fully formed little creature, wriggling around, stretching its legs out, yawning, waving its fingers and toes about – it was pure magic. My heart felt like it was about to burst.
Since then, telling friends and family has been great and I’m so excited about the journey ahead. I know people have been doing it for millions of years, and a baby is born every minute, but it still feels like a bizarre thing to be going through – my body is changing so much every day – I can’t quite believe it’s happening at all!
Since I’ve not been well, I’ve not been working out as much as I had been, and I haven’t been interested in eating very much food, which has been pretty horrible when I love looking at it, cooking it and writing about it! But now that I’m starting to feel better, I’m looking forward to finding some pregnancy exercises and super healthy recipes to boost my energy in this next stage!
If you are pregnant or know someone who is, I’d love to know your/their tips and things they found helpful!
PS: I’d also love to know how people in other cities get by without the Baby on Board badges!!! This has been invaluable to me and so far is the only way I get a seat on my commute!