The Hard Truth about My First Pregnancy
Being pregnant for the first time was actually worse then what I expected if you want me to be completely honest. Sleeping on the bathroom floor was comfortable to me quite a few times.
It is different for everyone though. I’ve always heard that the first time is usually pretty bad. The nausea is what made the experience so hard. It felt like vomit was just sitting and sitting under my breast (where my stomach was) forever. There were days when I would have a bad migraine and strong nausea at the same time, (this happened about three times) and I just wanted to die.
I was so sick during the first trimester that I could barely eat. Even drinking water made me sick. I feared that my baby wouldn’t be receiving the nutrients that he needed due to me not having an appetite. I expressed my concerns to my doctor, but when we did the ultrasound everything was fine.
It was told to me that it would get better during the second trimester. Yeah, that was a lie. The nausea was still pretty bad during the second trimester guys. I was still vomiting and my appetite was still didn’t exist because everything still made me feel sick. It didn’t get better for me until I was seven months pregnant. Yes, the sickness didn’t subside until I reached seven months of pregnancy.
I had to do some research on what I could drink to help me not feel so darn sick. I’m an advent water drinker, so not being able to hold down water was discouraging. I discovered what liquids were helpful for me. You will find that info in my “Morning Sickness: Tips to Ease Discomfort” post.
The Birthing Plan That Didn’t Happen
I fully prepared myself to have a natural water birth. I took the water birth classes, received a certificate and everything. Just to still get a C-Section. After 48 hours of labor, I still hadn’t dilated more than 5cm. I was in labor for three days ladies and gentleman! Nothing went as planned for my birthing plan, but I’m grateful that my son was healthy and that all of his test were normal. Long story short, the reason why I had to have a C-section was because my baby wasn’t aligned with my pelvis. He was trying to move down but the little guy couldn’t, so basically, he was stuck and needed some help (poor thing) =(. Check out the full story C-Section Insights My Unexpected Birthing Journey.
Swollen Feet
My feet didn’t start to swell until I was seven months pregnant. I couldn’t fit any my my shoes so I had to buy bigger shoes just to have something to wear outside. Now, I know some women personally who’ve told me that their feet never swelled at all, so it is different for everyone just keep that in mind. At first, I thought that my swollen feet and ankles would go away right after the birth but no. It didn’t go away right after. My feet continued to swell after my son was born for about another two months.
Carpal Tunnel
I genuinely had no idea, that carpal tunnel was “a thing” that could happen during pregnancy. I didn’t know what carpal tunnel really was before I developed the symptom. Carpal tunnel happens when swelling of the median nerve takes place in the wrist. According to whattoexpect.com, women that work at desk jobs are more likely to develop this symptom while pregnant. I definitely fall in that category. Most women I know have never had carpal tunnel while pregnant. So it is not super common. Count yourself lucky if you never experience this.
This symptom started to form in both of my wrists when I was around 4 months pregnant. If you’ve never had carpal tunnel, it is very painful. Picking up items light or heavy, even twisting the knob on a door will make the pain worse.
What helped me? Purchasing a brace for my wrist. With the brace I was able to do everything without feeling the serve pain in my wrist. I did go to my chiropractor but it did not help at all. The brace was the only thing that worked.
My carpal tunnel lasted for a really long time. It started when I was four months into my pregnancy, and finally stopped when my baby was seven months old. So we’re talking almost a year! I told myself that if it didn’t go away when my son was a least nine months old, that I would seek surgery for it.
Would I Do this Again?
Overall, yes I would. My son is the light of my life and when he looks up at me and smiles, I tell myself that it was all worth it. Children grow so fast. They don’t stay on bottles very long, stay in diapers long, so much time goes by and before you know it, it’s all a distant memory. Pregnancy is hard but you will get through it. It will quickly become…… a memory.
My biggest advice would be to not sweat the small stuff so much. Let your baby/toddler explore and learn the new world around them. Just smile!
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