Pregnancy Update : Week 4 - 16 (Was It Worth It?)

Sorry to shatter all those Hollywood-pregnancy dreams (think Angelina Jolie) out there but trust me when I say it was no bed of roses especially in the first trimester of your pregnancy. There is no "pregnancy glow" when all you want to do is head to the toilet to puke out your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You don't feel pretty, in fact you look sick most of the time. If you think that is bad, top that up with constant feeling of dizziness plus holding a full-time job that requires constant thinking and "analytical skill" which is part of your job description.

That being said, everytime when I question myself on what am I getting myself into and if I am truly ready to take on the challenge, I see the monthly scan and the development of my little one and then suddenly all the "suffering" seems worth it .. until the next months' scan that is. Vicious cycle, I tell you.

Now that I am safely at the start of my second trimester (16 weeks to be exactly) and all seems pretty stable (both mummy and baby), I guess it's time to document my journey towards mummy-hood.

Week 4 - 7 : Nauseaous

After passing the initial stage of excitement, jubilation, and celebration .. the waves of nauseous started to kick in. It was not unbearable but it is very very uncomfortable. Imagine the constant feeling of wanting to throw up but not being able to do so. Imagine you are in that situation while working in the office, meeting with clients, during lunch time.. you get the drift. All you want to do is lie in bed the whole day.

Week 8 - 12 : Vomiting 

Just when I thought the torture would stop at feeling nauseous (yes, I was that naive), suddenly the vommiting came hitting me like a train. Whoever who invented the term morning sickness clearly has no clue what a morning sickness is. Contrary to its name, it My sessions includes mornings and evenings. Every. Single. Day. T_T doesn't only come in the mornings.

Amongst the items which will trigger off my sickness includes (non-exhautive list):

- Brushing teeth.

- Milk / Dairy / Cheese.

- Perfume (or any bath products that are scented).

- Any pungent/cooking smell from the kitchen.

Actually for me, the trick is to vomit first before your meal (force it out even if you have to) so that you are able to keep your food in after a meal. I know I am quite blessed cos I only had the morning sickness for a little over a month. I know of some friends who had it all throughout their pregnancy *shudder*.

Week 13 - 16 : Dizziness 

This I didn't expect because it's not "the norm" (i.e. I didn't read about it anywhere). Initially I thought that I am amenic but alas it was those pesky hormones again. The fainting spells comes in the morning when I get up from bed. It's like vertigo and the room spins real bad. Crawling out from bed is a chore, let alone going to work. At around this time, I had trouble sleeping (yes, those damn hormones again). With those two lethal combination of lack of sleep and dizziness in the morning, you can imagine how torturous it was for me.

My gynae has given me the following tips. I hope it helps for pregnant mummies out there who has experience the same dizziness I had:

- 30 minutes before bedtime, make yourself something hot to drink. It will help with the insomnia.

- Avoid all types of tea; this includes chinese tea, green tea, English tea etc. It will help with the dizziness.

- Elevate your legs when you sleep. Good blood circulation helps with the dizziness.

I have tried and to my astonishment, it worked - to some extent. Well better than nothing right?

Todate, I have taken 10 MCs and so far my boss has been understanding (most of my MCs are only half days in the morning anyway). Unfortunately, work has been trailing behind which can't be helped. My appetitie has dwindled and I have lost 2 kgs (yeah?!). Now that it's the start of the second trimester, I hope and pray that things will only get better from now onwards.

P/S: Am pleased to announce that the morning sickness and dizziness has miraculously gone away almost completely. Hallelujah~  

Love;

Mummy Geri