Saving My Sanity in the First Trimester

As soon as that second line showed up on that pregnancy test, my anxiety level went through the roof.

Infertility has tossed me into a community with lots of testimonies of all the struggles of early pregnancy- HCG levels, low progesterone, spotting and heart rates and all the things that could go wrong. I knew more than many people about all the risks facing me, and man. I worried.

So I spent most of my fifth week of pregnancy researching symptoms, reading forums, freaking out, hanging around in the comments section of Pregnant Chicken, crying for no real reason (thanks progesterone injections!), and googling "How Not To Freak Out First Trimester."

Obviously, it was a very productive week. Ha. I got even less productive about a week later when I added morning sickness into the mix. Feeling crummy and getting stuff done do not jive well.

Now that I'm (finally) past the first fourteen weeks, I've been looking back at some of the more healthy ways I coped with the stress and sickness that came along with those first few months.

Find Morning Sickness Relievers

First, I have to admit that I was terribly blessed with pretty mild morning sickness. You may be hating me right about now, but I didn't throw up at all during the first trimester. I had a couple very close calls, but generally I just felt crummy all day every day.

For me, eating all the time was the biggest cure of my morning sickness. If I had even a whiff of hunger, that's when I felt the worst. Protein snacks were the best for me-- especially Cheez-Its (I still have a box on the nightstand next to my bed just in case...). I honestly thought I was going to gain 15 pounds in the first trimester just because I ate all. the. time. I didn't, but seriously- all the time.

Trevor brought me toast in bed every morning to keep the morning sickness at bay- and sometimes he even made smiley face toast. 

I also read somewhere that Sour Patch Kids worked well in taming the tummy. They happened to be on sale at the grocery store, and even though I don't really like them, I bought a bag. Holy moly, they worked. I carried a ziplock baggie full of them in my purse, and they really helped. I have no idea why.

For different people, though, the things that make you feel better are bound to be different than mine. Try things out, find what works for you, and do the best you can to feel the best you can.

Take a Nap

I was pretty well wiped every day of the first trimester. So tired. I would eat my lunch and then start folding laundry... and before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

The napping had two big benefits- first, it made me feel a little better physically. If I wasn't awake, I couldn't feel sick! And secondly, it ate up some time. I was so focused on just getting through each day, mentally counting down to each milestone- our first appointment, our first ultrasound, my next blood draw... Napping was a great way to use up a few extra hours of each day and keep myself healthy and rested in the process.

Pray

I did a lot (and I mean a lot) of praying for the first three months of my pregnancy. A lot.

When we found out that God had answered our prayers (and the prayers of so many others) after all this time, I was overjoyed and also terrified. Every twinge, every time I went to the bathroom and noticed spotting, every time I felt nauseated, I prayed for this baby and his or her safety. It made me feel like I was able to do something productive and also kept me connected with the One who was (and is) in control of this very out-of-my-control experience.

After our ultrasound, I'd often look at the picture of our cute little blob as I prayed

Find a Favorite Show

I will go out on a limb and say that the first trimester is the perfect time for some good old fashioned distraction.

About a week after we found out I was expecting, things got pretty insane at work as we hit the final few weeks of the season and closed down one of our sites (which involved switching existing reservations and making lots and lots of phone calls). Oh, that was so good. I was too busy to spend too much time worrying, and the days passed quickly.

And then... things slowed down majorly as the snow melted and the tourist traffic dried up. And the worrying kicked way back up.

I spent more time that I otherwise would have on my phone watching Netflix. Finding a few favorite shows - light and funny, not too much thinking - really helped me to stay distracted from my worries and not obsess too much.

Take a Walk

After about four months of pretty much neglecting my dog Bear's walking schedule (Colorado in January is COLD), I started to get back into the nearly-daily walking plan with him again.

Of course, our walks weren't very long, and I had Sour Patch Kids in my coat pocket the whole time, but getting outside and away from my computer and it's tempting access to Google was a lifesaver. It also helped my nausea to have some fresh air and (TMI warning...) kept me from getting too constipated.

Talk about Your Concerns with Your Hubs (but talk about Other Stuff, Too)

My husband is my best friend. He's been through it all with me, and he knows me better than I know myself a lot of the time.

Even so, I found myself staying quiet about many of my concerns-- about how scared I was to lose the baby or that something would go wrong, about my silly superstitions (like how I thought  that if I lied about being pregnant, something bad would happen to the baby...), about how I was seriously doubting my ability to be a good parent...

But finally opening up, even about the silly things that I knew were ridiculous, helped me to calm down, realize that he was feeling similarly, and made me a little less... over dramatic.

At the same time, I found myself only talking about being pregnant- about how I was feeling, statistics I'd found about risk of miscarriage, an article that I'd read, what I thought about choices in diapering... it was a little like wedding planning conversations all over again.

It was important for us to have non-baby related conversations, too - to go out to eat together, to go for a hike. We still have to be us.






I really felt like the first twelve to fourteen weeks of pregnancy would take forever. It certainly felt like every day was the longest day of my life. But now I'm past it and already about half way through my pregnancy, and looking back, it feels like it went so fast! Trust me, if you're in the thick of it, you can do this.

For those of you who have been through it, what am I missing? What kept you calm and sane during your first trimester?

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