If this is being pregnant....

C

Cheshire Cat

Cathlete
...I don't like it at all :-(

I thought I was having my period 3 weeks ago but it wasn't quite as it usually was...in fact my doctor has confirmed I'm pregnant and going from my dates I'm only 5.5 weeks but...I'm already looking 3.5 months. My normally flat tum is progressively getting massive and I have a constant period pain, in fact the only time the pain subsides is whilst exercising. My weight has gone down but my belly is ballooning...what's going on? Am I going to be the size of the titanic in a couple of months or is it all going to slow down. My books say I should be showing at 12 weeks. It doesn't say anything about 5.5 weeks.

And I feel as sick as a dog (or is it a parrot?) whatever it is, I feel as sick as it. It's just no fun. If this is what being pregnant is like, I'll not be doing it again that's for sure. I feel awful. All I want to do is lie down and sleep.
 
Sounds like you are a thin person if you have a flat tummy and those are the ones that always "show" much quicker. I was a few pounds overweight (all in my tummy) when I got pregnant and because of this I didn't "show" until I was about 4.5 months along. When you are already pudgy around the middle, pregnancy simply doesn't show very soon. My friend was thin and had a flat tummy and she was "showing" very early too. Don't worry it will slow down and you will start feeling better after the first 3 months. Good luck and take care!
Lisa
 
Boy do I rememebr feeling that way in my first trimester with my first child. I was even bent over the toilet thinking "If this is what pregnancy is I am never doing it again!" But here I am trying to get pregnant. You will forget how bad everything is when you have your baby in your arms. Even during the second trimester and you feel wonderful, you will forget how horrible you felt in the beginning. I also started to show right away with my first, and I wasn't all the thin to begin with. I was in maternity clothes by 2 1/2 months I think. You will make it through, and you will forget, not totally, but for the most part, you will forget.
Try to have fun while being pregnant, I know it's hard but you may just grwo to love your round belly, knowing that there is a baby in there.
Take care!

Kathy
 
You definitely can't base a pregnancy on that first trimester. I'm 10 days away from my due date with number two and my first trimester with each was different, not fun, but things take a turn for the better by second trimester. I was more sick with my first one, but with this pregnancy I had HORRIBLE bloating and gas pain in the beginning. That could be part of your stomach thing - bloating. And hormones.

I'm sure it will get better, and even if it doesn't don't assume your next pregnancy will be anything like this one. My body is different, my moods are different ... some things are better and some things have been worse. Either way, congratulations. Motherhood has changed me in such wonderful ways.
 
Bless your heart! I have always said I hate being pregnant, but I love the results. I hope your morning/ all the time sickness (that's what I had.) gets better soon. I think the hardest part, even more so then the nausea, is the fatigue you have the first trimester. I really did feel better in my second, and even third trimester. I was always incredibly thirsty when pregnant. Keeping hydrated really helped the fatigue and the nausea. Hang in there!

Hopefull
 
I felt the same way with my first baby. And guess what, I'm almost 30 weeks along with my 4th!! I'm definatley NOT one of those women who enjoys being pregnant. However, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my kids and so the suffering of pregnancy is worth the end result. This however is gonna be my last!

You will feel better. Each pregnancy is SO different also. I hope you feel better soon.
 
Thanks ladies for your replies. I shouldn't moan about this whole thing, I know I shouldn't. I just expected it to be plain sailing from day one. Everyone I know has always commented that my figure is very trim and I'll probably have a "designer" pregnancy. I guess I believed the hype, and reading all sorts of posts here where everybody (it seems) is doing just fine and exercising right up to the last minute has kind of set a standard in my own mind.

I haven't had morning sickness (yet), in fact first thing in the morning is the only time I feel half normal. I'm an AM/PM exerciser so I definitely ensure I get my workout early because as the day progresses I just feel like death warmed up and the idea of exercise later on doesn't excite me at all and catching up on a missed workout is completely out of the question right now.

Thanks for the point about keeping hydrated. I should know from experience that when tired drink water (it's always worked in the past!). For the first time ever I feel like not eating and drinking. Maybe the water would be a huge step in going forward. It's worth a try.

I'll make a concerted effort to make this whole thing fun.

Thank you

CC
 
Hi Chesire Cat, I was like you when I was pregnant. At 8 weeks, I couldn't zip up my jeans! I really wasn't showing yet. To most people I simply looked bloated, but yes, I did feel like a balloon then. Women experience pregnancy differently, so I really can't tell how fast your tummy will grow. As fast as mine grew during the first trimester, my tummy kinda "settled" during the second trimester. At five months, people were telling me my tummy was small for five months. Then the sixth month hit, and boom! From then on I just grew progressively bigger until it was time to deliver.

The first trimester is always rough. But it'll get better. Like you, all I wanted to do was sleep. So I did. There was no use fighting it because my lids would always close themselves shut. And there were times when I wanted to wake up but some powerful force always pulled me back to sleep. But after about the 13th week, I started getting my energy back.

Hang in there. Good luck to you.

Pinky
 
I'm 25 weeks pregnant with my 2nd baby. I didn't really enjoy the pregnancy with the first one. I didn't like getting 'fatter' and I liked my size 3 body. I got stretch marks, vomited a lot, got hemmorrhoids, and had continuous heartburn.

Now with my 2nd pregnancy, almost 10 years after my 1st pregnancy, I went into it thinking that pregnancy itself was way overrated. I love being a mother and it was a 'sacrificial period of time' that would go away after 40 weeks or so. 1st trimester was really heard. Now, I am on cloud 9 trying to enjoy every individual moment of pregnancy to it's fullest. My challenges are different with this one. I have swollen ankles & fingers, low platelets, and lower back pain. My joy is different too-- as I've learned to enjoy my changing body and the wonderful miracle of life that is forming inside of me. My absolute most favorite thing is feeling my baby boy kick within me. Wouldn't give it up for the world!

Hang in there, it'll all be worth it.

Melanie
Baby boy due 1/25/04

" Take care of your body like it will last a lifetime. Take care of your soul like it will last for eternity"
 
Oh kiddo, I'm gonna pray for you. You sound just like me in my first pregnancy (actually I think that every pregnancy, but it was the worst with baby number one). I was 98 pounds my whole life and I gained 30 in the first trimester partially because I was so sick and I had to keep food in my stomach which made me feel a tad better, but sick at the same time (does that make sense). I continued to be sick the first time the whole 9 months, but it did get a little better after 4-5 months, not much though. I've never understood how people really enjoyed pregnancy, until baby number 5 which was much better than the rest. And this pregnancy (number 6) is somewhere in between, but closer to number 5 in enjoyment. :) :) :).

I just wanted you to know that you are not alone and that it will usually get better after those first 12 weeks. Keep checking in for encouragement. We ALL have our weeks!!!! Workout wise, don't sweat missing some workouts, the intensity may be back up towards the second trimester (though cardio is never up for me during pregnancy). Keep us posted, and trust me, once that baby comes it will all be worth it!!

Briee
 
One of these days someone is going to come up with a safe and effective treatment for morning sickness. He, no she,(cause men just don't get it.) will be multi, multi millionaires when they do. I've always wondered if morning sicknees isn't natural population control. The thought of facing it always makes you think twice. Wish I could come up with that cure, and come up with it soon enough to give you some relief. When you look through this forum, I bet morning sickness is mentioned more than any other subject. Seems like life always throws a little bitter with the sweet. Really, no pun intended.

Hopefull
 
Yes, well, what you say - that was me being pregnant in my first trimester! Don't worry - your body will do what it needs to grow that baby. I started showing just as early as you (and I gained about 10 pounds in my first trimester). I was confused and alarmed because the books said 12 weeks was when you started showing. Don't worry - everything will work out and your body will gain weight and "show" as the baby and your body needs it.

I was pregnant for the first time this year and have a 4 month old baby. I tried to eat right and exercise as best I could and I have shed the 38 pounds I gained and am actually less than what I was before I was pregnant. I am telling you this because I was in your shoes about a year ago and wondering the same things as you are.

And, yes, for some, the nausea and fatigue are not fun. I was sick and tired but like a switch, it ends after the first trimester. I swear all the symptoms you experience while pregnant are just a preparation by Nature for what's in store when you have the baby!!! Take care and try not to be hard on yourself! Just listen to your body - it really knows what to do.
 
I'm not one of those who like being pregnant either. I would rather skip the whole process on go on right to childbirth.

I battled severe nausea at the beginning of this pregnancy. Was unable to workout, even under Diclectin (the Canadian equivalent of Zofran). When the nausea started subsiding at about 13-14 weeks, I started getting BH contractions... pretty frequently... especially during physical exertion.

After having followed Dr's advice to avoid physical exertion and excessive car travel to avoid my cervix dilating (like I had with my first pregnancy), I'm now at 26 weeks with a 1cm dilated cervix. It's better than last pregnancy, because only my outer cervix is dilated, and not my inner cervix.

The only physical exertion I can handle right now without getting 6 contractions an hour is light housework. I do an aquafitness class, but even that gives me numerous contractions (but since it only lasts an hour, I'm OK with it).

My fitness activities were a priority before my pregnancy and I considered myself highly active... now I have to start from zero post-partum, and I find it very discouraging. However, the rewards of having a child are far superior to a short period in my life (9 months) were I can't be as active as I want.
 
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