The Physicality of Pregnancy
First, a disclaimer - I do not pretend to speak for all pregnant women by any means. Each pregnancy is different and I can only talk about my experiences and what I've observed or been told of other pregnancies.
I must be in the small category of pregnant women who did not get sick at all in their first trimester. Heredity, my mother, are responsible for that. Fatigue did not affect me at all either, I had the same energy as always. My boobs got bigger but were no more tender or sore than prior to a period.
The worst that happened were 2 things: for about 4 weeks I had uncontrollable hunger compounded by the inability to eat anything that didn't taste bitter. The hunger pangs were sometimes incredibly sharp and urgent. The fact that everything tasted bitter made the pangs even worse. I haven't had any bona fide cravings per se, but I sent poor Karl to the grocery store to buy every snack item I ever liked in search of something that tasted good or that at least didn't leave a bitter taste in my mouth. The sad thing was, he would come home laden with grocery bags full of food, I would open everything, taste them and then make a face after one or two bites and not eat them at all. Thank goodness that didn't last. I was very grumpy those 4 weeks.
About eating. It is absolutely wrong to think you are eating for two so don't even try that trick and gorge. You only need about 300 extra calories per day to sustain your new baby. Of course every pregnancy book in the world will tell you that those 300 calories have to be quality calories. DUH. However, if they aren't always, do not stress out. The baby will take any good nutrient stuff from your body first; you get the rest. If you don't eat well, you will suffer first. Now I am not here to get on my soap box about healthy eating because I would brand myself a hypocrite. My idea of a balanced diet is 50% healthy stuff (fruit, veggies, whole grains) and 50% bad stuff (chips, cookies, ice cream). But I am a fanatic about taking my prenatal vitamins and supplements like omega-3 fatty acids and calcium.
About gastrointestinal difficulties. This was (and is) my second worst experience because I'm prone to them anyway. When you're pregnant, the levels of hormones in your body increases. One of the effects is to slow digestion down to a crawl. This is so any nutrients to be had from your food is extracted and absorbed into the blood stream for the baby. Food stays in the intestinal tract for a longer time, leading to things like bloating and gas. Awful. Heartburn is also a common complaint although I don't have that. Maybe later. You may be constipated. My recommendation - drink lots of water and eat dried apricots or plums. It will be uncomfortable and probably embarassing but that's the way it is.
About weight gain. Yes you will, but how much depends on what you weighed before pregnancy and what/how much you eat subsequently. Most women I polled gained an average of 60 lbs!! I was in shock. Doctors consider 25 - 35 lbs to be ideal and I know only 2 women who were in that range. I am tracking to probably 40 lbs. This bothers me greatly but there's not much I can do. I eat the same as I did before, I still exercise and yet I've gained 15 lbs as of 5 months. My doctor says it's because I'm so small I will probably gain more than average, but that's normal. She said that with a smile. Eeeek!
About general aches and pains. My friend Kristy had bad cramps in the first couple of months, like a strong stitch in the side. I have had a few crampy feelings in my lower abdomen at night but nothing very intense. They say those cramps are the ligaments stretching to accomodate the growing uterus. Makes sense.
All in all, though, my pregnancy is very low key. I go about my routine pretty much as usual. I thank the stars for that because if it were more difficult I'd be extremely distracted and useless.
I must be in the small category of pregnant women who did not get sick at all in their first trimester. Heredity, my mother, are responsible for that. Fatigue did not affect me at all either, I had the same energy as always. My boobs got bigger but were no more tender or sore than prior to a period.
The worst that happened were 2 things: for about 4 weeks I had uncontrollable hunger compounded by the inability to eat anything that didn't taste bitter. The hunger pangs were sometimes incredibly sharp and urgent. The fact that everything tasted bitter made the pangs even worse. I haven't had any bona fide cravings per se, but I sent poor Karl to the grocery store to buy every snack item I ever liked in search of something that tasted good or that at least didn't leave a bitter taste in my mouth. The sad thing was, he would come home laden with grocery bags full of food, I would open everything, taste them and then make a face after one or two bites and not eat them at all. Thank goodness that didn't last. I was very grumpy those 4 weeks.
About eating. It is absolutely wrong to think you are eating for two so don't even try that trick and gorge. You only need about 300 extra calories per day to sustain your new baby. Of course every pregnancy book in the world will tell you that those 300 calories have to be quality calories. DUH. However, if they aren't always, do not stress out. The baby will take any good nutrient stuff from your body first; you get the rest. If you don't eat well, you will suffer first. Now I am not here to get on my soap box about healthy eating because I would brand myself a hypocrite. My idea of a balanced diet is 50% healthy stuff (fruit, veggies, whole grains) and 50% bad stuff (chips, cookies, ice cream). But I am a fanatic about taking my prenatal vitamins and supplements like omega-3 fatty acids and calcium.
About gastrointestinal difficulties. This was (and is) my second worst experience because I'm prone to them anyway. When you're pregnant, the levels of hormones in your body increases. One of the effects is to slow digestion down to a crawl. This is so any nutrients to be had from your food is extracted and absorbed into the blood stream for the baby. Food stays in the intestinal tract for a longer time, leading to things like bloating and gas. Awful. Heartburn is also a common complaint although I don't have that. Maybe later. You may be constipated. My recommendation - drink lots of water and eat dried apricots or plums. It will be uncomfortable and probably embarassing but that's the way it is.
About weight gain. Yes you will, but how much depends on what you weighed before pregnancy and what/how much you eat subsequently. Most women I polled gained an average of 60 lbs!! I was in shock. Doctors consider 25 - 35 lbs to be ideal and I know only 2 women who were in that range. I am tracking to probably 40 lbs. This bothers me greatly but there's not much I can do. I eat the same as I did before, I still exercise and yet I've gained 15 lbs as of 5 months. My doctor says it's because I'm so small I will probably gain more than average, but that's normal. She said that with a smile. Eeeek!
About general aches and pains. My friend Kristy had bad cramps in the first couple of months, like a strong stitch in the side. I have had a few crampy feelings in my lower abdomen at night but nothing very intense. They say those cramps are the ligaments stretching to accomodate the growing uterus. Makes sense.
All in all, though, my pregnancy is very low key. I go about my routine pretty much as usual. I thank the stars for that because if it were more difficult I'd be extremely distracted and useless.
posted by Lynette at 1/16/2006 12:53:00 PM
1 Comments:
Glad that your pregnancy has been low-key so far. Hmmm, interesting that your doctor said that smaller women gain more than average...I don't think I like the sound of that!
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