First Trimester in Review (though I hope to forget)

     According to some sources, the first trimester is over at week 12, others say it is at week 14.  Regardless, I find it relevant to cover my experience thus far as the symptoms that rendered me almost useless for the past month and a half are finally subsiding.

 
     Let me start by saying women have varying symptoms, and pregnancy does not affect all of us the same.  For weeks 6-12, the exhaustion has been over-whelming, I have been extraordinarily nauseas (no puking, yay!), and unbelievably irritable.  Thankfully, I did not register for summer classes at UT, and I did not commit to anything remotely close to a full-time job.  Because my responsibilities were so minimal, a majority of the past month and a half was spent on the sofa and I have logged way too many hours in front of the television.  My workouts dwindled, and my eating habits got really weird.  My normal 3-block meals were too much for one sitting.  I found myself eating smaller portions more frequently.  Food aversions messed up balancing meals, too.  Fortunately, Dr. Sears does not recommend the Zone for pregnant women or growing children.  I would crave foods I haven’t eaten in years such as cottage cheese, macaroni and cheese, sunbutter and jelly sandwiches, pasta with lots of tomato sauce, and chicken soup with rice.  That’s right, I started eating like a toddler.  My once cherished broccoli was impossible to look at and some meats were completely off the menu.  I cut myself some slack and decided to eat what I could and not stress about keeping the Paleo template.  For aspiring moms-to-be, be forewarned.  Weeks 6-12 are the most developmentally taxing on Mama Bear as Baby is morphing through evolutionary representations of animals to become your most incredible blessing.  By week 12, the basic physiology, bones, spinal column, nervous system, and other foundations for life are present.  Of course that process drained me to a blubbering mess…. for 6 long weeks. 
     When I did attempt to venture in the real world, everything irked me, I felt light-headed as with a bad hangover, and fatigued as if I just ran a marathon.  So, I became a recluse. I read all 3-Grey novels in less than a week, then proceeded to raid our library.  I got through The Hunger Games in a day, finally finished The Land of Painted Caves (the final book in the Clan of the Cave Bear series), and went back to reading my pregnancy books.  By last week, my patience began to wane.  This miracle of pregnancy was not feeling like a miracle.  It felt like mono.  I did not even like being with myself because I was so negative.  Yes, I wondered if it could be perhaps due to the crappy food I had been eating that probably was not helping my already raging hormones.  This was what I found for relief (more like mild management) of my symptoms.

For nausea

—Mommy’s Bliss (an amazing supplement of B6, folic acid, and ginger; found at People’s Pharmacy)

-- Ginger Chews

-- Eating smaller, more frequent meals, drinking kombucha, and juice

For exhaustion

—Sleep, sleep, and yep, more sleep.  My insomnia returned as my usual melatonin is now on the restricted list.  I changed my magnesium supplement which helped a little.  Otherwise, I would nap whenever my body felt like it could actually sleep; especially after a sleepless night or if I had to get up at 5am to coach a class.  Pregnant women with full-time jobs, I am in awe of you.

            -- Taking more rest days, and making workouts much lighter (I made the mistake of pushing through too hard on a workout one day, and the baby let me know that it was not a good idea.  I spent the rest of the day on the sofa feeling even more miserable than usual.  Baby provides a great gauge for exercise intensity.  My workouts now resemble my old warm ups since I am supposed to keep my heart rate below 150 bpm (this has now been found outdated).  Doing small sets and resting or doing sets “on the minute” are great to keep that HR down.  The expedited blood circulation in my body makes my heart rate sky rocket (I have been told this should get better as my blood volume increases in the 2nd trimester) quickly and the relaxin hormone has loosened up my joints and ligaments quite a bit.  So, I have to be pretty ginger with the weights to avoid over-heating and injuring myself.  Seriously, crazy CrossFitters, it will come back.  Let the babe take most of the nutrients as nature intended.  www.crossfitmom.com has great WODs that are suitable for our changing bodies.)

            -- Pre-natal yoga at the Austin Area BirthingCenter-South.  Classes are offered 3-days a week for women and partners in both AABC programs (North and South).

For irritability

—Lots of alone time and a very understanding husband.  AJ treated me to a solo prego pamper weekend at Travaasa Austin complete with a facial, meditation, yoga, and incredible local fare at a Hill Country oasis near Lake Travis.

            -- Exploiting my creative side- Believe it or not, women’s brains change during pregnancy.  I have become much more forgetful and am often lost for words.  On the up-side, it is as though the right hemisphere of my brain as ignited cravings for creativity.  I went to a hobby store, bought some art supplies, and have had a great time painting pictures and drawing.  It is soothing, and helps me feel more accomplished with my day than just reclining on the sofa.

            -- Listening to songs from my childhood- There is something soothing about listening to music I heard as a young child right now.  I also like watching cartoons and old movies from the 1980's.  Just go with it.

My secret weapon—Network Chiropractor Entrainments/ Somato-Respiratory Integration at Healing Care of Austin- I go to at least one appointment a week to help myself get centered and connect with Baby Rosenberg.  It has been observed that women who undergo NCE/SRI throughout pregnancy experience a better connection with their child during labor and delivery.  I have been seeing Dr. Rose since February to help with my CrossFit training, and decided to continue regular sessions.  I had an SRI session last week which made a huge difference in my mood and overall well-being. These appointments are the highlight of my week!

     The past few days have been the best since the symptoms started.  I am crossing my fingers that it is not just a fluke leading my back to the sofa later.  Granted I am still nowhere near my old energy and motivation levels, but any improvement at this point is something to celebrate.  I have a small baby bump, though am pretty sure it is just a gluten gut from all the toddler-food.  This week, I start pottery classes at ClayWays and also begin regular classes at the birthing center!