My First Trimester - Navigating Morning Sickness and Anxiety
Bumpdate with Imo
I remember sitting on the couch having coffee with Al one afternoon and I could feel the little twinges in my tummy and I turned to Al and said “I’m pretty sure I am pregnant again.” Later that afternoon the twinging kept happening and I did a pregnancy test, I took it out to Al in the workshop and we both stared at it. I felt numb.
We waited a few days to do another test, I was still grieving our recent miscarriage and didn’t want to get my hopes up. After another positive test we waited a while again to book an appointment with our GP. The whole thing felt completely overwhelming.
Our Good Luck Gumnut
On the day of our appointment we parked the car right next to a beautiful flowering gum and picked a small branch and popped it bedside our bed. We kissed the gumnut morning and night for good luck and the ritual has stuck to this day.
I spent the first 13 weeks of this pregnancy unbelievably anxious and I avoided socialising. I didn’t recognise myself, I felt guilty for not being happy and was jealous of the early ignorant bliss of my first pregnancy. We had a GP appointment and Al asked the Doctor if there was anything we could do for my mental health. Without hesitation he wrote me up a mental health plan and booked me in with a psychologist.
These appointments have been amazing in helping me find my groove again and I highly recommend to anyone feeling stuck to seek professional help. It’s honestly like going to a day-spa for your mind.
I felt guilty for not being happy and was jealous of the early ignorant bliss of my first pregnancy.
8 Weeks Pregnant
Al and I decided to keep our second pregnancy quiet until we felt ready to share the news with our family and friends which was made a lot easier due to being in Covid 19 lockdown. We spent most mornings going for a walk in our neighbourhood carrying around our little secret and then as soon as the restrictions eased in Regional Victoria we booked a little getaway to Daylesford. We’d been locked-down in our house since the first pregnancy and were in need of a change of scenery.
We had a beautiful little weekend away between the nausea and throwing up…
READ NOW - COUPLES RETREAT IN DAYLESFORD
6 Week Dating Scan
During our first pregnancy I wasn’t allowed to have Al with me at any scans due to Covid 19, this was particularly traumatic during the scan to confirm our miscarriage. With this pregnancy I rang around and found a Health Imagery Centre that allows partners. I walked into both the dating scan and anatomy scan without much hope.
Seeing the flickering heartbeat in the 6 Week Dating Scan was a wonderful feeling but I knew all too well that we weren’t in the clear yet and still had a long journey ahead.
At 11 weeks we received the results of the NIPT test which we elected to find out the sex of the baby. The first pregnancy I was happy to not know, however this time around I didn’t want any surprises. Our doctor put the results in an envelope and we drove straight down to Bells Beach to open it up together. We made a bet that whoever guessed the sex picked what we’d get for dinner that night. I was convinced we were having a boy and wanted pizza and Al thought girl and wanted Indian. We had Indian for dinner.
We were both stoked and now couldn’t imagine her to be anything else. It’s amazing how quickly your imagination propels into the future. Right there in the car park we called our families to tell them that we were pregnant and it’s a little girl
The 13 week scan was the benchmark I’d set in my mind to let go of the anxiety if all went well. As soon as we saw the heartbeat I couldn’t stop crying, I felt all of the stress leave my body and fill with pure happiness. Not only was there a strong heartbeat but she was wriggling around and waving.
As soon as we saw the heartbeat I couldn’t stop crying, I felt all of the stress leave my body and fill with pure happiness.
13 Week Anatomy Scan
13 Week Anatomy Scan
My first pregnancy I didn’t experience morning sickness at all, in-fact I felt great… so when the nausea and fatigue arrived it hit me like a freight train! Initially I tried to continue my daily routine but quickly found out that wasn’t going to work anymore. As someone who is a get-up-and-go kinda gal I had to change my mindset and give myself permission to slow down when I needed to.
The nausea was so much worse than I imagined it would be, I couldn’t even step foot in the kitchen without being sick. The sights and smells of everything would turn my stomach and the amount of meals I made for myself, took two mouthfuls and brought back up is sad to think about - not too bad for Al though who received all of my unwanted meals. Speaking of Al, he was an absolute rockstar during this tricky time where our miscarriage bled into this first trimester. He did all of the cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping (can you believe that even the smell of washing powder made me spew?)
My Morning Sickness Elixir
The one thing that I found really helped during my first trimester was drinking a smoothie in the morning before getting out of bed which I have continued to do into my second trimester.
The one thing that I found really helped during my first trimester was drinking a smoothie in the morning before getting out of bed which I have continued to do into my second trimester … but at least I can now make it myself without being sick. I’ve popped the recipe up online and I highly recommend giving it a go if you’re finding it hard to get out of bed.
RECIPE - MY MORNING SICKNESS ELIXIR
I’m a self-confessed planner. Lover of spreadsheets and Pinterest Boards. With our first pregnancy I designed the nursery the day we found out and by the end of the week I had a baby wish list and names picked.
This time around I was reluctant to even look at anything baby related which is tricky when my feed on every social media site was baby-focused!
Then right at the end of my first trimester I was lent some pre and post natal books. Al and I have been reading these together in the mornings, sharing things that we learn with each other.
Pre & Post Natal Books for your Bedside Table
The top three books were leant to me by Phoebe of Sage + Clare who recently had her second baby Heidi. Phoebe is also a business owner and worked through her first pregnancy and post-birth which led to burnout, these are books she wished she’d read before her first pregnancy and very generously handed them onto me to read.
Golden Month, The Fourth Trimester and The First Forty Days are all based around the importance of caring for and nourishing the mother post-birth. An important reminder to slow down in a world where we’re pressured to “bounce back” and being ‘busy’ is glorified. I had quite a few girlfriends have babies during lockdown and the feedback from the midwives during home visits was that the babies all seemed much more settled, breastfeeding well and the parents were forming strong bonds without the distraction of guests and pressure to be out and about.
An important reminder to slow down in a world where we’re pressured to “bounce back” and being ‘busy’ is glorified.
The book on the bottom Zen Mummas is a great read for anyone at any stage - from thinking about having babies all the way through to navigating parenting. I love that this book didn’t sugarcoat anything and covered pregnancy loss, birth complications, anxiety and tips for staying connected to your partner.
If you’re a reader I'd highly recommend adding these on your bedside table.
13 Weeks
And that brings me the end of my first trimester which I can only describe as a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Since the 13 week scan I have really started to accept and enjoy my pregnancy.
We cannot wait to meet our good luck Gumnut.
In the second trimester update you can expect to see what we have planned for the nursery (hint: we're making most of the furniture), my maternity wardrobe, recipes we’ve been eating and I'll update you on how I’m feeling physically and mentally.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
With love from Imo, Al and our little good luck gumnut.
x
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HEY! WE’RE AL + IMO
We’re a husband and wife duo, building our dream life one DIY project at a time. We are proudly self-taught, furniture-makers, business owners, designers and stylists.
DIY RUNS IN OUR DNA
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