First Trimester Observations

I promise not to dwell too much on the baby situation (damn Jersey Shore for ruining an important word like "situation"). To show you that I'm serious about not becoming one of "those people" who talk about their baby constantly, I'm also drafting a blog post about the early season blooms in my garden. Geez, and I wonder why nobody reads my blog when I mostly talk about fetuses and gardening.

Anyway, I'm at the end of the first trimester and thought now would be a good time to reflect on the last few months. Before I begin, I want to acknowledge that I am in no way whining or complaining because many women have a much tougher time in the first trimester and because the baby appears healthy. However, I think there are a few funny bits about early pregnancy that are worth sharing with the world at large.

TO PEE OR NOT TO PEE

The first pregnancy symptom I had was frequent urination (a.k.a. peeing all the time), which is incredibly unusual for me because I'm not a pee-er. I once refrained from peeing during a 15 hour road trip from Syracuse, NY, to Madison, WI. Okay, okay, I went to the bathroom once in Ohio, but you get the picture. I despise public bathrooms partly because of cleanliness concerns and partly because I need my own private bathroom space to really do my thing.

Something tells me that pregnancy and giving birth will be all the immersion therapy I can handle on my bathroom issues. I wonder if I'll have the same issues after this is over?

A PENCHANT FOR PUKING

Nausea and vomiting didn't really start until Christmas (thank you, Santa), and the movie It's a Wonderful Life ironically kicked off the trend. So, maybe it wasn't ironic that a movie with the words "wonderful" and "life" triggered weeks of vomiting and nausea, but it is at least a strange coincidence. Of course, there are probably lots of folks out there who would say that the movie is responsible for decades of nausea and even vomiting that are more content related than pregnancy related. (I kid, I kid.)

In addition to the nausea and vomiting, my eating preferences changed significantly. Everyone knows I'm an eater. I like all sorts of food: spicy, sweet, salty, savory, exotic, etc. Sadly, my diet during the last few weeks has consisted of soup crackers, bagels, hard boiled eggs, and (if I'm lucky) oranges. I would love to see a fancy chef try to make a delightful dinner based only on those ingredients. It can't be done, and I've tried.

Ryan's office has a couple of chefs who cook dinner for the employees, and staff are allowed to bring home dinner for their families. It's an amazing perk, but anytime he brought home anything that consisted of more than the four ingredients listed above, I would run to the loo in a panic.

Just as I was feeling my worst, my busy season started with the state legislative session. Again, I have it much easier than most environmental lobbyists who are in Olympia for months, but the first few weeks of session are intense and require long hours and result in stress and poor nutrition. Thankfully, I have a great support system with another lobbyist (you know who you are!), and she really looked out for me this year. That said, I would like to avoid constant nausea, exhaustion, and vomiting during future sessions, unless, of course, I'm sick because I had one too many gin and tonics. Then, I'm fine with it. (Again, I kid, I kid.)

I DIDN'T YAWN AT YOU. I YAWNED NEAR YOU.

Then there's the exhaustion. I'm not sure if it's because of my work demands or if it's the baby, but I'm completely wiped out ALL THE TIME. I wake up tired. I barely function during the day. I come home and immediately go to bed. I've heard that this too shall end in the second trimester, but I have to say this has been the hardest symptom to deal with. I want to go to the gym. I want to do my laundry from start to finish without getting so tired that my clothes sit on the dryer for a week. I want to work in my garden. I want to pull my weight around the house. The baby is barely a fetus and the little bugger is already holding me back. Why can't that reality begin after the baby is born? Seriously, I'm putting a suggestion in the comment box, and I'd like a response.

EMOTIONAL? I'M NOT EMOTIONAL? WHY? DO YOU THINK I'M EMOTIONAL? OHMIGOD! WHAT IF I AM EMOTIONAL?

I don't think the hormone-induced insanity of pregnancy has really set in yet, but I'm definitely a little more reactive and unpredictable than usual. For the first time ever, I cried while watching an Aflac commercial. Sometimes, I get a little feisty with Ryan if he looks out the window because I'm sure it's a sign that he wants to leave and I'll be stuck alone with the baby forever. I can't listen to The Splendid Table on NPR without yelling at the radio.

I don't know where these irrational feelings and reactions come from. Granted, I have a history of anxiety and my quirky thoughts and actions may just be the result of an uptick in dysfunctional brain chemistry, but I think the pregnancy hormones are starting to show themselves. Poor Ryan. It must be hard for men to understand this symptom. In a way, it's like being a sober driver when your closest friend is completely drunk and unpredictable. As the sober person, you just want the night to end and the drunk friend to go to sleep. Good thing I'm tired all the time.

The first trimester is strange for a lot of reasons. The reality of having a baby hasn't really hit you yet, but your body knows what's going on. Besides the physical symptoms, I've had my share of weird little freak out moments where I worry over silly things. For example, the laptop has become my primary entertainment source while I lay in bed. I'm sure the radiation or heat or electric fields from the computer are mutating the poor little bun. Fortunately, I'm too exhausted to worry too much, and I return to watching reruns on Hulu after a few moments of neurosis.

Thanks for reading such a long post! Stay tuned for more adventures!