What To Expect
- Fatigue
- Breast tenderness
- Frequent urination
Your Baby This Week
Your baby is now the size of an ear plug. For some people, they will notice their clothes feeling a bit tighter and their tummy a little bigger.
by Tracey Quinn
Dear Diary
I feel like everyone knows. Surely they have to know? I feel weird so I know I've been acting weird. I've become a bit of a hermit and I can't quite believe just how much my social calendar revolves around food. Pregnancy sickness means quiet times for a foodie. I've gone off the weirdest things, too. I can't stand the smell of coffee and coffee is usually my very best friend. I also never want to see eggs or yoghurt ever again. These are three things I would typically have daily so it's been very strange altogether. As for bread? Bread is my friend. I could live on toast, rolls, crackers or plain biscuits. To be fair, I kind of am.
I think I'm lucky in the sense that I'm not actually vomiting. Not yet, anyway! I didn't vomit at all during my last pregnancy so I'm curious to see if this will be different. It's hard to feel lucky when you feel lousy though, you know? It's a weird kind of lousy too because you can't even moan about it to lots of people because it's a secret.
Did I mention I'm missing food? Seriously, you would really miss the joy of food. I never realized just how important those little checkpoints were for me. My morning coffee, that little something nice during the afternoon slump and just enjoying a plate of dinner. I'm eating to survive now and totally feeling sorry for myself which is extremely dramatic, I know.
I keep reminding myself of how lucky I am to be eight weeks pregnant. It's really nice being able to say that with certainty now. If you missed last week's post, I went for an early scan to date the pregnancy and ended up leaving with a 9cm cyst on my ovary. It was great craic altogether! I know I'm lucky. Truly I do. I wanted this. I want this. It's just hard to feel happy when your regular daily happiness is replaced with feeling sick, tired and a little bit lonely. I have an amazing family and a couple of people close to me that know our secret but I miss the contact I would have with the people that don't know. I'm sure they think I'm avoiding them at this stage – and they would be right. I'm just not my regular chirpy self and I reckon it's plain to see that something is going on.
I feel funny about my body. One minute I'm worshipping it for gifting me with the miracle of a baby. It happened super fast and I know so many people can only dream of that. But in the next breath, I'm kind of… resenting it. Resenting my body. I resent that this pregnancy has brought with it a big old cyst. Even if the pregnancy didn't have a thing to do with it. The pregnancy lead to the scan which lead to the news of the cyst. So actually I should be grateful for that fact, right? It's a total oblivion of confusing emotions let me tell you.
I'm definitely having happy moments in the midst of it all. I can't wait to see people's faces when we tell them.
Then there's my weight. I'm struggling with thoughts of gaining too much weight and I can actually feel people eye-rolling as they read this but hear me out. Before this pregnancy, I lost a lot of weight. About six stone. It completely changed my life and I had never felt better in my life. Finally no longer overweight, in pain and hiding behind clothes I hated that didn't even close.
I am about six stone lighter than I was when I found out I was pregnant the first time around. I'm used to eating healthily and maintaining this weight so a diet of toast, bread and crackers is freaking me out. I don't want vegetables, salads and healthy bits and bobs. It's all normal and I really do know that. Gaining weight while pregnant is normal. Having a weird diet during the first trimester is normal. I get that. But it feels abnormal for me.
It took me so long to make peace with food. To truly enjoy it and stop the comfort eating and secret eating. The fact that I now feel out of control with it all is scary to me. I've visions of myself "slipping back" to my old ways. It sounds superficial but trust me, it's steeped in the emotional I promise. That's what makes it so complicated. I'm a bit of a control freak about it all, who knew?
I'm definitely having happy moments in the midst of it all. I can't wait to see people's faces when we tell them. We just bought a house and we're going to be moving in really soon. I can already see myself giggling at the "new house new baby" comments. Little do people know that the baby was well and truly around before the house was ours.
There is a lot of change happening, a lot of change on the horizon and I'm just not great with change. I need to remind myself of that. But despite all the chaos, sickness and anxiety I have this feeling of excitement in the pit of my tummy. We're having another baby and that just blows my mind. I'm dying to root through the attic and see how many baby clothes we kept from our last baby. We can even involve him in the whole thing. Thoughts like that fill me with excitement. All in good time.
Now, where's the bread…
A Partner’s Perspective
My partner was definitely more tired this week for some reason, she is struggling to keep the energy levels up in work. This week felt very long so we decided to tell my partner's sister who is a mid-wife. It was great to be able to share the news. Apparently, babies taste buds are forming this week, I wonder will they like Heinz or Bachelors.
Our Midwife’s Advice
The little tail has all but disappeared and tiny fingers and toes are starting to become more visible. Your baby is covered in a layer of see-through skin and is dancing around inside, although you won't be able to feel it yet. Tiny teeth and bones are all starting to form. The baby is nestled inside a little amniotic sac and the yolk that fed it for the first few weeks is nearly gone; the placenta (attached to the wall of the womb) will now take over and ensure your baby gets all of its nutrients.
Pregnancy is now in full swing. It is normal to feel very tired and it's important you get as much rest as possible. It's tough work growing a human! If you haven't already, it's a good time to book in with your GP and start your antenatal care. You can combine your care between the hospital and the GP (as a public patient which is covered by the state). It's a good time to think about what sort of care you would like to attend. If you are low risk, many of the hospitals do a Midwifery led care. Alternatively, you can choose to attend a specific hospital consultant privately or semi-privately. Different consultants charge different amounts so make sure you do your research.
Our Wellness Tip of the Week
Food cravings are a completely normal part of pregnancy. However, if you're craving something that's not safe to eat while pregnant (Sushi, red wine, raw eggs), make an effort to find safe alternatives. A grape juice spritzer is a great alternative to a glass of wine in the evening!