My Vegan Pregnancy: Surviving the first trimester
We’re pregnant! Baby number two is due this September, and my family and I could not be more excited to be expanding our family one last time with another little girl. We have just crossed the threshold of the second trimester, and I am so glad to be feeling more like myself, and less like a constantly hung over college student like I did during my first trimester. After weeks of all day nausea and exhaustion, I feel like food is my friend again and less like a mombie (mom-zombie).
After two negative pregnancy tests (apparently I jumped the gun due to a late monthly ovulation), we finally got a positive pregnancy test on January 20th. I took one of the double line pregnancy tests and could not tell if the faint line I saw was a figment of my hopeful imagination or not. What I did know was that I was two days late, and incredibly anxious. So I did what any woman would do, I threw a coat over my pajamas and ran to CVS to buy a digital test at 7 am on a Friday morning. I came home, rushed into the bathroom, and ran out waving the stick in the air to show my husband a few minutes later. We are pregnant!
I contacted the midwife team I had chosen for our homebirth, and kept my fingers crossed that they still had an opening for us during our due date month. Fortunately they did, and we set up our first appointment for 12 weeks. Also, we set up an early ultrasound for 9 weeks to make sure things were progressing well due to a miscarriage we had right before we got pregnant with our first daughter. For me, this was a peace of mind ultrasound. Barring no concerns with the baby’s health and development, we will do one more at 20 weeks, and then wait to see our little one when she is earth-side. Our 9-week ultrasound went great, our 12-week appointment went great, but some of the weeks before and in-between were a little rough for this momma.
“Morning” Sickness
Some women do honestly just feel nauseous or get sick in the morning upon waking. Some women never experience any kind of sickness at all in their first trimester. I do not fit into either of these categories. For me, the “morning” sickness, or what I like to refer to as my hung over phase, started at week 6 and lasted until week 10. Fortunately, I did not throw up with my first pregnancy or this one, but there were some days I swore that if I did I would feel better. Instead, I was nauseous all day. Food in general was an aversion all on its own. I had to constantly remind myself that there were things I enjoyed eating in order to convince myself to try to force something down. I felt worse if I did not eat, I felt horrible eating, I swore food would never taste good again, and I loathed the thought of cooking anything. I survived on apples and carbs. I ate brown rice or pasta with marinara sauce, vegan burgers with spicy mustard on a club roll, whole grain bagels, crackers, and ginger ale. I gained 8 pounds in 5 weeks. Vegetables were the devil until about 9 weeks. Magically, somewhere between weeks 9 and 10, things started to improve. I started eating more of a variety and actually enjoying some things. I felt hungry and could eat comfortably most of the day. The evenings were still rough, so I started eating my largest meal at lunchtime. Between weeks 10 and 11, I finally felt like I had a normal appetite again with only minor aversions to very few foods. I started eating salads and a variety of fruit, more whole grains, and legumes, seeds, and nuts. The “morning” sickness had finally passed.
Exhaustion
Along with feeling sick, I also felt exhausted starting around week 6. Pregnancy brings about a feeling of tired that you cannot possibly imagine. It is a new level of exhaustion brought on by the fact that you are growing a life and another organ inside of your body. Your body is working non-stop to make this miracle happen, so it is no wonder that you feel a constant tiredness during your first trimester. With my first pregnancy, I remember coming home from work, getting directly into my pajamas, and falling asleep on the couch every night by 7:00. This is not even remotely possible when you have another child, or multiple children to take care of. There were definitely days when we watched way more Sesame Street than we should have, but pregnancy puts you into survival mode, and some days zoning out with my daughter on the couch was key to my survival. You do what you have to do!
Heart Burn
As if food aversions, nausea, and fatigue aren’t enough, pregnancy likes to throw in heartburn and indigestion during your first trimester too. Heartburn in pregnancy is caused by your digestion slowing down and the hormone progesterone that the placenta makes in your body during pregnancy. Progesterone causes the valve between your esophagus and stomach to relax, which causes gastric acid to rise up and give you that oh so unpleasant burning sensation in your chest and throat. I started feeling this around week 9, but it subsided pretty quickly by week 11. In my first pregnancy, heartburn came back to haunt me in my third trimester, so I am anticipating this as a possibility again. I have found relief in taking chewable papaya enzymes with my meals, so I always make sure I have some on hand in case the burn returns.
Breast Changes
Sore nipples are the worst! Many women experience both breast growth and nipple soreness during the first trimester as your body begins to prepare for your milk supply to come in. I am still breastfeeding my 20 month old, and doing that while experiencing the changes that occur in your breast during your first trimester is an adventure within it self. It has been bearable, but I have definitely had moments where my sweet little one has latched on and I instantly grimaced from the pain. Thank goodness the pain didn’t last through the whole nursing session, and it has not been consistent. As my supply runs low, I will be interested to see if my daughter continues to nurse until my colostrum comes in, or if she will self-wean. It would definitely be easier for me if she self-weaned, but it will also make me sad to loose those bonding moments together (even though I know we will have plenty other different ones). I am 100% on board with tandem nursing my children, so it will be interesting to see how everything naturally unfolds.
Finding out your pregnant is a magical moment. Going through some of the trials and tribulations of the first trimester are a little less magical, but they are all happening for the best cause possible. Rest when your body tells you to, know that you will not feel sick forever, and know that the second trimester brings a wealth of relief for most women when it comes to fatigue, sickness, and other first trimester body changes.
Stay tuned for more updates on my vegan pregnancy!
Love, Laughter & Light,
