Diary of a mum-to-be; Morning Sickness blues
Ever wondered how other mums feel when they find out they’re expecting? What thoughts cross their minds, how they feel as their baby grows inside them and how they cope as this journey plays out? We’ve decided to follow Carly, a first time mum, who’s here to tell us her inner most thoughts, feelings and completely crazy cravings, because every story is different, unpredictable, terrifying and wonderful!
5 weeks
Where to start. It’s only been 5 weeks but I’m feeling progressively tired now and noticing odd little cramps and twinges. Mainly in my hips but sometimes like mild period pains. They alarmed me at first but I’ve joined a Birth Club and everyone says it’s normal, as long as there is no spotting or bleeding. My boobs HURT now and they’re definitely bigger. I’m sleeping a lot – I can easily drop off about 8pm now whereas my normal bedtime is 11ish. Still having the twinges but they’ve eased off. No actual morning sickness yet, but feel really sick when I get too hungry waiting for dinner. I feel more bloated, plus my back has been aching and my nipples are very sore to touch. Plus they seem to be darker and larger to look at…not something I expected?
6 weeks, 1 day
Work has been hard this week – have felt very unfocused and extremely tired. I’ve also been having some sickness in the morning – just nausea again, no vomiting. I’ve recently had a hankering for olives and pickled gherkins in brine? I’m sure it’s far too early for cravings but try telling my taste buds that!
I do feel hungrier, but when I go to eat a full meal I can’t manage it, so of course I get peckish later on and snack. I’ve also noticed my boobs are “on and off” with hurting and they’re sore to lie on when I lie on my front. Still, I guess I won’t be able to do that for much longer anyway!
6 weeks, 4 days
I had my first midwife appointment today and it was longer than expected – 1.5 hours! A lot of form filling and chatting. Got weighed, had blood taken to test for anaemia, glucose etc, tested my urine sample, went through the foods I can and can’t eat – the list is endless… She told me to get the flu jab which I have now booked for later this week, as pregnant ladies suffer worse with the flu and it can cause complications, even miscarriages – so definitely on the “safer than sorry” side with that one.
I’m feeling a lot more “pregnant” now. Feeling sick is the new norm, my bras are definitely snugger, my boobs hurt even when they’re not being touched and I find myself snoozing away by 9pm most nights. I feel twinges and “pulling” sensations most days (very mild and nothing to worry about I don’t think) and I also feel twinges in my hips, which I believe is the result of my uterus growing and putting pressure on the nerves (yes…I googled that one).
Did you know the embryo now has a heartbeat and the placenta is forming? It has stubs for arms and legs, and flaps for eyelids and holes for nostrils. (I’m finding it really interesting to look up that type of thing up online…)
7 weeks, 6 days
Not much to report since I last wrote. I still haven’t actually been sick but then, I know if I get hungry, I have around a 40 min gap between that and feeling nauseous. I’ve been snacking more so trying to stay healthy in what I eat is hard. I find by evening I can’t finish a main meal, so I have to go back to it later and eat in stages. If I don’t, by 10pm I wake up starving!
8 weeks
So I’m 8 weeks dead on today (by my calculations anyway). The sickness and hunger have eased back this week but the sore boobs have not! They don’t seem to have grown much more but wow, are they tender! I still feel hungrier than normal but find I can’t eat a normal sized dinner, which is annoying. I don’t really like snacking late at night but don’t have much choice. I am so tired every day at the moment now though and my nails are really weak, so not sure if that’s pregnancy or my thyroid condition, but hopefully all will resolve soon!
Anyway, I’m excited to see what the next month brings. Speak soon, Carly x