My first time pregnancy story
I am pregnant for the first time and I live on a small remote island. This is my story.
Blog Chapters
Pregnancy blog: front page
Chapter 1: I'm pregnant! The initial emotions
Chapter 2: Sharing our good news
> Chapter 3: The unwelcomed symptoms of pregnancy
Chapter 4: Initial midwifery appointment
Chapter 5: Hello baby!
Chapter 6: A healthy growing baby
Chapter 7: The happy second trimester
Chapter 8: Gifts & preparations
Chapter 9: Our plans for home birth
Chapter 10: The start of the third trimester
Chapter 11: Birthing options - a decision finally made
Chapter 12: An unplanned trip to the hospital
Chapter 13: Newest third trimester sensations
Chapter 14: Last minute preparations & more gifts
Chapter 15: A scare! Has the baby moved today?
Chapter 16: We are ready for the home birth
Chapter 17: The woes of late stage pregnancy
Chapter 18: The excruciating waiting stage!
Chapter 19: Scanning & sweeping
Chapter 20: Trapped in town (an indefinite hospital stay)
Chapter 21: Baby's birthday! My delivery & birth story
Chapter 22: A quick recovery
Chapter 23: Final thoughts. . .
Chapter 1: I'm pregnant! The initial emotions
Chapter 2: Sharing our good news
> Chapter 3: The unwelcomed symptoms of pregnancy
Chapter 4: Initial midwifery appointment
Chapter 5: Hello baby!
Chapter 6: A healthy growing baby
Chapter 7: The happy second trimester
Chapter 8: Gifts & preparations
Chapter 9: Our plans for home birth
Chapter 10: The start of the third trimester
Chapter 11: Birthing options - a decision finally made
Chapter 12: An unplanned trip to the hospital
Chapter 13: Newest third trimester sensations
Chapter 14: Last minute preparations & more gifts
Chapter 15: A scare! Has the baby moved today?
Chapter 16: We are ready for the home birth
Chapter 17: The woes of late stage pregnancy
Chapter 18: The excruciating waiting stage!
Chapter 19: Scanning & sweeping
Chapter 20: Trapped in town (an indefinite hospital stay)
Chapter 21: Baby's birthday! My delivery & birth story
Chapter 22: A quick recovery
Chapter 23: Final thoughts. . .
Chapter 3: The unwelcomed symptoms of pregnancy
It is March 2018 and I’ve just entered week 8 of my pregnancy. James and I have just seen a local nurse who has started the midwifery process advising that a local midwife will be in touch soon and we couldn’t help it but share our happy news with everybody we knew. It was a really happy time for us!
Then, James had to go away with work again, leaving me alone on the farm. It was okay as I was used to it by now and I had great support from my friends and neighbours if I needed anything. However, March was not a happy time for me because of the truly unpleasant symptoms that I started experiencing.
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Firstly, I would wake up with no energy and after a full night of sleep, all I wanted to do was go back to sleep! And I’m not talking in terms of feeling lazy or depressed but in terms of actual physical exhaustion, as if I was running marathons the day before! It was so bizarre, my mind was full of inspiration and there was so much that needed to be done on the farm, but my body was simply not up to it!
Secondly, I would get dizzy very easily. Every time I stood up, sat down or turned around I was dizzy, my head would spin around making me disoriented and giving me a blurry vision.
I also became extremely sensitive to smells. That was the biggest change I noticed as my sense of smell was always very dull and unimpressive but now I could smell everything and liked none of it. Unfortunately for me, it was at this time that I had baby quail brooding in our porch and that was creating a bad ammonia stench, one was definitely getting me down. I remember stocking up on enough essential oils and candles to open up my own shop and it seemed to have helped a little bit.
Heightened sense of smell and dizziness coupled together meant that I was nauseous for the most of March. I would look at something and feel sick. I would think of something and feel sick. Sometimes I would feel sick for no reason at all and nothing seemed to be helping. Gentle walks, candles, increasing fibre in my diet - I tried every trick on the internet and nothing helped. I was nauseous and tired and dizzy and it was terrible.
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Probably the worst symptom (as if the above ones aren’t bad enough!) was the excruciating pain and heightened sensitivity in my breasts. March was an extremely cold month and we had some unexpected snow storms and frost which seemed to make the pain worse. I was hugging hot water bottles throughout the month hoping they would help but they offered me little comfort.
And lastly, the symptom that was more annoying than uncomfortable, was that I suddenly needed to wake up for a wee at least 3 times a night! This added more to the feeling of tiredness in the mornings and was really frustrating me as I really appreciate a good night’s sleep which I really needed at this time but simply wasn’t able to have.
Oh, and I just remembered that I also had a spot of bleeding which got me worried and my midwifes concerned. I had to go into the med centre to get a blood test done! A week later I had the results which luckily turned out okay - my hormones were in good order and the haemoglobin was at the right level. They advised me that it happens sometimes as the baby attaches itself to the womb and there was nothing to worry about, but the test was just to be sure. I was happy I was in such good hands!
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I had no choice but learn to live and put up with these unwelcomed symptoms of pregnancy. The nurse told me that "pregnancy is not an illness" but sometimes it certainly felt like it. My body was evidently changing and a part of me, realising that the reason for it was truly beautiful (I’m having a baby!), was secretly enjoying the experience. I wanted to be pregnant for a long time and now I was pregnant for the first time and I wanted to experience the best and the worst of it. And although I had a couple of rough weeks, the thought that comforted me throughout this time was that nothing lasts forever and that a better time (according to all my research) was just around the corner!
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