The Good, the Bad, the Ugly-First Trimester

I'm a HUGE Clint Eastwood fan and love this movie. In fact, I kind of want to watch it now... When I was thinking back about my first trimester I thought it would be fun to talk about what was nice, tolerable, and miserable for me and my husband during the first 3 months. I would like to add that constant communication was a major key between us. He doesn't understand what is happening to you and may need some help being reminded.

The Good (for her)

You're finally pregnant and you're so excited, I can't even explain how excited I was. I talked about it all the time and I'm sure drove everyone around me crazy, but I didn't care. Seeing that little miracle on an ultrasound for the first time is one of the most exciting times of my life. It was real, I was really pregnant and our child was inside me. So exciting.

The Good (for him)

I was absolutely delighted when I found out my wife was pregnant. I was able to do many hours of research on our journey to pregnancy however, there is no amount of research that can prepare you for the specific things that occur to your wife. Everyone is unique in how their body reacts to pregnancy.

First, the good… and this is the biggest factor. The happiness she experienced was overwhelming. We were both extremely excited as it took us a while to get to this point. Her mood was typically upbeat. There was so much research and planning which I really enjoy as I get apprehensive when planning begins at the last minute. She genuinely had that “glow” everyone always talks about.

The Bad (for her)

You are SO tired. I don't think you're understanding me correctly--you are so unbelievably tired. It is a whole new level of tired that I have never experienced before and can't really explain. You don't do anything because just being awake makes you tired, you accomplish NOTHING. I played sports for years and was never this tired after a meet or game. Your body is working in overtime trying to compensate for the extra human now growing inside you. Thank goodness for naps and don't be afraid to take as many as you need or be surprised when your fur baby joins you. He knows something is different with you, but hasn't quite figured out what (also please ignore the new double chin I had formed in this picture). I was thankfully in track out during a good chunk of my first trimester and was able to sleep ALL DAY! The trick is to make sure you have plenty of snacks around you so when you wake up you can eat without having to go very far.

The Bad (for him)

Now for the bad… I did not sleep well for about 2 months. We even bought a brand new mattress to give us both more room but also to provide more support and comfort. Apparently when you grow a child there is no mattress available that allows for comfort. I was woken up roughly every 2 hrs to her and her pillows shifting. In most cases I would be cold as she stole all of the covers. Oh the sacrifices we make for our pregnant ladies.

The Ugly (for her)

I was quite lucky with my nausea and never actually had anything "come out of it"--if you catch my drift. However, if I didn't eat something every hour or two I had an overwhelming wave of nausea come over me. It took me a little while to get a handle on it. Take it from me, eat constantly. Anything that you can manage to keep down, eat more of it. Anything with protein will stave the feeling off even longer. My favorite go to's were raw almonds, cheese sticks, grilled cheeses, scoop of peanut butter (which my dog often eyeballed and tried to steal), pretzels, fruit snacks, tomatoes, apples, and pasta. I could any of these things at any point in the day and feel great afterwards. Also, make sure you eat late enough so that you don't either wake up in the middle of the night hungry or that you wake up in the morning feeling terrible. Seriously, eat constantly. Surprisingly I only gained 5 pounds during the first trimester. There were a few days I was just tired of eating, but had to keep eating.

The Ugly (for him)

Finally the ugly… and this is the smallest category. The only thing I can think of that was ugly were her emotions. One minute she’s happy and the next she is crying. The reason this is ugly is that I had no control over adjusting the emotions. I would attempt to tell a joke but that would not help. This issue didn’t last long, but it was quite a ride.

With all these things taken into account I think pregnancy is a beautiful thing and the few downfalls are taken over by all of the good that comes with is.

How was your first trimester? Did you or your husband have any different experiences than we did?