The First Three Months of Pregnancy

I enjoyed my first pregnancy.

(First Pregnancy)

It's a roller coaster ride of mood swings and blues and baby kicks - I definitely miss the kicks after giving birth! That is how much I enjoyed it. The anticipation is gnawing me sometimes, I just wanna pop so I could finally cuddle my little baby - but of course, I always end up taking a deep breath with a mental reminder to myself to "Calm down, enjoy the journey, make the most out of it." My narcissistic days were quite over - I already gave in and surrender my entire self to motherhood which include changes in the body during the nine months ordeal plus the exclusive breastfeeding bonanza for six months and continual breastfeeding until he self-wean which is, on Clyde's case was at the age of 3.

(First Pregnancy)

Crossing the line and never going back, it was all worth it, especially when I know how important breastfeeding is, not to mention, the quality time we have. It's bittersweet. This is my second pregnancy and although I already know what to expect, there is always "room for "improvement" and since pregnancy is different for every woman, I also acknowledge the fact that every pregnancy of a woman is different too.

(Second Pregnancy with my pregnant sister)

For me, pregnancy is like crossing the river. You cross the same river but not the same water. Get it? Moving on, there is difference between unexpected pregnancy and anticipated pregnancy. You prepare your body before the pregnancy when it's planned while the unexpected was well, a surprise!

(Second Pregnancy)

Aside from that, pregnancy holds either a blessing of glowing aura of beautiful hair, smoother skin and radiant bloom aka pregnant goddess or a curse of hormonal acnes, more hair growth on manly parts of a woman's anatomy aka testosterone-packed pregnancy (which usually means you are having a boy - and oh my, me, myself and I belongs to this category as I'm having another baby boy in my life) and basically have big elongated bulge on the midriff.

(First Pregnancy)

I enjoy playing with makeup and whenever I feel like it, I put some "glow" on. ;P

Sleep - that usually sums up my two first trisems. Maybe because I  have "time" to slack around as I'm a freelancer but mostly because all I wanna do was to cuddle up, catch up on some readings and snore away all day long or at least when there's a chance that even a 15minute trip (when I have deadlines, dues, errands)  to dreamland boost my mood and literally fade away my granny-crankiness in me.

Of course I'm still working my butt off. I need to work double time now that I have kids under my responsibility - forever! Big words! Woo!

(Second Pregnancy)

Aside from nausea and the urge to vomit when something don't taste good or smell right, at least on my very pregnant senses, intense fatigue is one good sign that you are pregnant. What else will you feel when your body is working extra for you and your bundle of joy? My body is supporting a growing baby that usually wears me off. I take iron daily as a medical supplement to my forever mild beta-thalassemia and now, I diligently do so for my baby too.

Good thing though that I don't experience any bleeding on my two first trimesters. No bleeding, cramping or sharp pain. Light spotting is actually normal because it is a sign that a fertilized embryo has been implanted on the uterus, but excessive may be a sign of miscarriage or ectopic.

Another sign is the tenderness of the girls. Sore, water bag like breasts is a sign that hormonal changes are occurring in preparation of the body to feed and latch the babe. This is a good reason to shop for new up size brassieres too and to keep your cute lacy bras after lactating baby, which is nine months plus six months or so? In my case, it's been years, almost half a decade! I'm sure is a dedicated breastfeeding fanatic!

Thanks to my regular iron consumption and my inclination to go green on food, I am one of those lucky few who are not so affected by the constipation brought to you by pregnancy. :) Although, I usually feel bloated and gassy. What I do to relieve this condition was to drown myself in water, soups, broths and water. Yup, water is my new #DOTD!

It is so unfortunate that the nature of my work is to seat the day away. I am aware that physical activity is especially important during this sensitive condition as it could help on making you more flexible which is generally good for a loomping can't-see your feet months to come.

If you are indeed pregnant, hoard your favorite cotton pantyliners as preggy girls will skip having their periods but will have more milky white discharge. I don't feel comfortable at all without my handy liners plus always always wear fresh undies. Hygiene is key to healthy pregnancy! ;)

Food cravings - this is so true. I am not choosy when it comes to food, but I won't feel satisfaction until the day I eat my cravings. Like when I think of some fruit I want to eat, (one my first pregnancy it was kiwis and dragon eyes (longgan), and on this one it was buko, and anything with cheese) I won't feel "happy" unless I got what I wanted. It was actually fascinating to see how preggers differ from the other. As mentioned above, my sister is pregnant too and is always craving for savory chicken feet, which I hate. I love the smell of coconut oil and I already used up a bottle of extra virgin on my tummy and Beth hated the smell of it.

Since I can't start the day without a cup of coffee, I counteract dehydration by drinking lots of fluid, mainly water and buko juice. Plus I drown myself in broths and soup. Happy to hear from my doctor that I'm not manas (beriberi) and far away from UTI. *fistbump*

Although water is my #DOTD, it has its perks and well, consequences. Actually, frequent urination is a thing when you are pregnant. The baby is still small but pregnancy takes up so much space. What, the uterus, amniotic fluid and placenta needs to grow too, you know. And since I cut down my coffee but still take it in (a small cup a day), it stimulates my bladder and yes, it is the reason why you should always give priorities to pregnant women on the ladies room!

Keep food light and frequent. Not to mention, healthy.

It is summer, it is hot and during pregnancy, heartburn is another exclusive privilege! What I do to keep things light? Eat light but frequent, avoid acidic fruits and less spicy condiments please if you cannot cut it.

Pillows are your new bedmate friends. There are actually U-pillows that you could buy online to keep your snoozing zone comfortable. Unfortunately, I don't have one and I'm not planning to get one as our space is limited, but if you sleep on a football field, please get yourself one. :) Good thing, I have a little human as a doll pillow. :P

When you are pregnant, there are a lot of nuisance like frequent journey to the ladies room, fatigue, hormonal changes, body changes, hunger and more, so do not make fun of us, unless we started it first which means we are on the mood because those nuisances? It makes us miserable and cranky sometimes. Emotional even to the point of crying just because, feeling overwhelmed or whatever. This is more true on the first trisem, as I feel happier as I go. Maybe it is because of the oxytocin - my excitement to finally see my second "love is blind". Remember, moms have "love is blind" as we develop love for our baby even before we pop while dads have that "love at first sight" thing to our babies - which will be more intense especially when we get to share those kicks with them. Let them talk to your bulging bellies.

The brutalest among these is the weight gain, or at least in case, this is the most brutal part of pregnancy. You see, I already gain excess weight right after my heart surgery thanks to the shots of steroid that I need to take to make the procedure successful. This is the other reason why I am determined to have an NSD (normal spontaneous delivery) and got it. I just hope that I deliver normally again without epidural this second time around. Gaining weight is pretty normal and healthy when it comes to pregnancy but after delivery, some of those weight gain wouldn't shed without hard work and determination. Oh goodie!

After the appearance of those two lines on your PT, make sure you scout for a friendly OB. Find the one that feels right, not snobby or you feel uncomfortable with because pregnancy is a personal emotional journey. You have to have a doctor that is a friend that you could count on, where you could ask away even the silliest questions and juicy secrets - you know.

Stay happy and don your pregnant goddess self. :)

Stay tuned for my second and third trisem stories.