Pregnancy - the first trimester (week 1 - week 12)

When I announced my pregnancy on here I explained how we waited to tell loved ones in person. As we waited, by the time we announced it on here and on social media I was already in the second trimester.

Even though the first trimester has been and gone I wanted to write a little about those weeks as a memory of my experience of this pregnancy.

Peeing on a stick

As I've mentioned before I suffer from PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) and one of the symptoms I experience is irregular cycles. Because of my irregular cycles I am never certain when I am due my next period or what length that particular cycle will be. As such it is hard to know if I have 'missed' a period.

Even though I was not sure if my period was late because of the PCOS or another reason as I had recently started having more regular cycles thanks to the metformin I am on for my diabetes I started to think there might be another reason why I had not had my period. With a gut feeling and no show period I decided that it would be best to take a pregnancy test.

Within moments of peeing on my cheapy pregnancy test two lines appeared!

Emotions

When I saw the two lines showing a positive pregnancy test I was elated. I love the feeling of being pregnant and adore the newborn stage so knowing I would be experiencing it once more was a wonderful feeling. I love our little family and adding to it with a new little one is very exciting.

Lee was just as delighted and excited about the news when I told him. We told the boys early on and both have also been very happy to be having a new little baby in the house. With the whole family delighted at the news has heightened my joy and excitement.

But as I suffer from fibromylagia and type 2 diabetes I have felt worry at how healthy the pregnancy will be. Being diabetic means I have to have extra consultant appointments, have to monitor my blood sugars regularly and be extra vigilant with my diet. Thankfully after being diagnosed with diabetes I had managed to maintain healthy blood sugars with diet and metformin. However due to the pregnancy hormones I have had issues with my morning fasting blood sugars and had to be put on insulin. I found myself feeling upset and nervous when I started on insulin.....Could I control my diabetes? Would the baby be healthy? Am I administering the insulin correctly?

Whilst there will always be that niggling worry of am I controlling my blood sugars good enough for me and the baby I have got to grips with the insulin and am now feeling confident and in control.

Pregnancy symptoms

Before taking the pregnancy test I had not noticed any pregnancy symptoms. Even after finding out I was pregnant the first trimester has flown by with hardly any symptoms.

Tiredness

Whether it was the pregnancy, my fibro, diabetes or busy family life or a combination of all, during the first trimester I found myself more tired than normal. I found myself falling asleep without meaning to if I sat down for a rest in the afternoon or whilst watching TV of an evening.

Heightened sense of smell

During my previous two pregnancies I have found my sense of smell was extra sensitive. This pregnancy has been exactly the same with a heightened sense of smell kicking in around week 5. Not only am I more sensitive to smells but I have noticed many smells repulse me and make me feel nausea or physically sick.

Morning sickness

Compared to my previous pregnancies when I was constantly sick even past the first trimester, I have suffered very little morning sickness during this pregnancy. In fact the only times I have been sick is when I have smelt something that has repulsed me.

Cramps

On occasion I have felt mild cramping and stretching. They have been temporary and very mild with no bleeding. Even though I have experienced the same in previous pregnancies I discussed this with my midwife who reassured me that it was due to my uterus growing and to get in touch asap if it became more persistent, painful or if I experienced bleeding.

In a blink of an eye the first trimester of this pregnancy has been and gone. I felt elated when saw our little baby wiggling around on the screen during my 12 week scan and felt relief when I reached 13 weeks. Thinking about this pregnancy has sparked memories of my previous pregnancies and made me think about how different each pregnancy has been, some symptoms the same and some completely different. Health wise the first trimester of this pregnancy has gone well and I hope the same can be said for the rest of the pregnancy.

Did you suffer from many symptoms during the first trimester of pregnancy?