Pregnancy Series: First trimester and Feeling not so Fine

Our Editorial Director, LG, is back with her second post following her pregnancy journey. Be sure to show her some love in the comments! XO Candace

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Ok, now that I’m at week 12, things have really changed. While I only had morning sickness maybe 4 days total, when I did, it was brutal. And what really took me down - overwhelming, all-consuming, intense exhaustion. I have never been a napper, but for the past two weeks, I steal a nap every second Teddy goes down. And it’s those deep naps where you wake up like “who am I and what’s going on?”

So, first trimester, how it really went down. As I said above, things were cruising really smoothly until about week 9. I returned from teaching strength and conditioning at the Namaslay® Yoga Teacher Training Tennessee and I was beat! It was my first time being away from Teddy, and first time meeting Candace and her team, and I really wanted to do a great job and make a great first impression. When I returned, I had to jump right in to taking care of Teddy alone because my husband went straight out of town (we literally passed each other at the airport) and as many of you parents know, doing it by yourself is exhausting (huge shout out to ALL THE SINGLE PARENTS). Add in the prenatal exhaustion of growing a human being, and I was beyond tired. With it, my energy, my focus, my drive, and to be honest, a little of my happiness went downhill. So here’s a breakdown of my nutrition, my mental health, and my workouts!

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Nutrition

Luckily I did not have any food aversions by the end of the first trimester, but with that physical exhaustion, I had no energy to cook or prepare a meal, much less track a macro! I did reach out to Coach Keeler for a new set of marcos for prenatal nutrition but to be honest, I haven’t followed them once. Instead, I desperately wanted to hit up a drive-thru just for the convenience, but with DC traffic, paid parking, and having to load and unload Teddy each time, I just didn’t have the energy. Instead, I ordered delivery or grabbed a rotisserie chicken and just ate off that. Delivery was not the epitome of health and nutrition (pizza, pasta, garlic bread, etc) but I didn’t beat myself up about it. I know meals like this are not my norm, so I just take it easy and enjoy. So, nutrition…pretty dismal. The last two days as I’m writing this, I’ve had severe morning sickness (spent a day in the ER due to dehydration) and have gone most of the day without eating (because I’ve been throwing up) and then going to carb city the next few days (pasta, rolls, crackers, pizza). Currently craving: still hot pickles, snow cones, and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Mentality

Mental health was the biggest issue for me the past few weeks. I am usually a go-getter and if I’m not playing with Teddy or working out, I’m getting YBC® work done while he naps, or making dinner or cleaning up (#momlife). But with that exhaustion, I could barely get through the day just taking care of Teddy. With that, my mental outlook took a huge hit. I had trouble seeing beyond the current situation - that things would return to normal for a bit after the first trimester, and felt like this was how I was going to feel forever. I felt overwhelmed by every single item I had to complete and was just so unmotivated and unfocused. Plus, and I’d love to know if any of you moms can relate (comment below), not telling many people that you’re expecting in the first trimester (due to risks of miscarriage) was so difficult. It made me feel even more isolated and lonely not to share such a huge part of my life.

Finally, I spoke with my therapist about how I was feeling and she reminded me that this emotional and physical state would pass and this was not my normal, and that it was important to acknowledge that I was tired (hello! I’m growing a human being) and that it’s ok that I’m not getting my entire checklist done at this time. These are things you know, but sometimes it takes a third party to remind you.

Workouts

As you can probably guess, my workouts were a little less than normal - but not by much. As I’m a SAHM, sometimes the only other social interaction Teddy gets is from the daycare at the gym, so I still felt it important to get him that time with other kids, let him run around (or wobbly-walk) and see someone other than myself. Plus, to be honest, mom needed a break! So, I usually still went to the gym, and pushed myself to spin for 35 minutes and stretch or complete a weight routine and just removed most plyometric work. And I can promise, I felt better EVERY SINGLE TIME I did!

One thing that caught up with me - that relaxin hormone! I have some aches and strains in my muscles that I never had before because my ligaments are loosening in preparation for the physical changes my body will incur with a human being growing inside! Another issue, as your body prepares for carrying a growing human and giving birth, your pelvis goes through so many changes. With those pelvic shifts, your hip flexors tighten and as such, your glutes lengthen to accommodate. I dedicate a good 5-10 minute warmup loosening my hip flexors and I work in squats throughout my workout, no matter which muscle group I’m focusing on. Also, I’ve been really focused on stretching after my workout and it feels oh-so-good. And while I’m not yet showing much, I ordered for my future workouts below!

Next up, second trimester! Please let me know if you have experienced any of the same issues or if you have any questions, please comment below! You can always follow me on IG @thatgingerlatte or on my own blog www.thatgingerlatte.com or send me a direct email here.

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