What is the first trimester like?
Photo by Sylwia Bartyzel on Unsplash
I have to say, the first trimester really passed by in a blur for me. The first phase of pregnancy lasts about 13 weeks and for much of that I was still under the care of my fertility clinic.
Because I was taking the daily doses of progesterone oil, a lot of those first weeks were pretty pain-filled and it was hard to think about anything else.
You also have the very real fear of miscarriage. It almost seemed like I shouldn’t get excited about the pregnancy until I could get out of the first trimester because who knew if it would even work?
If you’re going to miscarry, odds are it will be before your 12th week. In fact, 80% of miscarriages occur within that window. About 10-15% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage with some believing that number might even be higher. With IVF, my age range had a 16% chance of losing my baby. Added to that, I hadn’t opted for the genetic testing of the embryos so there was also the possibility that a non-viable embryo had been implanted. On top of that, I was relying on progesterone injections to maintain my pregnancy.
The fear was real.
But so was the joy. After almost two years and many, many twists, I was pregnant!
I’d love to say it was some sort of magical feeling of being connected to my body in new ways but nah, I felt pretty normal. I was lucky to skip morning sickness completely which was a wonderful bonus. My only real symptom of being pregnant was fatigue which was super real. On non-work days, I could easily sleep for 10 hours and still wake up tired. Though one benefit is wild pregnancy dreams! Seriously, I highly recommend getting a book to write them down in because mine have been like being in a movie every night. In one particularly vivid dream I was having a boy so let’s see if that prediction comes true a few weeks from now when I can find out!
However, if you are like the vast majority of women who experience morning sickness (seriously, it’s like 80%) I do have a tip for you. Jolly Ranchers are a great thing to throw in your purse. There are options for other morning sickness candies which I carried with me just in case but really, the very few times I felt queasy Jolly Ranchers did the trick. Plus they taste great.
Beyond my routine of injections and more sleep than I’ve ever needed before, I also set about changing my diet. If you do a Google search you’ll hear about alllll the things you need to stop eating. We all know about alcohol and caffeine, for example, but I had to say goodbye to my beloved blue and soft cheeses. Other things I didn’t know about included no deli meats, prepackaged salads, pre-juiced fruit juices, or anything else that could be contaminated with bacteria like Listeria.
Suddenly I was eating lots of whole grains and yogurts. More fruits and veg than ever before in my life. I was trying to be a healthy mom and do everything I could to protect my baby.
One of my first and long awaited milestones was leaving the fertility clinic behind at about 12 weeks. Whoohoo I’m free! They ordered my first ultrasound for around 11 weeks and once that checked out, I was basically told keep doing the injections and have a nice life. Can’t say I’m sorry to see the last of them at all!
9 months feels like a very long time to wait to meet my little jelly bean. I’m hoping to go by in a flash but realistically I think I’m now on a looong road. Still, I’m thrilled to finally be on this path after what feels like a hard fought battle.
To all the single moms by choice out there still going through the fertility process, hang in there! It does get better. And to the ones now counting down their 9 months, I guess our next adventure is just beginning.