I am a little late starting this pregnancy journal, however I do have a genuine reason, I have been very unwell with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (Severe Pregnancy Sickness).
It is awful and I sympathise with anyone who has ever experienced this ( or anyone who has had to live with someone suffering with it because it can be not be very nice living with a spouse or mother who is unable to move 90% of the time except to vomit).
We discovered that we were expecting a baby at the beginning of October. Due to sore breasts and lots of unwarranted crying I did a test 4 days before my period was due and I had a very faint line. I wasn't sure. The next day I did another and the line was slightly clearer, then I did the Clearblue test with the digital screen and it said the word 'pregnant'.
I was admitted to hospital last week (Pregnancy week 9) as I had been constantly sick and unable to keep water down for three days. They put me on a drip and gave me some anti-sickness medication which helped 'recharge' me. Unfortunately I am still suffering, however I have found little ways to keep nutrients in my body, or at least some of them:
Tip number 1:
Smoothies / Milkshakes - Basically blending up fruits and veggies into a drink that tastes nice and has lots of good stuff inside it!
My favourite is: 1 Banana, 1 Avacado, 1 handful of spinach or kale (or both), large handful strawberries, handful of raspberries, a few blueberries, 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar and then topped up with hemp milk. Blend and enjoy. :-D
I can not always keep this down, but the body starts to digest the nutrients straight away, so by keep drinking this, every minute that passes another generous amount is being digested into the body, reaching the baby first.
Tip number 2:
Eat when you are hungry -I used to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at specific times of the day. Not anymore! I now eat what I fancy when I fancy it and I have found this allows me to keep more down. I am giving my body exactly what is it asking for when it asks for it, instead of 'trying' to eat because its dinner time etc..
Do not get me wrong, I do not give in to the fast-food cravings as I have no intention of poisoning my unborn child - But the temptation is there at times.
Tip number 3:
Ginger Stuff - I know everyone says it, but they say it because its true. Ginger biscuits really do hold of the nausea and vomiting sometimes. But I got sick of them really quickly so I am now doing organic ginger and lemon tea.
Tip number 4:
Rest. It is the hardest thing to do when you are a mother and running a home. But I have learnt that when I give in and just let everything go to just rest when I need to, I recharge much quicker and the sickness waves are less intense because I have the energy to deal with them.
When I was admitted to the hospital last week they performed a scan and it revealed that there are TWO babies growing in my uterus!! I am petrified. I struggled with my first pregnancy and that was only one baby. This is two!! I am genuinely still in shock about this.
This of course does explain why I have Hyperemesis Gravidarum as my body is doing twice the work, producing double the amount of hormones and using twice as many of my resources. I am not getting left with much for myself.
The good news is that in most women this passes or at least eases after 12-20 weeks. There are a few unfortunate ones who suffer right through until they give birth - time will only tell with this one.
To get the journal started I have shared a picture of my tummy at 7 weeks, I shall take another for my next post as I am excited to reflect on these and watch my babies grow.
My food cravings have included salt and vinegar crisps (I don't even eat crisps usually), cheese, apples and take-away food! I have enjoyed the odd kebab, fish and chips and curry but I have not given in to the likes of Macdonalds or KFC. I stopped eating fast-food like this over a year ago after learning about some of the ingredients that they include so it has been really frustrating to be craving for these bad foods.
The plan this coming week for me is to keep eating as healthily as I can, to try to listen to my body - eat when it wants when it wants to etc... and then the following week we have our booking appointment with the midwife and the 13 week scan.