First Trimester- Nausea

April Fool’s Day, 2019- It was not a joke, there were two lines || on my pregnancy test. *screams* I took a few deep breaths then sat on my bed. I distinctly remember looking at the television and seeing an advertisement for Ali Wong’s Netflix special. She was dressed in leopard (my favourite), and she too was pregnant. What a coincidence!

As I stared at Ali Wong, with my pregnancy test in hand, I tried to think of a creative way to tell daddy-to-be. Why couldn’t I remember any of the good ideas I saw on Instagram and Pinterest? Five minutes later, before even consulting google, I called him, then sent him a picture of the pregnancy test via WhatsApp. I still am so disappointed in myself that I only kept the news from him for five minutes, and that I didn’t think of video-calling him. #blametheexcitement. Although it was only about 7:30pm, I went to bed to ensure that I did not give into the temptation of telling my family and friends of the good news.

I’m not sure if it was all in my head, (since I downloaded the What To Expect and the Baby Center apps, which both outlined possible symptoms), but, the very next day, I was nauseous. By the 6th week, daily nausea was accompanied by a constant feeling of being tired. Taking an evening nap became a necessity. Feeling sick and tired, especially during the early morning and evening, became my new normal. During weeks 8 and 9, I was so sick that I lost over 10lbs and missed 7 days of work.

During the 9th week, I was nervous that my nausea would result in the postponement of my first ultrasound. Thankfully, that was not the case. I was able to do the ultrasound, and get the first glimpse of my baby. It was surreal. There was a very tiny human growing inside me. We were very excited.

Battling the Nausea

Mints can help a stomach that feels uneasy right? Given that well known remedy, I tried eating my absolute favourite mint to help settle my stomach. Each time I tried, I was unable to finish the mint. They tasted disgusting and became my first food aversion. I tried ginger, which thankfully helped. Ginger tea, ginger sweets, ginger chews and ginger biscuits became a very necessary part of my diet. Ginger chews were the most helpful of the bunch, until ginger became the second food aversion.

Week 11 was the start of my least favourite part of my pregnancy- vomiting. I thought my morning sickness would be winding down as I approached the end of the first trimester; little did I know that it was just about to really get started. May 23, 2019 is etched in my memory because it was the first time in over fifteen years, that I vomited.

Second Trimester- Prayer

In my second trimester vomiting became routine. My doctor prescribed medicine to reduce the nausea and vomiting, however, many times after taking it, I would throw up. I felt defeated until week 22 when I was given the same medicine in the form of suppositories, along with another pill. They helped.

I’ve always prayed daily, sometimes several times per day. Whilst being pregnant however, I prayed a lot. I prayed:

for a healthy baby

for a smooth delivery

to be the best mom

to never throw up in Court

to stop throwing up

…. to have a girl

The prayer in which I asked for a girl happened on a day in my second trimester when I was extremely sick; my mind and my body were fighting against each other. I had been praying up until that point for a healthy baby and telling myself, and every person who asked, that the gender did not matter- I just wanted a healthy baby. *insert the worst possible nausea* The nausea clearly affected both my physical and mental state. I remember my true desires coming out as I prayed earnestly- “Lord please let me have a girl. I do not want to ever be pregnant again”. The Lord knows best my friends. I have a son, and he is my everything.

On July 27, 2019 (yes, I am good with dates), I felt my baby kick for the first time. It was an amazing feeling. “Hi my baby”. After that night, I looked forward to feeling kicks. Throughout the rest of my pregnancy, I noticed that whenever I ate sugary foods, the kicks would get more frequent. At times, the kicks tickled so much that I would laugh uncontrollably. I was in love with my little footballer. I got so use to feeling his kicks, anxiety reigned whenever more than an hour would pass without me feeling any movement.

If you’re currently pregnant, I highly recommend having a gender reveal, whether it is small with a few family or friends, or a big production. I prefer the latter. Kayla planned and executed our reveal with a few co-conspirators. We thought the ‘He or She, Pop to See’ game, in which we took turns popping balloons, would be how we found out whether we were having a boy or girl. Joke was on us. We popped and popped, but seemingly chose the wrong balloon each time. After popping the last balloon, I was given a giant balloon and daddy-to-be was given a gender reveal confetti cannon popper . It was a great time. You guys know the rest of the story. IT’S A BOY- a beautiful baby Kruze. One of my favourite memories in relation to my pregnancy occurred at the gender reveal. It was how excited my fiance’ was when he found out we were having a boy! As he jumped for joy and hugged me, tears streamed down my face- they were happy tears. I’ve never seen him that happy in the fifteen years that I’ve known him. A few days after the reveal, I remember asking my best friend: “What if I get pregnant again and it’s a boy?” She said,“Then you’ll be a mom of boys”….. I loved that answer. What type of question was that to ask? As seen in this picture, despite being five months pregnant, I was barely showing.

Another second trimester memory was having to sleep on my side (left side recommended). Getting used to this sleeping position took a few weeks. I tossed and turned each night, trying to be comfortable, until I started using a boppy pregnancy pillow to provide support. A pregnancy pillow is definitely on my must-have list for easing pregnancy-related discomfort. Debbie, the creator of Mother and Baby Love has provided a detailed list of must-have pregnancy items for the mom-to-be. See it here.

RELATED POST: Must-Have Pregnancy Items for Mom

Third Trimester – The Highlights

Oh sweet relief from nausea and vomiting! Without a doubt, this was the best trimester for me. I WAS NOT SICK. I was able to enjoy my pregnancy daily, minus a few hiccups and anxious moments. For example, in week 28, I was tested for gestational diabetes, which consisted of me drinking a very sweet liquid, followed by a blood test, one hour later. After drinking the liquid, I felt faint and had to be taken into a hospital room and be placed under observation. A few days later, on a Friday afternoon, the nurse from the doctor’s office informed me that based on my test results, the doctor needed to speak with me, and I should attend the office on Monday morning. *Cue a weekend of massive A N X I E T Y.*

The doctor explained that my blood sugar levels were too high. I did not have gestational diabetes, but I was very close. As a result, I was instructed to change my diet- (apparently my bread and fruit intake was too much), and I had to record my blood sugar levels three times per day, for one week.- ugh I hated needles. Thankfully, the change in my diet worked. My sugar levels stabilized.

One of the highlights of my third trimester was my baby shower, planned and executed by Shanney. Playing baby shower games, and having an evening filled with the support of family and friends, was everything to me.





















As I approached my 30th week, I became very self-conscious about the size and shape of my pregnant belly. Why wasn’t it big and round? Why did it look fat? These thoughts almost made me cancel my maternity photoshoot. Thankfully, I have great friends who encouraged me and warned that I would regret that decision.





📍Benta River Falls and Park, Westmoreland, Jamaica

In the last three weeks, I was surprised by how often I had to pee. I really do not miss my bladder waking me up 3-4 times each hour. I also experienced Braxton Hicks contractions, which I was fully prepared for, having read What to Expect’s Braxton Hicks Contractions. I truly was nervous about childbirth, but my daily meditation on Joshua 1 vs 9– “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go,” was very helpful.

In the days leading up to delivery, my belly was finally big and round, I drank a lot of water, I waddled, and I took several videos of my active baby constantly kicking and punching.

This post was more difficult to write than I thought it would be because I cannot quite remember the entire experience (even though it has only been approximately 4 months since I delivered). I’ve now realized that I should have kept a pregnancy journal.

The most important takeaway from this journey is that everyone has their own unique pregnancy experience. I never had swollen ankles, never experienced heartburn, my belly button did not come out and the most shocking to me- I never had cravings!

Pregnancy on a whole- the good and bad parts, is an amazing, life-changing experience. I am grateful for the support of my family, friends and co-workers during my 39 weeks. I am truly blessed.

Want to know about my labor and delivery? See my birth story here.

Social Media Question and Answer

Thank you social media peeps for all your questions. As promised, here are the answers.

How did you mentally prepare for labour?

The truth is, I was extremely scared of childbirth. Despite knowing that the baby must come out, the thoughts of the pain overwhelmed me at times. In the last few weeks, I found peace in Joshua 1 vs 9- Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid nor discouraged, for the Lord thy God is with you wherever you go. I literally reflected on this verse several times per day, and it helped….it helped a lot.

What were some of the things NO ONE told you about that you experienced?

My belly looked bigger at night than during the day!

Very vivid dreams- many of which included me saving the world

Nausea beyond the first trimester

Pregnancy brain!

Pregnancy rhinitis

Pelvic pain (known as pelvic girdle pain)

What body change were you most surprised about?

The line that went down my belly (linea negra) was very light, and not dark like the ones I’ve seen in person or in pictures.

How did you prepare your body for childbirth?

I made an effort to have a well balanced diet. Eating a lot of greens was easy for me since I actually love greens, but reducing my sugar and processed food intake was challenging. On the days when I felt very sick and had no appetite (many many days), I would drink Ensure Original Nutrition Shake .

I wish I could say I exercised regularly. My exercise was limited to swimming a few times in my second trimester, and walking around the house during my third trimester. Also, I watched several YouTube videos which taught me breathing exercises, that I most definitely used during labour!

What was your strangest craving?

I had no cravings!

Who were you most nervous about telling that you were pregnant?

My mom

What are your best and worst memories during pregnancy?

BEST

hearing his heartbeat for the first time (I cried of course)

feeling kicks for the first time

daddy-to-be’s reaction to the fact that we were having a boy

being able to share and relate with my cousin since we were pregnant at the same time

WORST

throwing up on a bus 3 times in 3.5 hours

feeling like I was going to pass out during the gestational diabetes test

Did you experience anxiety?

Daily!

I felt anxious about whether or not my baby would be healthy, especially since I was not the best at taking my prenatal vitamins and I was losing weight throughout the first trimester

During the first trimester I was anxious about the possibility of having a miscarriage

Whenever I realized that I was not feeling a lot of movement I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on any other task until I felt a kick

I constantly worried about whether I would throw up whilst driving or whilst at work