My First Twenty Weeks

It seems like those first twenty weeks passed by quickly now, but I am pretty sure they were all painfully slow at the time. The ups and downs over those weeks were incredible! With so many changes happening, it was hard to keep up with myself and deal with the changes. However I did make it through them and am into the last twenty weeks already (I'm 24 weeks along to be exact). To catalog everything I experienced I put together a list. This list is to help myself remember what I went through and to shed light on how everyone's bodies change differently during pregnancy. 

• For the first five weeks after finding out (we found out at 6 weeks), I threw up everyday and experienced round the clock nausea. It was a horrible ordeal. I tried all the recommendations I could find like crackers by your bed, eating smaller meals more frequently, staying hydrated, using essential oils, eating only certain foods. None of these things worked. It wasn't until about 11 to 12 weeks along that I found some relief. 
• My sense of smell and urge to pee increased exponentially nearly overnight. I believe my nausea during those first few weeks was actually made worse by my heightened sense of smell. I threw up making ground beef one night! Everything was so stinky to me! The urge to pee actually surprised me because I figured it was one of the symptoms that would hit me later on in pregnancy. However, I found myself waking up in the middle of the night to pee which I never did before being pregnant. 
• I had pretty bad abdominal cramping that would come and go that lasted until I hit my second trimester.  The cramping wasn't as severe as my monthly period cramps, but they were bad enough to alarm me sometimes. I consulted my OB at those times and she told me they were just growing pains! And boy did he grow! I actually think he's equaled out now, but during the first trimester he was measuring a week ahead of schedule with growth. 
• The stretch marks and baby bump came early for me too! I told myself I was blessed to be showing early. My bump wasn't much of a nuisance until my hips became to big for my pants! Shopping isn't quite as fun either when you are pregnant. I felt awkward in maternity clothes for the longest time because I thought, "I'm not far along enough for this!" The stretch marks..... All I can say is, I look like I was mauled by a tiger!
• The heartburn I have experienced during pregnancy felt like my chest was lit on fire from the inside! I made the mistake of eating lasagna one evening when I was feeling good after a prolonged time without vomiting. I woke up at midnight with the feeling like I was drowning in a lake of lava. The heartburn hasn't subsided either, but it doesn't react to tomato sauce like it did those first few weeks.

After about the 15th week, I felt almost back to my old self. I even became worried sometimes because I didn't feel pregnant anymore except for my protruding stomach. I felt a kick at 16 weeks that was like a bubble or popcorn popping. I felt some movement also when I laid down on my sides at night. I could feel the baby roll down from one side of my abs to the other as I switched sides. The kicks from there were infrequent until about 20 weeks. They felt mostly like jabs to my stomach just below my belly button. We found out at 20 weeks that we were having a boy (after a previously failed gender ultrasound appointment)! 

This later phase of pregnancy has brought on its own new set of challenges and wonders, but I still have a long way to go!