The Dreaded First Trimester - Part 2

So I was on Doxinate and Ondem from week 8. The nausea and tolerance to smell started going downhill. I could hardly stay near the kitchen. Eating anything seemed like a task. I would take forever to finish a single chapati.

There wasn't any food which seemed attractive to me. I ate so that I wouldn't faint. Everyone including the doctors told me that it should start subsiding once the first trimester was over. All the websites also mentioned that by week 12-13 the symptoms start disappearing.

How I wished for this to be true. I cried to sleep, which left V feeling helpless. Every meal of the day seemed like an enormous task for me. Every bite I took I fought hard to overcome the nausea and just swallow it down. 

Image Courtesy: http://www.emom.co.za

Another fear I was under, constantly, was spotting! Every time I went to pee, I would end up checking if there was any spotting. A low lying placenta was to be blamed for this fear. I was told it would move up as the pregnancy progressed. The fear would end only with the next ultrasound. This was getting bad and I just wanted it to end. 

The first trimester was over but not my morning sickness! 

The Dreaded First Trimester - Part 1

As I mentioned in my last post, the first month was pretty much uneventful for me in terms of morning sickness.

The first three months of pregnancy make up the first trimester and are considered critical for pregnancy. The chances of miscarrying are highest during this time. Also, it is dreaded because of the morning sickness associated with it.

The hormonal levels in the body change drastically during this time and cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness etc. Aversion to previously loved food items, zero tolerance to smells can happen during this time.

Since I did not have any symptoms during first month, I was pretty cool. My mother and V's mom also did not experience any problems during both their pregnancies. I could relax even more now. Alas! It did not last long.

By week 9 of pregnancy I started experiencing mild nausea. I was prescribed Ondem and Doxinate by my Gynac. After taking a lot of opinions from various gynacs I have realised that Ondem shouldnt be taken regularly. It is a relatively new drug and long term side effects are not known. Doxinate is safe in that sense.

I also had my second USG which again confirmed a single live uterine pregnancy with a fetal pole. So a viable pregnancy was determined medically! Blood tests are also done to determine the blood sugar levels, thyroid hormone levels and Hb amongst other parameters.

The only medication I was on was Folinext - Folic Acid supplement which is very important during the first trimester. This is when the neural development of the fetus happens.

The First Month

By the time your pregnancy is confirmed half the month has already passed. The remaining half is the time when you are super excited or thrilled about the news.

Me and V were so excited and looking forward to the new phase in our life. Suddenly you find yourself interested in reading up about pregnancy, babies and other related stuff.

Image Courtesy: www.dreamstime.com

I found myself smiling at baby pictures and wondering how our baby would be like. 9 months to hold your baby in your hands seems like at an eternity at this point of time.

The first month just flew away for us. Thankfully I did not suffer from morning sickness this early. V is a pretty chilled out person and doesn't worry unnecessarily. I made a trip to his native during this time by a Sleeper Volvo coach. It was uneventful, except one episode of vomiting, for which I blamed the bus journey.

The traveling around city was stressful for me as it was done in an auto-rickshaw and the roads were a nightmare. Since the relatives didn't know the news, I couldn't refuse either!

But all in all it was a pretty good Month One!