Being this is my first baby I have found myself asking other mommys "is that normal?" a lot! A newly pregnant body goes through so many changes that people do not warn you about. Here is what I have learned so far at 13 weeks:
Is it normal...to worry every second about something going wrong during the first several weeks?
Yes, this is a normal feeling especially with your first baby! I found myself thinking about the baby non-stop and hoping everything was all good. If I had a day that I didn't feel queasy or tired I would completely panic. I remember at my first appointment being nervous that the baby wouldn't be there on the ultrasound. I wanted my little sweet pea so bad I was nervous. I can say though that now at 13 weeks I don't think about that anymore, well not as much anyway ;)! The best advise I can give you is to just relax. Stressing about it isn't good for your body!
Is it normal...to have no sex drive?
Yes! During the first trimester it is very normal to have a lower sex drive. During my first 11 or so weeks I had no interested in being intimate with my hubby. It had nothing to do with him or my attraction to him, I was just simply exhausted, queasy, and bloated and having sex sounded terrible haha! Around the end of the first trimester however this will go away for most women. It did for me! I am not having any symptoms at all now thank goodness :)
Is it normal...to gain weight during your first trimester?
Yes and No. Every woman is different so there is not one right answer to this. Some woman with severe morning sickness will not gain any weight and some actually loss weight. While others pack on more then they should. I fall some where in between those two. During my first trimester I was about 9 weeks along and I text my sister all upset because I had already gained about 6 pounds at 9 weeks, WHAT, NO! I was panicking to say the least. During your first trimester (first 13 weeks) the doctor will tell you most people gain between 1-5 pounds. So why was I gaining so much weight? Well I came to the conclusion that I left the notion of "pregnancy cravings" get in my head. In my opinion when woman first get pregnant, especially with baby #1, they allow themselves to eat things that they would normally use their will power to not eat. For example, I love pastries but like hell if I am gonna eat them because I now that they are just empty calories and I am some one who works hard on my body at the gym and in the kitchen. Once I got pregnant I found myself eating pastries all the time because "I was craving them" or was it really that I was just allowing myself to do so because I was pregnant now. Honestly once I realized what I was doing I stopped eating all the junk and I have not gained a pound in the last 5 weeks!
Is it normal...to have diarrhea?
Yes! While most people will experience constipation during pregnancy some people go through the complete opposite. This can be caused by a whole list of things, your new pregnancy diet to better foods, increased water intake, if you started working out for the health of you and the baby, or even the hormonal change can effect your potty usage. Me personally, it was my prenatal. So I stopped taking them during the first trimester and just started again about a week ago and I'm all good now!
Here are some other things that are completely normally:
Feeling like you could pee every 30 minutes or less
Headaches that come out of no where
Being all smiles to tears or even yelling at someone in the blink of an eye
Queasiness and nausea - At any time of the day
Weird stretching feeling in your tummy
Light cramping or spot bleeding (Severe bleeding that's more like a period, see your OBGYN)
Cravings - IDK about this but I guess it is
What other, "Is this normal?" things did you come across?
Lots of people ask me if I am still working out as hard as I get bigger and the answer is a BIG YES! You may not be able to everything you did pre-pregnancy but getting a work out in is still an option. Don't be afraid to sweat it out still! Do, however, lift and run/walk/climb with caution. If it doesn't feel right or you in any way feel uncomfortable doing a certain exercise or move modify it or skip it all together. For me, the bigger I get I find my knees start hurting during lunges and squats. So for now I am reducing the weight I use to about a 20lb barbell instead. I'm sure I will eliminate this all together or being using no weight after awhile. I have also found that I don't enjoy running as much. Which is crazy for me because I love to run! Especially in the summer months :( I find I am losing my breath faster and I cramp up a little. I encourage you do keep running though for as long as you can when your pregnant. Some women have no issues at all and run the whole time while others are more like me and can only do shorter distances now.
