I was contemplating on whether or not I should share my pregnancy experiences on this blog. Then I realised, why not. I’m not going to turn this into a parenting blog. But every woman experience pregnancy differently, so it’ nice to read experiences and insights from fellow pregnant women. My one rule about telling or hearing pregnancy or parenting stories on blogs, is that everyone has different beliefs, backgrounds and lifestyle. So if mine doesn’t apply to yours, just treat it as a fictional story, or just stop reading :)
My first trimester was a combination of blur and sickness. If there’s any period during my pregnancy that I do not want to relive, it’s the first trimester. I’ve never felt so sick in my life, and my reaction towards sickness is not hopelessness or sadness, but anger. I was angry, a lot. I felt nauseous when I cook, feeling hungry, feeling too full or when I was in certain restaurants (even the ones that I used to love!). I found two things that made me feel better: Salada crackers (or as Americans call it, Saltines) and sea sick band. I felt better, but not good. I also dislike all these sudden changes I had to make in my life: no alcohol, less coffee, no raw meat, no sushi, walk slower, be more gentle… Gah! Not to mention some of these chinese superstitions that my family still believe. So no sewing (what tailors are for), nailing things onto the wall (thank goodness for 3M hooks!) or watching Walking Dead for me (there are even more Chinese superstitions when it comes to pregnancy, but my family is quite modern, so we stick to the easy stuff).
Second trimester was the best. I felt like my tummy just got a little bigger, without having to deal with morning sickness or joint pains. I also felt the pregnancy glow (although my Nars radiant tinted moisturiser might help a little bit). I love my bump and I find it cute, so I don’t mind wearing form-fitting clothes that shows it off. I had a hard time finding maternity wear in Australia, because most of them are not very stylish and too basic. Just because I’m pregnant I don’t want to settle for clothes that are not very me. Luckily I found some really good ones from Asos Maternity range. Since then I’ve bought a few dresses from Asos and I’ve been wearing them since the start of my pregnancy.
I have also adapted to my temporary lifestyle in my second trimester. For someone who appreciates good whiskeys and beer prior to pregnancy, and whose favourite food is raw fish sushi and sashimi, I have to pat myself on the back as I’m doing really really good. Some people told me that having a glass of wine once in a while is okay, but I’ve decided not to do it at all. I did accidentally drank Lemon & Lime Bitters in a bar, because I honestly did not know that bitters contain alcohol! I also still eat pastas cooked with wine or cocktail-flavoured ice creams from Frugii once in a while, but from what I read they are just very small quantity and the alcohol level kind of disappeared during cooking/freezing process anyway. I do miss having poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, though.
I experienced the euphoria of second trimester. My mood was stable, I was always happy, my appetite was back, I am full of creative ideas, and I became better at taking photos! Fingers crossed my son would grow up to be a talented photographer.
As an only child, I think that being and having an only child has a lot of pros rather than cons, and my parents said so themselves. But there was a point in my second trimester when I told my husband “maybe we should have another one. Pregnancy is awesome!”. Turns out, it was just my euphoria talking. As I’m stepping into my third trimester, I realise that I’m not keen to be pregnant for the second time in my life.
With all the do’s and don’ts of pregnancy, especially with everyone who has never been pregnant chiming in about what they’ve heard, I learn to stop listening to what everyone says. I rely on doctors and official websites like betterhealth.gov.au or popular baby sites like WhatToExpect.com and BabyCenter.com.au for my information. I also listen to my own parents, after all they did a great job raising me. But some of their decisions and suggetions are still based on Chinese beliefs and superstitions, so I tend to be more selective. I always research the Why’s and How’s before believing in what people say.
I still drink coffee. When they tell you to limit the amount of caffeine, it doesn’t mean that you have to only drink coffee occasionally. One cup up to 300mg caffeine content per day is fine. There’s no harm in having a small cup of flat white or two Nespresso coffee pods a day.
I paint my nails once in a while using nail polishes that are 3-Free or above, such as Butter London. 3-Free means that they don’t contain certain chemicals that are harmful to people, not just pregnant ladies.
Eating something you’re not supposed to is not the end of the world. If you do get food poisoning, it doesn’t always affect the baby. So when you realised that you’ve eaten something that you’re not supposed to, just be aware of any ill-feeling and symptoms. If you feel even slightly unwell, go to the hospital right away. Don’t be ashamed to go to Emergency Departments and finding out that you’re just being paranoid. I’ve been to the E.R twice because of my paranoia (not food-related)! It’s better to be safe than sorry.
I won’t train for marathon or go to body attack classes for now, but I do exercise. I joined a program called Preggi Bellies, it’s a group cardio exercise class for pregnant ladies. They have branches all over the world. The classes make me feel good and refreshed. I also like the fact that we get to exercise with popular dance music (One Republic, Ellie Goulding, Icona Pop, etc), which I love!
I also go to Prenatal yoga classes, but it is a very gentle class and I only go there for relaxation.
One of the most exciting things during my second trimester, was shopping for baby things during Boxing Day! I’ve always thought that Baby-shopping would be boring and lame, but it might be one of my favourite shopping experiences ever. I never thought that prams could look so cute! I will definitely create a whole other post about shopping for the big stuff (prams, cots, carseat, etc).
Now that I’m 27 weeks pregnant, all those excitement and euphoria are starting to drift away. I’m starting to feel weird when I walk (I can’t quite explain it, but I always feel like duck), my joints are starting to ache, I can’t walk or stand for too long, and my mood swings are starting to hit. Mood swings is the worst. I spent my December holiday crying over a lot of things, sometimes over nothing at all. I even cried over failed hotcakes experiments (I’m actually laughing at myself now). I bought books and magazines about women entrepreneurs, and successful working moms. For some reason these books and magazines make me feel better. I realised that what made me sad was worrying that having a child means my career dreams would be put on hold. As soon as my holiday was over, I got back to work, creating things to sell/share, planning my goals for 2016 and how I’m going to work for it, and now I’m no longer sad. Things are definitely going to work out!
If you’re pregnant, congratulations! Try to enjoy pregnancy as much as you can. But if you don’t, it’s always okay to rant!
The post Pregnancy Diary – 27 Weeks Pregnant appeared first on Design is Yay !.