11 Jul The First Month is Crazy

There are few memories that stand out as significantly as the moment you realise you are going to be a parent. For me, the day was largely unremarkable, but it is one I will never ever forget.

LET’S SET THE SCENE, SHALL WE?

We had just moved into a new flat. There were boxes strewn about our lounge, I was exhausted and feeling quite emotional about the huge task of unpacking our lives into a new home. My husband was out at the time, some manly adventure with his friends if I remember correctly. As I sat on the dusty floor of my new lounge, I realised that of all the many things happening in my life at the moment, one thing was decidedly absent: my period.

Panic, denial, a reluctant and almost fearful kind of joy took over. Could this really and truly be a baby?

I picked up the phone and dialled my Husband’s number and told him to rush home and stop at the pharmacy to get a pregnancy test. He arrived about 30 minutes later with 3 different brands of test – in case he had unwittingly gotten an inferior brand (how adorable is my guy?). I nipped them out of his hands and rushed to the loo. I left the door open so I could continue my excited chat with him while I wee’d on 3 different pregnancy tests.

A mere three minutes later I looked down at my whole life. There on those three little tests stood my future, all my joy and a huge piece of my soul. I didn’t know that at the time though. At the time I laughed nervously and rushed into my guy’s arms, buried my face in his chest and whispered, “is this happening?”

THE FIRST MONTH IS CRAZY!

You kind of expect to feel pregnant as soon as you find out that you are, which you actually don’t. Morning sickness sets in at about 8 weeks, but leading up that, there were a few very real physical changes I experienced:

—Breast tenderness and itchiness
—Fatigue; bone-numbing, all-consuming, sleep-like-the-dead tiredness
—Bloating
—Food aversions
—Mood swings

THE PRO’s & CON’s

It’s difficult to package the highs and lows of pregnancy. Many women don’t enjoy being pregnant, but I felt like it was my body’s most natural state. I loved how shiny and healthy my hair looked, I loved how clear and plump my skin appeared, I loved all the ways my body stretched and groaned and changed to accommodate this new life growing inside me.

Feeling that erratic pull of emotion was a challenge at home and at work. Being tearful or irrationally angry and always tired took its toll on my professional and personal relationships but just as soon as it comes, it does pass.

WEIRD THINGS ARE BOUND TO HAPPEN

Pregnancy is a weird time. And while a lot of the weird food things happen a little later down the line, one very surprising, very fun thing happened just after I found out I was pregnant…. My sex drive went off the charts. I could not get enough of my husband! Wow, those baby making hormones lingered long after the baby was made.

Your body is about to change in ways you could not imagine and while each of us is different and each pregnancy is different, but if I could impart one bit of wisdom, one shining kernel of truth that my gynaecologist shared with me, it is that your body was literally made to do this. This is going to be the hardest, most exciting time of your life. Sleep, rest, eat and savour every moment.

Welcome to motherhood.

RELATED LINKS

• Finding Out Month 1
• Month 1 Finding Out I Was Pregnant
• Pregnancy: Month 1: What Our Dietitian Has To Say…
• Pregnancy: Month 1: A Physiotherapist’s Professional Opinion