[PnC p3.] The Growing Pains of Pregnancy: Trimester One

Pregnant and Clueless
The Growing Pains of Pregnancy: Trimester One

Around week 8 of my pregnancy the morning sickness was taking shape and I figured it was time I really started to learn about what was going on inside. One of the first things my friend told me was to go online and register with BabyCenter.com

Lesson #5
If you are comfortable using a computer, the Internet is a great place to start finding out information about being pregnant. On BabyCenter.com you can register for free and get weekly updates on the status of your baby. You’ll find out what symptoms you might be feeling that week and you will also be able to see the baby’s growing process during that time; plus you can read helpful articles and chat with other expecting mothers.

In addition to going online, you should go to the bookstore and start your baby library. Being an African American mommy to be, the first book I bought was the Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy. Its funny, informative, and relevant to women like myself. Thus far the chapter on Trimester One has helped me the most.

The Growing Pains of Pregnancy: Trimester One
I think I’m going to be Sick

Ladies, morning sickness is no joke. You name it, and I got it. One day I was a normal human being, and the next thing I knew my body went crazy. Everything smelled horrible, or rather really strong. I woke up exhausted and remained that way all day. Things that I loved to eat made me gag. And when the gagging started the vomiting quickly followed. So I stopped eating and lost weight, but when I didn’t eat the nausea took over. I had dry mouth for days and then went through excessive spitting for weeks. Of all these symptoms, vomiting included, the excessive spitting was the worst.

At month four, I still spit more than usual, but no longer every minute on the hour. I tried sucking on candy or simply spitting non-stop into tissues, but both of these solutions drove me crazy. I found frequently drinking water or sucking on ice helped to alleviate some of the stress. And as gross as it sounds, l had to come to terms with training myself to swallow the excess saliva. The more I did, the less I felt the urge to spit. But sometimes that just lead to a big stomach ache and lots of vomiting.

Morning Sickness, or rather ‘All Day Hell’, is just an unavoidable stop on the road to motherhood. There is nothing you can really do to remedy the pain, but reading other’s stories or talking to friends does help put the pain in perspective and the time does go by. I didn’t think I was going to make it, but believe it or not I am now in Trimester Two and my Morning Sickness days are pretty much over. Now I’m preparing for the next set of ailments, and I’m pretty clueless as to what those will be!


Other things on my mind and waiting to be written:
I’m pregnant, who cares?
Medical Insurance for Pregos
How am I going to afford a baby?
This is my baby daddy? What was I thinking?
Can I really watch one more episode of TLC: A Baby Story?
Pregnant and in between jobs; how stupid am I?
If I could get my boyfriend pregnant, do you think he’d stop asking me to have sex?
I’m pregnant and the only things I can focus on require no focus at all (i.e. the idiot box and yahoo games).
I chose love over money; boy was I a moron!
When you’re pregnant, you get more people in your life than just a new baby.
Baby Names and Everybody’s 2 Cents
Damn it! Aren’t I supposed to be glowing!
So I guess everybody wants to get knocked up now.
I knew about Penis Envy, but is there such a thing as Pregnancy Envy?
Do you want a girl or a boy?
I can’t sleep on my side for nine months!
Who’s mother gets to be Grand Master Grandma?
I had a dream last night …

More Pregnant and Clueless Coming Soon.

[PnC p2.] I am Pregnant, now what?

My adventure all started with a pregnancy test. I’m partial to using ‘Clear Blue Easy’ because it clearly displays ‘Pregnant’ or ‘Non Pregnant’. Of course after a few other fearful tests over the toilet bowl, this time the test came out positive! I was excited, and the boyfriend was not! He was filled with fear, but for me the anxiety came a little later. My first hurdle was figuring out what to do next. Although this working girl is four years out of college, I had no experience in the world of medical insurance and hospital visits. What can I say, most of my ailments only required some Vicks Vapor Rub and aspirin; this was going to be my first checkup in years! Luckily I had an OBGYN, so one of the first things I did was schedule an appointment with her. This being my first appointment, I had to practically beg to see her sooner than later.

Lesson #1
Doctors have very busy schedules and you being pregnant is only a priority for you, so you have to advocate for yourself and find a space that is comfortable.

While I waited for two weeks to pass before my actual appointment, a friend suggested I take a trip down to my local Planned Parenthood. The wait was long and all I did was take another pregnancy test to confirm what I already knew. It wasn’t much help for me, especially because I already had a Doctor to go to. However:

Lesson #2
If you think you are pregnant and you’re not sure what to do, going to your local Planned Parenthood center is a good place to start: Planned Parenthood Federation of America
When I arrived at my first appointment I was so nervous. I made sure I brought my insurance card, and my co-pay fee of $15.

Lesson #3
Depending on your Insurance plan, you sometimes have to pay a small fee for Doctor’s visits. I didn’t know this until the nurse over the phone reminded me to make sure I had exact change for my co-pay.

After my first visit to my OBGYN, I found out I was seven and a half weeks pregnant, with an expected due date of December 9th, 2006. I got a prescription for prenatal vitamins; this would be my first time going to a local pharmacy to fill out a prescription. I also setup my next appointment.

Lesson #4
During your pregnancy, you will visit with your Doctor every couple of weeks to make sure everything is going all right with you and the baby. You’ll get your weight checked, give urine samples, do blood tests, and sonograms as well as get answers to any questions or concerns that you might have.