The first trimester has been a whirlwind of emotions for me – from excitement to fear to joy – I feel like I’ve experienced more these past few weeks than I have in years!
That’s the beauty of creation and the immense responsibility it carries with it. Almost four weeks on, my bleeding is daily but light in flow. I’m dealing with it as best I can by trying just to get on with the other things. I’m secretly praying I’ve done my lot and can move on to enjoyment and so, without over-thinking the process, I’ve decided to take it just one day at a time.
Aside from fatigue, my boobs are heavy and sore, and my jeans are getting tight and uncomfortable. And while I lament the loss of my designer jeans, my husband is inconsolable at not being able to play with my expanding breasts. They are a constant source of wonder to him and questions like ‘Will they get bigger?’, ‘Will they always be that big?’ and ‘WHEN can I touch them?’ now form part of our everyday conversations. For now, it’s a case of “look but don’t touch” but I’m hoping that won’t be for much longer. My continuous bleed has also put a stop to sex and while it’s not a huge issue between us, I do miss the intimacy.
In an effort to deal with my increasing waistline, I did my first maternity shopping this week. However, after searching several high street stores, I was surprised (don’t really know why though) to find that most of them don’t stock maternity wear. I had never really considered this a problem for women before and was just about to resort to buying jeans in a size or two up when I found a small selection to choose from in H&M. And wow are maternity pants lovely to wear. Okay, so I know I’m at the early stages and I’m not sporting a huge bump, but I almost can’t believe this style of pants isn’t more mainstream. The stretch around the belly would be perfect for letting it all puff out when needs be. God knows us ladies and men do enough pulling in at the best of times!
Maternity pants are a blessing too as they give you that bit extra only where you need it. There’s a nice range of skinnies too so I don’t feel like I’ve got to lose my style straight away. I’ve looked at maternity tops but in my opinion they’re probably not essential until the latter stages. For now, I’m donning nice flowing shirts for work and warm knits for the evenings.
We also have our first antenatal appointment with a local consultant next week, which I’m really looking forward to. So for now, I’m focusing on enjoying the bump and trying to relax. It’s not too bad a life…
Stay with us every week for more from ‘Big Belly’ as she continues her pregnancy adventure.
