Yep that’s right we are gonna tell you what the books don’t and reveal the ugly truth about pregnancy…

Now you know you are pregnant for sure… OMG – now what?

One of the first indicators I had was, lack of sleep, followed by heightened sense of smell and the dreaded ‘morning’ sickness…

What’s Not So Hot during the 9 months you are given to prepare yourself for parenthood, if you are lucky…

Lack of Sleep

I haven’t had much sleep at all during my entire pregnancy, in fact it started before this pregnancy, as we miscarried at 5 weeks and conceived straight after, so I have had an extra 5 weeks of no sleep and have been surviving on 2-3 hours a night for the last 8-9 months….

There will be days you weep with pure exhaustion and days you will be fine – one of the great reasons to learn to be selfish, starting NOW, so please refer to our previous article.

People will tell you, it is just to get you ready, and others will make comments like:

“Sorry to tell you, but it doesn’t get any better…”

And they are right.

Yes and no it is about preparing your body, but it is also about making sure your baby stays safe. If you were to fall into a deep sleep for too long and end up lying in the same position without moving, depending on the placement of your baby and their position, this could be harmful. (Quoted by one of our midwives at the hospital we are attending).

Try to think of the lack of sleep as a positive in that you are protecting your baby!

Heightened Sense of Smell

This was a big kicker for me, as my senses went into overdrive…

Red meat was a dead giveaway something was NQR. The first time it happened, my partner was cooking lamb shanks for himself, as I wasn’t feeling quite right and was resting. Within 10 secs of smelling the lamb, I was in the bathroom throwing up !

A definite indicator that my feelings of being NQR was more than just a feeling.

I still chef one day a week to keep my hand in the industry. Can you imagine trying to cook week in week out with all your trigger foods and trying to manage the so called ‘morning’ sickness??

I must be mad !

Morning Sickness

Who ever named it ‘morning’ sickness needs to be sued for misrepresentation of the truth and false advertising… OMG it was more like ALL DAY for me and so much for it finishing as you go into the second trimester…

I still get the odd day of it now and only have 6 weeks left to go !

As a natural heath facilitator, I would normally recommend Ginger, but unfortunately for me, it actually made my sickness worse, but give it a go – it might work for you, as it is usually great for nausea.

I also tried a homeopathic treatment for nausea and morning sickness, but again no success.

What did work for me, as much as I hate to admit it, was…

Dry biscuits (like Saladas) and icy pols !

Not very nutrient condense, but that is what I pretty much lived off for the first 17 weeks, as it was all I could manage.

I lost interest in my raw. living juices; fruit and veg; in fact pretty much all food and started to crave food that doesn’t normally even come on my radar i.e. KFC – my brain was in so much conflict with my stomach.

The icy pols were the only way I could keep myself hydrated, as, as soon as I drank any fluid – including water – I wanted to throw up again.

My GP threatened me with hospital and a drip, her famous last words to me were:

“I don’t care if you don’t eat, but you must keep your fluids and hydration up…”

That soon shut my partner up, as he had been trying to encourage me to eat, even if I didn’t feel like it, unbeknown to him, actually making me feel worse and more emotional.

So, all I can recommend on that note is:

1. Experiment and find what works for you
2. Ignore well meaning friends and family
3. Listen to your body it knows what it needs

Your baby will take what it needs, regardless of what you think you have to give !

And just like with the lack of sleep, try and turn it into a positive, because, apparently (according to my GP), the worse the morning sickness, the healthier the pregnancy !!

NB: This does not mean, no morning sickness = unhealthy pregnancy either, before you lucky souls out there start to panic!