First Trimester of Pregnancy

My first trimester was amazing.

No morning sickness.

No headache.

No weird cravings whatsoever.

I still can focus on my work and still driving and sleeping comfortably on my back and switching positions with zero problem.

One thing for sure, I WAS TIRED AND SLEEPY that I just want to rest my head on my fluffy pillows 24/7.

Other than that, pregnancy was amazing! First trimester was good.

Except for the last one week before I entered second trimester.

Vomiting? Every morning, evening and night, yes.

Headache? One spoonful of it every evening, please.

Cravings? Not so much.

Allergic to certain smell or food? Nope. Nothing. Still surviving with any food.

Tired and sleepy? Lesser and lesser each day.

I was on week 17, my lower back pain started to occur. Was hospitalized and went through for physiotherapy for two weeks. I fell on my back, back in 2011, and somehow I fractured my coccyx (aka tail bone). The pain came back and said hello now, after 8 years, is because my pregnancy.

Well, throughout pregnancy, hormones affect a woman's muscles and joints. The hormones relaxin and progesterone relax muscles and loosen ligaments and joints, especially in the pelvic area. The extra weight and body changes in pregnancy along with these loosened joints and ligaments can cause discomfort and even lead to injury. As your uterus grows and becomes heavier, your center of gravity changes. This can lead to problems with balance and the potential for falls. The weight of your baby and weakening of belly muscles pulls your lower spine forward, adding strain to back muscles. Many women respond by leaning back in an awkward posture. This increases back strain and pain. (Link)

It is not normal to have this back pain early in your pregnancy, it should occur later in second trimester but it is a different case for me because of my previous injury. The pain comes early because the relaxin hormones is released that my muscles could not endure the pain that has been there for years.

Hence, intensive physio sessions.

I still need to apply AcuStop and Perskindol on my back until today and also to wear the pregnancy belt (yes, now as in first trimester). I have to apply hot pack and ice pack every day, twice a day to help ease on the pain.

My husband has been nothing but totally supportive and lovely as ever to help me get through this journey. I had to take sick leaves for bed rest and doctor keeps on giving me MC and ask me to rest.

My colleagues are very supportive and they help me get through my days by tackling some of my workload, which I truly appreciate. Thanks, guys.

At this point in life, despite this painful lower back, I am doing my best focusing on eating healthily for the baby, making sure that I did not miss the multivitamins that I have to take every night, think positively, listening to more Quran verses and also piano classical songs, read more and catching up on news, taking care of myself, try not to stress out so much especially with crazy traffics in KL.

I am doing my best to tackle everything at once. I need to practice this now as there is a new responsibility coming my way. A mother :)


Love, MA
x

I AM PREGNANT!

Being pregnant and knowing that you are pregnant are absolute no joke.

We certainly did not plan or expect this to happen but God knows best and He knows more than you do that you are ready for this next chapter in life.

Being born.

Growing up as a kid.

School.

Universities.

Graduated.

Job interviews.

Getting a new job.

Excited for having a long term relationship with someone who is finally serious with you and you also want him too.

Get engaged.

Being married.

Switching jobs.

And now, being PREGNANT.

God has a beautiful way to guide you through it all and here I am. With the weight of 59kg (previously I was 52kg before I got pregnant) and fluffier cheeks and fingers and toes, huge appetite, wanting to sleep all the time, back ache, vomiting and to have a husband who is extraordinarily nice even sometimes I got superbly moody (sometimes?), God is great.

Never in my life that I could be relaxing, lounging in my bedroom, on this king-sized bed, with Mozart/piano classical songs on Spotify running through my ears and perhaps my growing baby in this belly can hear it too, while blogging this, typing these words... that I am pregnant. With a smile on my face. Happy, motherly smile I would say.

How did I get the news? How did I find out that I am pregnant? Here I go...

I have been having this sore breasts for like a month now and I told my husband about it that he wanted to bring me to see a doctor for a checkup but I said no, every single time. Because I was in denial. I thought it was breast cancer or something. It hurts so bad that it grows and I can feel that it is tight and hard. But never in my mind I would think that it is one of the symptoms of pregnancy. I do not have a regular menstrual cycle so not having my period during that month was just a normal day for me.

A month goes by.

I was at work, it was almost lunch time. I called my husband and told him that I think I should go for a checkup because it hurts like hell. He picked me up from work, I asked for a time off and went to the clinic I usually go to. Told my doctor about it and she said, "I think we should go for a urine test." Still, I haven't had a single clue that I was pregnant. I thought it was something else.

Peed in a small jar. Passed it to the nurse.

5 minutes later. Doctor calls my name. Both husband and I entered the consultation room.

"You see these two lines???"

I looked at my husband, staring at him with my eyes wide open.

"No, doctor. What does these two lines means?". Because ladies and gentlemen, I have never done any pregnancy test before so I do not know what is that stick doing with lines.

"These two lines means, you are pregnant! Congratulations!"

My eyes were wide open, swear to God it looked like my eyeballs are gonna fall out. I looked at my husband again, then the doctor started to explain things, pills, vitamins, dieting, this and that but everything was blur for me. I kept looking at the stick with two lines.

"I'm pregnant? Seriously? There is an actual human being inside me right now?"

So the doctor started asking me when was my last period, I said I don't know because I never keep track on it, never really count the days and what not, never bothers about getting pregnant and all because I just thought that it won't happen to me, yet.

So, folic acid once a day.

Calcium and some multivitamins. Iron. Vitamin C and B3.

It was (& still is!) surreal knowing that I am pregnant.

Out from the clinic, my husband hugged me tightly, "We are going to be parents!"

I was still in shocked and I was laughing scarily, both laughing and crying at the same time. I asked my husband thousands of questions, "Do you think I can be a mom? Like a good mom? Like I mean, really good mom? Do you think I have what it takes?"

That is what I did when I freaked out. I tend to ask millions questions that I know I won't give them time to actually answer me. Those questions were meant for myself, that I just said it out loud.

Back in the office.

Immediately told my teammates because I freaked out. Of course with a smile on my face but... on the inside... it was more than just freaking out. Overwhelming. And I just couldn't remember how the rest of the day went. Maybe I fell asleep in my husband's arms or maybe I cried myself to sleep, I don't know. LOL!

Well, there you go.

A little bit of an introduction of my pregnancy journey.

Day one of knowing there is an actual person inside me.

Alhamdulillah. God is great.

I am truly blessed. No joke. X

2nd Wedding Anniversary

11 November 2017

Two years ago

Married to the most lovable man on Earth

I am blessed

Thank you for making me happier each and every day

Thank you for being the best husband one could ever have

Thank you

& I love you

x