First Trimester Myths

By Sarah E. Miduski

You walk into your bedroom and begin pacing. You nervously chew on your fingernails. Never has five minutes lasted so long. The second the time is up, you rush to the bathroom and stare in slight disbelief at two pink lines.

You are officially in your first trimester and joy mixes with fear as you try to remember everything you have ever been told. No doubt you will have many preconceptions, which turn out to be misconceptions, about your brand new conception. The most common are likely to be…

Morning Sickness

Probably the most common myths during the first trimester involve morning sickness.

New mom, Jennifer Stark, of Gibbsboro, states, “I never threw up, but I had all day nausea.” Stark thought morning sickness would be more like having the flu, but after experiencing it, she said it felt more like being seasick.
The term morning sickness was a bit misleading, giving Tiffany Jay, of Erial, the impression that you wake up in the morning, delicately throw up between brushing your teeth and putting on your shoes and then go on to enjoy the rest of your day nausea-free. Jay laments, “Morning sickness was not MORNING sickness; it was ALL DAY sickness. How disappointing!”

Stacey Ferrigno, of Williamstown, states, “I never got morning sickness.” Ferrigno explains she was anxiously waiting for the dreaded morning sickness to strike, only to discover she escaped it entirely.

Eating for Two

Carla Nelson of Voorhees says, “I had always been really heath conscious.” As soon as Nelson found out she was pregnant however, she saw it as her green light to eat whatever she wanted. After all, she was eating for two now. Nelson was unhappy at the end of her first trimester, when she was chastised by her doctor for gaining too much weight too soon.

Many doctors agree the average weight gain in the first trimester should be small, only about four pounds. You still need to watch what you eat when pregnant and, if you are hungry, make sure to eat more healthy foods.

Joy and Happiness

Although common, many moms thought they were the only ones who did not feel overjoyed once they found out they were pregnant. This can be true, even for women who have been actively trying to conceive. Many women express overwhelming feelings of fear and hopelessness.

During her first trimester, one mom stated that, while lying in bed, she began to cry and told her husband that she had changed her mind about having a baby. She just could not cope with what a huge life changing situation being a mother was going to be.

She thought she would be eternally happy the moment she found out she was expecting, and the constant flow of negative emotions was upsetting for both mom and expecting dad.

Fortunately, most moms say that as the pregnancy progresses, these feelings lessen in intensity (although they still linger) and they are more relaxed and able to enjoy the anticipation of their new arrival.

Of course, if intense negative feelings become persistent and begin to interfere with your normal routine, you may want to talk to your doctor, as you could be experiencing a more serious form of depression.

Finally, all moms agree you should listen to your doctor and your body, and take whatever anyone else tells you with a grain of salt.