Second trimester brings relief

For all of you women suffering through the first trimester of your pregnancy, hang in there. It gets better. A lot better.
I suppose I should warn you. Every woman’s different and I have heard stories of women who don’t feel well throughout their entire pregnancies. Usually, however, relief comes after those first 12 weeks.
My first trimester was filled with ups and downs. The excitement was overwhelming. But so was the fatigue. I daydreamed about taking naps, and did so whenever possible. After work, I headed right for the couch, where I remained for many nights. Bed time kept getting earlier and earlier.
And the hunger — it came on so suddenly and urgently. And if you don’t do something about it, that’s when “morning sickness” strikes. Let’s just say I’m glad Arby’s serves lunch by 10:30 a.m.
By the second trimester, though, things began to look up. My energy was back. I suddenly wanted to cook again after work and even run the vacuum occasionally.
And although eating is still never far from my mind, the intensity of my hunger has subsided, and so have the trips to Arby’s.
For me, this also was about the time I decided to share my secret with the rest of the world. Our families knew, but we had not yet told a lot of our friends or coworkers. This has to be one of the highlights of pregnancy. It really brings out something special in people. Especially other parents. Almost always they share some story they have about the birth of their child or parenthood in general, and sometimes you see a side of people you’ve never seen before.
Here are just a few of the comments I have heard lately:
Sally Rowe, our KPC librarian, shared with me that her adopted daughter was born six weeks early, leaving her and her husband to come up with her name in one night! Once they got her, Sally was so nervous about giving her a bath that she asked her friend to come over and do it for her. What a good friend.
Our Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly Publisher Rob Kaiser says that while living in Chicago, the city’s marathon was planned the week his wife was due. So, being the prepared expectant parents they were, they had an alternate route to the hospital mapped out. Luckily, Rob’s wife ended up going into labor before the marathon, so it wasn’t an issue. Unfortunately though, their gas tank was empty that day and they had to stop for a fill-up on the way to the hospital!
A word of wisdom that our Family editor, Grace Housholder, shared with me recently was something her mom told her. She said that Dr. Spock, known for writing the immensely popular baby care book “Baby and Child Care,” once said that “You have a pretty tough baby. … He can care for himself pretty well for a person who can’t say a word and knows nothing about the world.” With so much information out there on keeping your baby out of harm — and some of it contradictory — that sentence is very comforting.
So ladies, I hope that your second trimester is as good as mine. And for now, remember, Arby’s serves lunch by 10:30 a.m.