One of the of greatest things about my experience with ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) is that I have become very in-tune with my body.  While away in New Zealand last November making plans for our move over, I started to notice a couple of symptoms that weren’t quite right. One being that I was just not loving the chocolate and I looooooooooooove chocolate, but I still continued to eat it!  Another was the fatigue that I started to feel, but I figured that I had been running around making arrangements and had been pretty busy, I probably just needed to rest.

After a couple of days the fatigue was still there but it wasn’t like ME/CFS. Straight away I suspected that I could be……. dare I say it……PREGNANT. I was barely a day or two late, sure enough my suspicion had been confirmed. Naturally I took a couple of  tests as I thought the first one was lying (you can never be too sure).

I have been open to the idea of possibly having little ones in the near future, but I’m not usually open to surprises! This surprise hit me pretty hard and left me feeling very overwhelmed. I was about to face a lot of change and even though health wise I felt amazing, I still felt that I needed to go just a little more to be where I wanted my health to be.

But life goes on and I guess this is my body saying it’s the right time!

This part is where I tell you about my not so glamorous pregnancy journey so far!

At first I  felt ok, a bit fatigued and a little nausea, I vomited once or twice until week 5. Week 5 I was up struggle street, throwing up every day, usually in the mornings but at no particular time. Sometimes it would be first thing in the morning, sometimes just before I started work or even just before lunch. Fatigue hit me like a bus it took me back to my days with ME/CFS were I struggled to do much. Aches and pains, it was like it was that time of month….what the?  I couldn’t stomach much and didn’t know what to try and eat, but I wanted to eat….every food I thought about seemed disgusting.

I would go to work feeling like a Zombie. I ended up using all of my sick leave and even cutting back hours because it was so much of a struggle. Thankfully I was finishing up at work within a few weeks and wouldn’t have to keep at it during the rest of my pregnancy.

We were in the process of moving and packing up our house, basically I was very limited with what I could do and manage.

By week 8, I was convinced I was going backwards with my health and was struggling with ME/CFS again. A few migraines were added into the mix, they always seem to pick the best times. Cheers hormones!

I also had a dating scan during week eight, we heard a heart beat….. holy shit there was life inside me. I got confirmation that I was only hosting one baby. Thankfully there were no more surprises.

Week 11, I made it onto the plane and moved to NZ. I had finally stopped throwing up every morning as well. Thank goodness, I didn’t want to be vomiting all over the person next to me on the plane.

Week 12, another scan, this time baby was happily moving around. It’s amazing experiencing and seeing first hand a human life form and grow.

Week 14, I felt very low and fatigued, I had been assured  it was just hormones or it was normal. I was tested to see if I was low in iron but that was ok.  I felt a lot like this when I had ME/CFS, it kept playing over in my mind, what if this is a set back. CRY, whats happening to me!!!

By week 15, I was convinced again that I was going backwards with my health, I was feeling awful, why was I not feeling that 2nd trimester amazingness yet!

Week 16, I felt an improvement from the previous week, fatigue was still an issue. Thankfully my love for chocolate had come back.

Week 17, I felt life inside me! A little jab just before dozing off to sleep, good on you little one! I also went to pregnancy yoga this week, it was good and relaxing on the body (but I definitely felt sore the next day).

Week 18, I started Uni this week and felt a bit more human! Whoohoo! It was also nice to be slowly working towards that goal.

Week 19, On a whim of feeling better I may have gone a little too overboard with the walks, because this week I have been feeling just a tad bit awful! Plus I think the little one might be growing up a storm in there.

That’s me so far with the pregnancy journey, I’m now about to head into week 20! Whoop Whoop Halfway!

What have I found to help….not much, I tried all those things like ginger, snacking on crackers, little things that people suggest to you but in all honesty the body was just not having it. I love walking and do regular stretching/ yoga daily so I would try and keep at it, but there were weeks were I struggled or was only able to manage a small walk.

I started to deal and manage with it how I did with ME/CFS, pace and manage. Do what you can when you can, but if the body says don’t push it, don’t push! Just dealing with each day as it comes, if you need to rest, rest. Your body will tell you what it needs, so the best thing to do is listen.

Since I’ve gotten to that half way mark, I’ve had a bit more energy but I’m still waiting on that amazing energised feeling. I’ve heard it’s a thing so can someone please hook me up!

 

Lennae xxx