Morning sickness
Unfortunately, morning sickness is a very common complaint in early pregnancy. Many of us experience nausea and vomiting, especially in the first trimester. Mum’s told us it didn’t matter whether it was their first or subsequent pregnancies, morning sickness isn’t picky.
You may have heard that if you have morning sickness all day, it's a girl. This myth might have some truth to it. Studies have found that women with a severe form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum are more likely to give birth to girls, but I imagine many of the women I care for would challenge that!
Feeling nauseous and vomiting can strike at any time of the day too – so don’t be fooled by the term ‘morning sickness’.
Thankfully, it does seem to ease off and go away for most women after the first trimester.
Tiredness
Feeling tired can be something of a shock to women during the first trimester of pregnancy.
The sense of tiredness can be quite overwhelming, and many women find themselves needing to take naps or go to bed much earlier than they did before they fell pregnant.
Again, this one often passes after the first trimester but it can hit again as you approach your due date.
Food
This one is twofold – some women find themselves drawn to food they never enjoyed previously, for me I craved anything sweet!
Some women told us that vegemite became their best friend during the first trimester. For others, it was more about odd combinations of food.
A common craving that I have heard from women I care for is hot chips and ice cream, yes together!
The strangest I was ever told was a woman who used to suck chicken and beef stock cubes, like lollies!!
The flip side of this is food aversions. Some women reported completely avoiding yoghurt during pregnancy as it was no longer enjoyable for them. For me it was coffee during the first trimester.
Women have very different experiences around this, some food cravings and aversions passed after the first trimester and some lingered right through the pregnancy and even until after the birth.
