What to Expect During The 1st Trimester

This is my experience with the first trimester. Your experience may be different, or there may be similarities. Whatever your experience is, it’s completely normal. 

Blood sugars: it’s normal to experience more lows in the initial stages of 1st trimester (be mindful, have low snacks on hand, glucagon is not a bad idea). BG will eventually start to creep up. Be prepared to make consistent changes and work with your medical team to ensure you stay stable and feel good.

Cravings: you may experience cravings. In the beginning, I craved random foods from childhood. And I craved SALT. So much salt. 

Nausea: I was so nauseous in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. It started around week 6, and it was all day long and got stronger at night. Really trying to stay hydrated was important because even water made me want to puke. I couldn’t do electrolytes because most of them were sweet. Sweets made me want to throw up and so did protein foods, especially chicken. YUCK. I will say, it was a challenge treating lows for this reason.

Gyno Apps: I saw my gyro shortly after finding out I was pregnant, around 6 weeks, and had a transvaginal ultrasound. 

Then, at 10 weeks I had another appointment, which included another ultrasound (this time it was a stomach one), and blood work for the NIPT test which tells you the sex of the baby (if you want to know) as well as any chromosomal abnormalities like down syndrome and trisomy 18. Then, another appointment at 16 weeks (usually it was 12-weeks, but because my medical team is in California and I am in Costa Rica, I tried to push it out as far as I could). Each time peeing in a cup and almost always accompanied by blood work.

Endo Apps: I got my blood work done as soon as I found out I was pregnant to get my A1C and lipid panel done. Then, because my end doesn’t specialize in high-risk pregnancy, she referred me to two of her team members who I work with weekly (well, it’s supposed to be weekly but they are really there when I need them and I typically make adjustments on my own and reach out to them when I find my blood sugars are sliding off and changes need to be made).

I like it because together, we work as a TEAM. Whether I make adjustments and reach out for feedback, or they make adjustments for me. And, that is really what it comes down to in my opinion, having a team to work with you every step of the way. You’ll probably find that you have weekly check-ins with your team, and as you get later into pregnancy they might be more often.

1st Tri in a nutshell:

Physical: felt bloated af, gassy, nauseous af, just gross. Had some mild cravings.

Mental: not good. Felt super depressed.

Emotional: not good. Felt super depressed. I was also super bitchy and on edge. Like major moody.

Summary: 

You may experience similar feelings or the complete opposite. Every pregnancy is different and everything that accompanies it, whether it’s feelings of depression or excitement, is completely normal and valid. There might even be some added stress because life with diabetes is stressful enough. And now, on top of managing diabetes, you have to be even MORE meticulous with your blood sugar goals, which isn’t always the easiest thing. Not only that, your hormones are in flux.

And, to top off all your extra gyro apps, you also have to make the time to meet with your medical team weekly, at least through email to go over your blood sugars and make adjustments. If you thought diabetes was a full-time job before, it became even more work. But you’ve got this, mama! And trust me, the second trimester will feel so much better once you get through this phase. And trust me, you will. 

Have you experienced the 1st trimester before? Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!