I’ll officially be 6 weeks next Tuesday. That isn’t that far along, but it doesn’t mean the hormones aren’t raging any less. As a matter of fact, during the first trimester, your hormones are rapidly elevating and then begin to balance out once you reach the second trimester. This rapid elevation of hormones is causing me to be extremely irritable. I don’t remember feeling this way when I was pregnant with Alston. Maybe its a girl?

Yesterday, I took the day off because I woke up with a stuffy head, a terrible sore throat and a squishy sound in my ears. I went ahead and made an appointment because I didn’t want it to get out of hand. Being sick is not fun when you’re not pregnant, but its especially troublesome when you are.

In a folder I received at my first appointment to my OB is a special section on taking medications during pregnancy. Technically, they want you to avoid all medications if possible, especially during the first trimester when babies are most affected by them. I just read that during the 5th week of pregnancy, the chambers of the heart are forming, along with the brain and spinal cord. (This process is called Organogenisis. That’s what I learned yesterday.) That fact is enough to scare me away from even taking Tylenol. However, Tylenol and Suddafed weren’t going to cut it, and a high fever during pregnancy is much more dangerous.
So I made my appointment and was sure to tell my general practitioner that I was 5 weeks pregnant. He assured me that what he was prescribing was safe during the first trimester, but I still went away with uneasy feelings. I’m taking the medication, but I don’t feel any less apprehensive about it. Especially since the label reads: May cause diarrhea. Diarrhea may last weeks or months after taking this medication. Hmmm.

So on top of my normal pregnancy symptoms of fatigue and irritabillity, I’m sick. This make me very grumpy and I don’t even realize how surrly I’m being. That is, until my two-year-old points it out. While trying to get him to use the potty, and asking. “Are you gonna’ go or not?” He looks up at me and says, “Momma be happy.” Geesh! It melted my heart. I smiled and said, “I’m sorry, Alston.” To which he replied, “Its okay, Momma.”

So I’ve rounded up a list of ways to help with irritability during pregnancy, and have high hopes that it will deminish in a few weeks. (Read on if you’re interested. If not, it won’t hurt my feelings.)

1. Avoid irritability triggers.
Mine are usually over something stupid, so this doesn’t really apply to me. However, I have found that taking a deep breath and a ste pback makes me realize I’m being silly.

2. Get enough rest.
I’ve been going to bed as soon as I feel tired. We’ve also been working on getting Alston to stay in his bed all night. For some reason, he’s been sneaking into our room in the middle of the night. Last night he was really fighting going to sleep in his own bed and we turned off the tv in our room, hoping the quiet would settle him down. I apparently fell asleep immediately. He didn’t wake up until around 6:00. I think it worked.

3. Take a prenatal vitamin.

I have a yummy over the counter chewable that I’ve been taking since we started trying to get pregant. They’re sour gummies, so it makes it enjoyable to take them every morning.


4. Eat well.
I’ve made a huge effort to be sure to eat well during this pregnancy. I gained way too much weight with Alston and did not like trying to get it all off afterward. Its very important to me and I’ve been managing my sweet cravings very well. However, from what I’ve gathered most pregnancy cravings are your body’s way of telling you it needs something. I’ve been craving green leafy veggies, like brussles sprouts, so I’m guessing I needed some vitamin A & C, folacin, potassium, calcium, and/or fiber. Brussels sprouts have all of these.

5. Excercise.
Patrick and I have really got to get on this one. We’ve been planning on starting an excercise routine, but haven’t quite gotten it together yet. Excercise is a stress reliever so I have no doubt this would help tremendously. My doctor recommended I walk no less than 1 hour per day.

Just writing about being irritable has made me feel better. I guess these support group people got it right: the first step to recovery is admitting htat you have a problem.

Thanks for being my support group. 🙂