We have a heart beat, and I am fully out to the world as a pregnant woman. In other news, today is the start of my second trimester. My pregnancy books conflict and say the first trimester ends at 12, 13, or 14 weeks. I choose to believe the first trimester ends at 12 weeks.
Until today, I’ve done well with avoiding stress. Even before we were trying to conceive, I began nixing commitments and situations that stress me out. Without going into too much detail, today was the day before the 40-page newsletter I edit goes to the printer. It’s usually a stressful time, but this time has been extra special, with requested changes and additional articles from the executive director coming in at 3:30pm the day before print.
Under normal circumstances, I would have sucked it up, skipped the gym, and stayed late. But as a pregnant woman, I know that whatever my body goes through, my baby goes through. At just 12 weeks old, my baby had enough with 8 hours of work intense enough to make me forget my ravenous appetite. I heard my baby loud and clear, “Let it go, Mom.”
I left at 5:30, did a moderate cardio session, and picked up pizza (a healthy version) on my way home to give myself the night off from cooking. I intended to listen to music and knit once I got home, but here I sit blogging, watching junk TV, and eating tortilla chips to stave off my appetite until the pizza is ready. Overall, I think I’ve done an average job at handling my stressful day.
My goal for tomorrow is to not react when things don’t go the way I anticipate. Every time I catch myself reacting, I’ll pause, remember my baby, and begin again.
The Preconceptionist 
Good for you!!! It’s so easy to throw the concept of “work/life balance” out the window when the only person affected by your actions is you. But obviously that’s not the case anymore! Ideally we would all have that kind of healthy perspective regardless of pregnancy, but there’s no time like the present to prioritize and take care of yourself. You may even find that because you’ve made time for yourself, you’ll be better equipped to calmly handle the unexpected things that come up during the day.
I have been faithfully hitting the gym at lunchtime and clocking out at 6PM every day, whether things are super busy or not (as opposed to my usual habit of leaving “whenever I finish what I’m working on,” which is sometimes as late as 9, 10, 11PM). Miraculously, the world hasn’t ended, my work still gets done on time, and nobody is any worse off. I should have started doing this years ago! It’s really nice to eat dinner at 7:30 and be in bed by 9.
P.S. I am just realizing, you and I must have the same (or very similar) due dates… April 20? Because I just finished week 12 yesterday, too. Go us!
Yes, April 20 for me, too! I’m hoping to carry my new healthy habits into my post-pregnancy life, too. It’s really much better, isn’t it?
Pingback: Tweets that mention Baby No Like Stress | The Preconceptionist -- Topsy.com