I was tempted to write, “I am here,” and that be the extent of this post. But, I am feeling more myself and thought surely I could muster something better than that.
For starters, I cooked my own breakfast several days last week. I had been asking my son to make up my breakfast for me because getting out of bed first thing in the morning was proving difficult (and he’s a super good cook!). I’m still not back to cooking regularly for everyone (thank you, Lord, for big kids!), but I can tell I’m getting closer.
I found some maternity clothes at a thrift store, but purchased them without trying them on because I was in a hurry. Did you know maternity clothes these days are snug and thin. Not my style, so they were all a no-go. HOWEVER, I did get a maternity skirt from Deborah & Co that is PERFECT! So, a little story…
For quite some time, the Rainbow Denim Skirt Deborah & Co used to carry has been my favorite skirt (you’ll often see me wearing it at homeschool conventions 😉 ). I even had a complete stranger come up to me in a store and say, “If I could find a denim skirt like that one, I’d wear it all the time!” It is so flattering and beautiful! But, the company Deborah & Co bought from quit manufacturing it. However, after a lot of hard work, Deborah & Co is manufacturing it themselves! AND I now own the maternity version!
OK, so that was a really long story to tell you that while I didn’t score so well at the thrift store, I do have a maternity skirt I love!
One last thing about this week. I had a major lapse in sickness after not taking any form of magnesium on a trip Ty and I took (remember last week where I said I was in a 1st trimester fog?). I worked really hard to get back on top of it, but mentally I still felt awful. I was in a major funk that I couldn’t seem to get out of. I talked to a friend who told me in addition to the magnesium, she had to take B vitamins too. B vitamins are important for a lot of reasons, and I remembered that B deficiencies contribute to my pregnancy anemia. All of these things easily lead to mental fogginess.
So, my new daily regimen includes 2 Sour Gummy Flintstone Vitamins (cheesy, but perfectly acceptable), 1 Super B Complex (these are tiny enough to not make me gag), magnesium lotion, and a 20 minute soak in Epsom Salts (I prefer plain salts so I don’t have to worry about certain smells bothering me).
The results are enough to keep me going. I feel much better. But, I’m going to be completely honest. The first trimester for me is NEVER a breeze, nor do I expect it to be. I keep praying for more and more of these “better” days. I know for many people 12 weeks is the mark where that happens, but for me there are usually a few more weeks of iffiness. A few more weeks of me just not feeling like a human being.
Logically, I know I’ll get there. Sometimes I’m not real logical. But this is where faith meets real life. Do I trust the Lord? Do I believe He’s on the other side of this with plan and purpose already laid out? Am I letting Him be my strength? I’m pretty helpless, but perhaps that’s exactly where I’m supposed to be.
But he said to me, €œMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.€ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
Amy Sparks says
I’m so glad you are feeling better!
Kelsey says
First of all, I’m REALLLLLY looking forward to having big kids someday! 😉
Secondly, they have smaller B vitamins somewhere?!?! I have given up on our B vit horse pills because (for something that was supposed to make me feel less nauseated), they always triggered the loss of breakfast for me. 🙁
I’m 10 weeks now and still in the midst of the hard days. Usually it’s about 14 weeks when I start feeling like myself again. I’m trying to be grateful for every moment, but I’m looking forward to July already.
Amy says
The ones I linked to are not big at all! Got them at WalMart, I believe. I do have to eat plenty with them, though. I always eat a little and then take the pill and eat some more. 😉
Michele says
Praying that you feel better soon, Amy, and can start to enjoy this exciting time! Blessings!
sarah says
Hi Amy. You sound so good. Last pregnancy you could barely post the first trimester and was so sick you moved into your parents for help. You are doing really well. :). I am not pregnant, but you and I take similar vitamins, and my pregnancies were a lot like yours. I take the same as you, except I take 30 mg of zinc. That seemed to be the missing vitamin for me that pulled everything together. Just thought I would mention it, in case it could help you. I know you don’t feel that great, but I am so proud of you and really, from my view point, it looks like things are going much better. 🙂
Amy says
It’s difficult for me to judge if I’m better, but I think I am. 🙂
Jillian says
I laughed out loud about the Flintstone vitamins. My husband buys me Gummy Vites because he knows that’s the only way I’ll actually take them. 😉
Amy says
LOL – see, I knew we were sisters!
Jamie says
Do you prefer the Red Tea or Lavender Magnesium Lotion?
Amy says
She didn’t have the Red Tea when I ordered, so I ordered Calendula (which it looks like she no longer carries). I’m not real fond of the smell of lavender, so I would probably choose Red Tea. 😉
Jamie says
Thank you for your reply 🙂 I want to try Mg for my headaches, but I’m afraid the smell will make it worse. I’ll try the Red Tea 🙂
Jen says
I am definitely going to try the B and Magnesium! I am in that funk and last time it lasted until about week 19! I need to break out of it sooner than that.
Lara says
The first half of pregnancy for me is so hard. I always hoped that I’d have just one of those fabled pregnancies where there is no morning sickness, no aches, no pains, but that obviously was not in the cards for me. I also would take the sour Flintstones gummy vitamins. I didn’t need the iron in the prenatal vitamins, and the iron would make my all day and night sickness so much worse. I wish the natural methods would work for me, and I only heard about magnesium after my last one was born last summer. Given we are now done having children, I won’t be able to test it. I had to use prescription meds, and even those were hit or miss, not to mention that the side effect could trigger the very thing I was trying to avoid.
Amy says
The prescriptions never worked for me. I had hoped, but no such luck.
Lauren Mc says
Wow! Where have I been?!?!? I just saw you are pregnant again! Congrats! We were pregnant at the same time and you had your son right before I had my daughter. It was an amazing journey to have followed you during that time. I am not online much anymore but I am super excited that you are expecting! Praises Jesus for the blessings! 🙂 May you have a great pregnancy from here on out…. ick to first trimester… God Bless
Amy says
Thank you, Lauren! 🙂
Tina says
I was thinking of you tonight….missing you. I thought I would stop in to see what you have been up to and find out you are 12 weeks pregnant! Of course, I smiled at that ;). We are in this together….again. I am at the 9 week mark and found my heart uplifted reading your recent pregnancy posts, dear friend. I am trying to survive and stay focused on the big picture right now! I also found a confirmation reAding here. I was so desperate trying to find something to help my excessive vomiting (trying to avoid a hospital this time around). I started taking b6 with a certain amino acid combination. I also started taking magnesium (liquid…YUCK!!!!). Suddenly the vomiting stopped and my nausea moved to where I feel like. I can somewhat COPE now. I kept wondering if it was the magnesium but now I know for SURE! And I could relate to the brain fog…..sickness in pregnancy turns a switch off in my brain and it is a literal time of praying and trusting The Lord to get me to the other side!!!! Anyways…..CONGRATULATIONS Amy. You are in my prayers! Write me……let’s skype or something when we are out of this :).. Love you! ~Tina E.
Amy @ Finer Things says
“Logically, I know I’ll get there. Sometimes I’m not real logical. But this is where faith meets real life. Do I trust the Lord? Do I believe He’s on the other side of this with plan and purpose already laid out? Am I letting Him be my strength? I’m pretty helpless, but perhaps that’s exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
THAT is where I feel I’m right now. 34 weeks. Looking at another 3-5, and kinda sorta hoping for 4-6. Dreading my water breaking early (4 out of 5). Dreading horrific back labor with no cushion (3 out of 5). Pretty Meh about my home not being in order like I want it to be. But in the end? Giving it to the Lord, because I’ve been there, done this 5 times already, and well aware it’s best left to him. 😉
Amy says
((HUGS)) All I can say is, I understand. Not exactly what you go through (haven’t delivered early on my own – and was actually super jealous when you went into labor in 2010 before me!), but there are so many emotions wrapped up in pregnancy and it requires a ton of trust in God. Looking forward to your announcement!
Amber says
Hi Amy! Just wondering if Deborah & Co have any coupon codes available that you know of?? I really love the rainbow maternity skirt! This is my sixth pregnancy and all of my maternity skirts have about had it. By the way… I love my big kids too! I ordered the lavender magnesium lotion from real traditions and love it except I can’t hardly stand coconut smells this time around, so I get my bigs to rub it on my feet! It is wonderful!! They are such awesome kids!! I try to do little things to reward them here and there for helping me out so much. My two oldest are at Bible camp this week and I miss them soooo much, but I know they’re having fun. Love your website!
Amy says
I’m going to try to get my hands on a coupon code as soon as I can and post it!
SaraA says
Hi Amy, I am looking to order some of the lavender magnesium oil lotion, and was wondering if you happened to find a coupon code for that? Thanks so much!! 🙂
Amy says
No, I don’t think there are any coupon codes for it.
Samantha Hatcher says
Praying for you, sweet friend, as one who is right there with you. I’m also thankful for my big kids who will happily cook instead of seeing their mama turn green. I’ve found that fresh fruit, salads and smoothies are just about all I can eat. I hope it gets better soon.
Mrs. Cliff says
I am so glad you are doing weekly pregnancy updates! Big kids are such a blessing :).
My last 2 it was 16 weeks before I started feeling well enough to eat right again. This was a few weeks earlier :). I have taken New Chapter Prenatal vitamins for at least 10 years now, they are pretty much daily routine 🙂 and I take their Cal/Mag at night. I have not touched Flinstones since I threw up after eating one when I was 12.. I used to love them. I do take gummy fibers though.
You look great! Glad to hear your feeling better too. The rainbow skirt is one of my favorites too :).
Praying for you and baby :).
Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays says
You know, I once had a doctor tell me to freeze my prenatal vitamins to help keep from getting sick. It seemed to work for me, even if it was just power of suggestion! 😉
Kim says
At least maybe it will be some consolation that being sick is usually a sign of a good, strongly attached pregnancy. Plenty of hormones circulating around.
Andrea says
So glad I read this post. 8 weeks and in the extreme throws of nausea 24/7. And yes, Amen, Thank You Lord that I have some big kids. Cooking is out of the question. Smells send me into the depths of despair. I am so weak, in every aspect you can imagine. But we lost our last two babies and I never felt sick one time with either pregnancy. So I am happy to “feel” pregnant. We have seen the baby and his/her strong heartbeat (again, Thank You Lord). I just simply don’t know how to function. Doing the vitamins and B-6. Going to look into Magnesium. Lotion instead of a pill? Hmmmm. Thank you for posting.
Abi says
Magnesium? Does that help with nausea? I am usually sick till like 19 or 20 wks with mine. B complex really helps my energy and brain fog also. And I feel like Omega 3 really helps my mood and brain too:)