Week 11: First tri symptoms

Compared to many of my friends’ experiences, my pregnancies are super easy. So I really can’t complain. … Kidding, of course I can complain! I have had the good fortune to reach 11 weeks without once overturning my stomach’s contents, but I have had some other obstacles thrown my way. Here are a few that stand out the most:
1. Body aches. I ran three short races in October. When I ran the third, a local Dia de los Muertos 5K with my husband, I noticed a couple of changes taking place. It was only 3 miles, but it felt so long and hard! I managed to win first place for my age group (my award is pictured—I was so excited!), but by the end of the race my hips were aching. I rounded out the day by taking my daughter to see a live performance of “The Addams Family,” and the combination of running and then sitting in a chair for three hours had my hips hurting like never before.
Ache No. 2 is in my lower back. The hip pain makes some sense because I know relaxin makes the hips loosen and separate, but the lower back issue is a bit more mysterious. My lower vertebrae are just stiff, so I’m a lot less flexible when I stretch. Some workout movements aggravate the soreness—especially dead lifts and the rowing machine.
2. Fatigue. With each pregnancy, I seem to get more tired. Could it be because I have more and more kids to take care of on the side? Or maybe I’m just getting old. When I was 24 and pregnant, I hardly noticed a difference in my energy. Now I could seriously use a nap every day, and I try to get one in whenever I can. Some days are better than others. Because I also have hypothyroidism, it’s hard to see exactly where thyroid-tired ends and pregnancy-tired begins. But I definitely feel better when I sleep well at night and eat healthy foods (for me, with the thyroid issue, that means refusing refined sugar and going light on wheat and dairy—Thanksgiving was a killer).
3. Digestion. Anyone else have a hard time going to the bathroom while pregnant?? I Googled it, and it looks like progesterone is the culprit. I can’t stand the bloating that comes with messed up digestion. Yuck. I’ve stopped drinking protein powder shakes because they seemed to make the situation worse. Staying active, drinking water, and eating fruits and veggies helps, but hey, sometimes I’d rather eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and go back to bed!
4. Complexion. I won’t go into this one too much, but I’ve always had issues with my skin, and during pregnancy the hormones cause more intense acne flare-ups than ever. The “glow” isn’t something I can say I’ve experienced in a positive way. However, there is an upside. Now that the weather is in the 20s here in Utah, I would normally expect peeling, chapped lips, but with the extra oil in my skin, my kisser is doing OK!