For some, finding out you're pregnant feels like falling in love for the first time. It’s an elation that you simply cannot imagine until you’ve experienced it yourself. For a few brief weeks, time seems to slow down just long enough for you to revel in the reality that your body is growing and sustaining another life. This is arguably one of many reasons why the first trimester is actually the best trimester, even though it can come with some nasty nausea and some relentless exhaustion and some horrific hormones. When you realize the first trimester is really your body at the beginning stages of (and still preparing for) something as amazing as pregnancy, labor and delivery, well, it can be tough to hate it entirely.
I definitely don't want to downplay how rough the first trimester can be. So many women start experiencing morning (read: all day) sickness and they're stressed about the new life change and their hormones are little hellions and their breasts are painfully tender. Still, other women find the first trimester to be their favorite trimester. Your body is starting to change but it's not too different that you don't feel at home in it; you're getting to tell people the news for the first time, which can be super exciting; you might be experiencing that "pregnancy glow" that I'm still not entirely sure is just sweat, but still, it's awesome. Basically, like every other part of pregnancy and motherhood, you take the good with the bad and, well, there's a lot of good in the first trimester.
Of course, no two pregnancies are exactly alike and for some people the first trimester is actually the absolute worst thing in the world but, for me and many others, it's freakin' awesome. Here are just a few reasons why:
It's Just So Damn Exciting
You've got the best secret and you're dying to tell your family, friends, any and all cashiers, the mailman, your high school chemistry teacher, your many distant cousins and all casual acquaintances on Facebook.
You Still Fit Into Your "Regular" Clothes
Sure, you're probably on bump watch 24/7 right now, hoping to see even the slightest sign of your pregnancy, but that tune might change when you're in your final trimester and feeling, well, different. This is the last time your jeans are going to button for a while, so enjoy the view of your feet while you still can.
You're Boobs Are Amazing
Yeah, it definitely hurts to touch them or even look at them (some days) but your girls will be giving gravity the finger for the next several weeks. Enjoy it while it lasts, because gravity is also a spiteful bitch and she might come back to haunt you postpartum.
You Can Still Snooze On Your Stomach
You probably didn't consider "sleeping on my stomach" to be a luxury, but by the time you hit your third trimester you will be dreaming about the day when you can roll over onto your belly (or plank) again safely.
You're Getting The Most Amazing Sleep Of Your Life
The first trimester is usually riddled with exhaustion, but that also means that the sleep you're having is out-of-this-world amazing. We're talking complete, sublime unconsciousness. It's awesome, and it's definitely not forever.
You Can Justify Buying Baby Clothes/Toys/More Clothes
Not that you needed another excuse to aimlessly wander the aisles of Target anyway, but now you have a legitimate need to be there. You can spend hours there and chock it up to "research," plus their baby stuff is absolute perfection.
You've Got Plenty Of Reading Material
From the baby books to the daily updates on what size fruit your child is at eight weeks, you've got plenty of information to absorb before your little nugget arrives. At first it all seems so exciting and informative, but by the time you reach the labor and delivery section, the anticipation quickly turns to nausea (or maybe not because, hey, labor and delivery isn't "gross" and absolutely nothing to be afraid of).
You're Super Optimistic About The World And The Future
Maybe it's all those crazy hormones that have you feeling so sentimental and hopeful, but the world just feels better when you're in your first trimester. You don't normally hug your waitress, but suddenly you've got a new appreciation for life and loved ones and you find yourself fighting the urge to hug strangers for an inappropriately long amount of time.
You Will Hear Something That Will Make You Immediately Fall In Love
You will never forget the moment you hear your baby's heartbeat for the first time. Sure your baby looks likes an alien peanut, but as soon as you've heard that undeniable "thump thump" that is your baby's heartbeat, that peanut becomes your peanut. You'll be hard-pressed to find anything that beats that moment.
