This baby was Very Planned so I knew I was pregnant before I got a positive test. I tested a week before my missed period and it was negative (of course), and then 4 days before and it was positive.
I started feeling a bit nauseous at around 6 weeks and began taking Zofran that I had leftover from my last pregnancy, but I only had 2 weeks' worth if I took 4 mg a day. This was fine in the beginning, but by 7.5 weeks it became pretty debilitating. On Easter day, I ditched my plans to make a semi-special dinner and went to bed around 4pm. I stayed there for the next 3 months, almost quite literally, only coming down about 2-3 times during those months.
I had to fight for Zofran from the midwifery group I chose, but luckily they finally agreed to prescribe it to me and I was able to get some with only 2 tablets to spare. John rushed to the drug store that very day to pick up my prescription and a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders, knowing I wouldn't have to suffer like I did when I was pregnant with Chase.
Hyperemesis Gravidarum
As soon as the nausea kicked in, so did all the lovely symptoms that come with HG: hypersalivation, overactive sense of smell, terribly sensitive gag reflex. My gag reflex and sense of smell were worse than it was during my last HG pregnancy. When I was pregnant with Chase, it was only synthetic smells from soaps and detergents, and the occasional random people/outside/house smells that made me sick; I could still stomach the smell of food, chemical smells like bleach and natural smells like lavender. This time it was all smells: food, essential oils, my bed, my kids' hair, the outdoors. Food was probably the worst because every time John would start to cook, I could tell. No matter what food it was, even if it was something I craved, it made me feel sick. Perhaps the only thing that didn't bother me was mild fruit smells, like the fruit cups I ate several times a day.
Even though the Zofran helped somewhat and I was able to use different techniques to stop my body from vomiting when it tried to, I was still miserable. I need to not forget this. There were several times when the thought I can never have another baby after this, I cannot do this again, came to mind, but even now just a month later, I think, it didn't last that long! I could do it again! The reality is it was life-altering and the only way we made it through is because of the quarantine; John's time away from work perfectly coincided with my sickness. He was able to take care of everything while I stayed in bed for weeks, just sleeping, occasionally eating, and constantly trying not to throw up. Plus, I didn't have any super small toddlers or babies to take care of; all our kids are older and independent for the most part (though Chase has had a difficult time with all the changes, poor thing). Despite not throwing up, I still lost 12 lbs, which I then gained back quickly between 15 and 18 weeks!
I did start to experience some heartburn at around 14 weeks if I remember right, but this was mostly controlled by eating very small meals, not drinking too many liquids, and not forcing myself to eat anything I had an aversion to.
Food Aversions
There wasn't a lot I wanted to eat those few weeks. I bought a ton of easy frozen meals, only to find they made me feel pretty awful and became triggering after a few days. I had an aversion to beef, but chicken and seafood were okay. One of the best meals John made was spaghetti with chicken and marinara... OMG. It was like heaven to me! I don't know why, but my tummy loved everything about it. Besides that, I mostly wanted very bland foods, like rice, corn, and potatoes, and lots and lots of fruit! I have been craving all the fruits! I ate so many peach cups, tangerine cups, and mixed fruit cups in those weeks. I ate a lot of Raman noodles too, and I'll probably be okay if I never eat them again in my life.
Insomnia
As usual, I was affected by insomnia. I was SO TIRED during the day - I don't recall ever being so fatigued during my first trimester. I slept a lot when I was pregnant with River, but this was next level. I felt like a cat! I'm pretty sure I slept 12-14+ hours a day. Feeling so sick, there was little else I wanted to do. Often I was too sick to even watch TV or be on my phone.
But every morning around 4am, I'd wake up and be unable to fall asleep for a couple hours. Finally, around 6 or 7 when the spring sun would come up and the birds would start their yapping, I'd get super sleepy again and fall asleep until noon or so. I was out again by 9 or 10 most nights, with the occasional mid-afternoon nap.
Other symptoms
I didn't have any aches and pains because I was in bed all the time and only walked to the bathroom and to tuck my kids in bed at night. And I didn't notice any crazy first trimester emotions either. I was in a pretty steady place of resigned acceptance for the most part. I did have a few bouts of loneliness and what felt like depression, but those were fleeting.
