The Trouble With Travel In The 1st Trimester
The worst part of the first trimester isn’t the nausea, vomiting, exhaustion, headaches, bloating and food aversions. It is not being able to tell anyone why you are so spending so much time in the bathroom, can’t stay awake to go out for dinner and are generally very grumpy….Or at least that was my experience this time around. It was a very dark time for me, if I’m honest. My physical downfall (I gained 10lbs in a month) began to take a toll on my mental wellbeing and my performance as a writer and a mother. The Trouble With Travel In The 1st Trimester
I felt ugly. I felt fat. Together with the insecurity of the pregnancy itself and the inability to feel as thought I could ask for help, a dark cloud hung formed over me and I just couldn’t escape.
It was hard being able to make sure I was looking after my son and giving him everything he needed while also trying to look after myself.
I felt sad, unmotivated and unable to keep myself together. As a mother, travel writer and blogger traveling with a toddler that doesn’t sleep and loves to run, I felt like I couldn’t be my best self in any facet in my life. I struggled with how to I give my everything on a press trip (as I like to give a destination and my audiences) if I couldn’t pull everything together for day to day.
My reactions were off:
Meals – Less ‘hit and miss’ and mostly ‘miss’ – (it’s not you, it’s me)
Beaches- Sand and sea are itchy and uncomfortable, and nausea means that I can’t lie in the sun.
Activities – I’m feigning energy and interest. My patience thin.
But feeling like this also raised some questions which I think are relevant throughout my career, pregnant or not:
Do I see cracks because my tolerance is lower? Are those cracks actually there?
My regular positive persona becomes negative and critical, but does that help create a better review?
I don’t know the answer to these questions yet but something to muse. Now that I am feeling more like myself, I am feeling more confident in my role as both travel writer and parent to my son. As the pregnancy rolls on, I still feel tired, emotional and perhaps not as enthusiastic as my pre-pregnancy self but the metaphorical weight of the first trimester has passed. But this, the first trimester blues, is not an experience exclusive to me. So many women feel this way at many points during pregnancy and often after giving birth. While emotions go up and down throughout a pregnancy and into motherhood (more about that to come), I am grateful that I do get to be pregnant and I do get to be a Mum. This trouble with travel (and work) in the first trimester is yet another adventure as a traveler that can only help me further curate travel for my audiences and capture relatable experiences.
While I love travelling while pregnant, I think I prefer adventures that happen after the 1st trimester.
The Trouble With Travel In The 1st Trimester