So...What's It Like?
>> Tuesday, February 23, 2010
I'm only twelve weeks along, so I think only the most astute eye could tell that I'm pregnant. But I certainly feel pregnant.
I think what has surprised me the most so far is this sense that I've been here before. Early pregnancy feels a lot like my first (and only) really big, scary lupus flare-up. Not in terms of fevers and joint pain, because thankfully I don't have those. But, in terms of the fatigue and limited energy and the sense that I need to get back into the habit of counting my spoons. In terms of the general feeling of illness that I have.
I find myself dragging down the hall at work feeling brain-foggy and run-down, and it takes me back to when I had first returned to law school after taking a semester off due to my illness. I walked more slowly. I did everything more slowly, and everything--reading, grocery shopping, doing laundry, walking around the neighborhood--took more effort and energy.
On Sunday, it took me at least four hours to clean the apartment, when I used to be able to zip through in about two hours max. I have to take breaks. I have to take naps.
Right now, pregnancy feels a lot like lupus. I'm tired, and really looking forward to that second trimester that everyone says is so much easier.