First, congratulations! Being pregnant is such an incredible miracle, and leaves you in awe of God our Creator. To know that He is so big, and yet He is forming something so intricate and tiny inside of you is so wonderful and overwhelming. Unfortunately, along with this awesome miracle can come some pretty awful side effects. I remember when I first found out I was pregnant, I prayed that I would be one of those few blessed women who didn’t suffer morning sickness. I was not one of those few, and no one told me that morning sickness did not just mean ‘morning’, but morning, noon, evening, night, and any time in between. Nausea is no fun, especially if you are in a country without a 24 gas station or ginger ale. But there are other ways to cope with this infamous tell-tale sign of pregnancy. It’s worth it to try different things until you find something that works for you. Here are a few suggestions to help you with your ‘morning’ sickness:
-Take your time getting out of bed. Don’t just jump up and try to get started with your day. Sit up slowly and stand up slowly. Many women say that keeping crackers and water or Sprite beside their bed and eating before they even sit up helps.
-Don’t stuff yourself just because you’re ‘eating for two’. During your first trimester, your baby is the size of a quarter- she doesn’t need too much to keep her healthy and growing. So if you’re not hungry, don’t eat. You won’t hurt baby or yourself.
-Stay hydrated. If you are throwing up a lot, you are also losing a lot of fluids. The best first choice is water, but juices, hot teas, Sprite or ginger ale or milk are all good, too. Try to drink 6-8 glasses of fluids a day to make up for what you are losing. Soups, popsicles, and even some fruits can count as fluids, too, you just need more of them to equal one glass.
-Try to munch throughout they day, rather than eat three big meals. Some women find that they feel worse the hungrier they are, so keeping even a little something in your stomach may go a long way in keeping you from the toilet.
-If it doesn’t sound good, don’t eat it. Even if it used to be your favorite. The same goes with eating what does sound good, even if it never did before. Sometimes all you will be able to eat for a week is fried-egg sandwiches, and the next, even thinking about eggs will make your stomach turn over.
-Get some fresh air. Depending on where you are living and what season it is, it may be hard to find a patch of air that is fresh- or at least doesn’t smell bad. In this case, try to avoid the worst places. If you normally walk through a certain alley to get to the market, but all of a sudden the smell is too much to handles, find a different route.
-Sucking on mints or other hard candies, or chewing gum can help stave off sickness.
-If your morning sickness is severe, try to find Sea Bands. If you are in a place where they don’t have them, maybe a friend or family member could ship them to you- if it won’t take 8 weeks to get to you.
Sometimes you’ll crave things you can get in your country. Other times, and most times, it will be the Taco Bell that’s 3,000 miles away. No one can sympathize with you more than other pregnant missionary moms. When those cravings (especially the unhealthy ones) hit, just think about all the bad calories being a missionary is saving you from. And try to reach for the next-best thing. The craving will pass, even if it hasn’t been satisfied. It’s okay to tell yourself that it probably wouldn’t have even tasted that good anyway.
With all of the ups and downs and emotional, physical, and spiritual stress that comes with being a missionary, pregnancy mood swings are the last thing you want affecting you. They can be the most frustrating part of a pregnancy, because even while you’re in a mad rage over something so simple, the whole time you know it’s because you are pregnant and there’s not really anything you can do about it. You may feel silly and feel like burning the bottom of the rice pan shouldn’t be that big of a deal, but it just is. And it’s okay. A few ways you can handle the mood swings and emotional spikes are:
-First and foremost, get in your daily quiet time. Even if it’s 10 minutes. Those ten minutes with the Lord will help you get your focus, and putting Him first will allow His peace to remain on you throughout the day.
-Breathe before you get worked up. If you know that something may potentially cause a rapid change of moods, mentally prepare yourself. Talk yourself down before you get worked up, and remind yourself that hormones will try to make it a bigger deal than it is.
-Walk away. If a situation becomes too frustrating or is about to making you cry, just walk away for five minutes so you can calm yourself down and pray.
-Dont’ be afraid to talk about what you’re feeling, and don’t expect to be perfect all the time. If you need to vent, ask your husband to listen, and maybe preface it with something like, “I’m upset, and I just need to talk- even if this isn’t how I really feel about the situation.” And remember, you may blow up or burst into tears about the most minor and insignificant thing. It’s okay, and you’ll probably be able to laugh about it when it’s all over.
Putting Yourself First
For the first few months, your ministry may have to take a backseat. Especially since during the first trimester the only seat you’ll probably be seeing much of is the toilet seat. It’s okay, and everyone will understand. If they don’t, then either they’ve never had kids or they don’t remember what it was like. You may have to step down or at least become less involved in some of your roles. For example, if you play on the worship team, find someone to fill in the first few weeks or on days when you’re not feeling up to par. Find people you can trust to help you lighten your load. This is also a good way to begin raising people up in your church or ministry- you can still be in charge, but you are also allowing others to grow in their giftings under your care and encouragement.
It’s also incredibly important to take care of your body. Obviously, you would want to do this if you were pregnant in your home country, too, but being overseas makes this even more crucial. The last thing you want is to have pregnancy complications in a place you aren’t totally familiar with or comfortable with the quality of medical care. A lot of minor issues that may arise during pregnancy can be prevented just by eating a balanced diet, excercising, resting, and drinking lots of fluids. A great resource for pregnancy diet and exercise, as well as other information, is www.babycenter.com.
Just remember, even when you may feel selfish for backing off or sleeping in Sunday morning versus going to church, you’re not. You are creating a new life inside of you 24/7- that’s tough work, not to mention incredibly unselfish. So don’t be afraid to kick back and put your feet up when you need to.
