Well, I thought I’d give everyone an update, as Trimester 2 is in full swing in this household. Where trimester 1 was a period of near constant nausea and exhaustion, trimester 2 has been full of its ups and downs, tics included. I have to (unprofessional) theories as to why this is.
My Raised Anxiety Levels
I’ve talked before about how tics change with time. They rise and fall, usually in sync with my anxiety levels. This semester has been an exciting one. We’ve found out we’re having a little princess, we’re in the process of trying to move to a bigger house, I’ve been working more again, and we’re trying to plan for next year, which inevitably holds the possibility of PCSing (moving), as it does for all military families, and I’m trying to re-budget, but this is an expensive month. All of that, combined with the excitement and fear that comes with adding a little one to the house, has really been mixing life up and adding to my anxiety, whether it’s good anxiety or not.
I’ll admit that I’m still exhausted much of the time, particularly on days that I work. (If you’ve never been in a classroom during the holiday season, I can tell you now that it is a chance to ask for God’s grace and perhaps grab a glass of wine as you pray for it.) Unlike my first trimester, however, my exhaustion levels don’t correlate with my tics as they did in the first trimester. I wasn’t working in the first trimester, so if I was tired enough, the tics would often seem to slip away. Not so now.
I love my job, but I’ll be the first to admit that trying to teach anything to a class full of energetic kids is more draining than usual when you’re making one of your own. This week has been exceptionally busy in our district. We’ve got all of Thanksgiving week off, which is great…except that the kids lost their minds this week instead of next. I’ve done everything this week from breaking up arguments over who stands in line where, to trying to confiscate Legos, to reminding people it’s not polite to stick crayons up our noses. Students who have been in school for six years have looked at me like I was growing a third eyeball when I told them we needed to use our “whisper voices.”
I love ‘em, but they’ve really made me work for my money this week.
Less Exercise
In the first trimester, my constant fatigue seemed to match up with a lowered number of tics. Amazingly, my stomach clenching tic seemed to nearly disappear the moment I found out I was pregnant. Unfortunately, not only have most of my other tics returned, but that one is trying to make a comeback as well. (We’re still in a heated battle that I’m determined to win.)
While I still love to nap more than usual, I think another reason I’ve experienced more tics is that I’m not exercising as much as I’m used to. Headaches, backaches, stomachaches, and the need for many naps seem to interrupt my well-made gym plans more than I like.
In all honesty, this probably also touches on the anxiety issue again as well, as exercise produces natural anxiety-killing neurotransmitters. I just keep reminding myself that this is just a stage, and one day, I’ll be able to kill it at the gym again.
Overall, However, It’s Not Been a Bad Trimester
Once we got past the first trimester, during which we had a small complication, I have to say that I’m enjoying the second trimester more, higher tics and all. My anxiety attacks haven’t been as frequent as they usually are, which I praise God for, and the fact that the tics have vacillated means that they’re not bad all the time. All in all, I’m just praying for a healthy baby, and feeling her kick and move around brings me more joy than I can express. With all this and God’s ever-present grace in mind, the rest I can survive.
How did you handle your tics during pregnancy? What about your exercise and diet? I’d love to hear what you have to share. Just leave a comment in the Comment Box below. And don’t forget, you can sign up for my newsletter for extra resources on neurological disorders, education, and spiritual encouragement. As always, thanks for reading!
I apologize for the misspelling in the first paragraph. I was quite tired when I wrote that post, and it’s now fixed on my blog. Thanks for sharing this!