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Namhla's pregnancy diary: "It has not been easy"

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A beautifully glowing pregnant Namhla at the end of her first trimester.
A beautifully glowing pregnant Namhla at the end of her first trimester.

My pregnancy journey

The journey began in March 2018. Did we want the baby? Yes. And where we ready? Not sure, but I realised that after I'd already conceived.

I think for me it is the proper fear of being a parent and not feeling financially stable, as I don’t like to depend on anybody. I am filled with so many different emotions: excitement, love and then again I'm scared and worried about what kind of a parent I will make, and whether my baby is healthy. 

I am Namhla Beyi, 29 year old, born and baked in small-town Mossel Bay, currently based in Cape Town. I am a hard worker and lover of all God’s creation, and soon to be a mother of my first child in November.

I am four months pregnant and it has not been easy. I already landed in hospital twice within a period of 3 months, and by the grace of God my baby survived. With the first incident I was bleeding, and with the second I experienced lower stomach cramps which lasted for almost three days.  My appetite dropped and I lost a lot of weight.

But know that I’m in my forth month, I feel much better and excited to be a mother. I'm currently looking forward to my second trimester and I really can’t wait for my little angel to be born.

Namhla in the sea during her 4th month of pregnanc


The first trimester: Early changes in my body

Here's my pregnancy symptoms so far:

Week 1: No pain.

Week 2: Consistent tooth- and headaches.

Week 3: I missed my period and bought a pregnancy test. It was positive: I felt weak at most times, I was not eating healthily. I hated chicken, dairy products... everything I liked before my pregnant life. The only food I could survive on was morning porridge as my teeth hurt and my gums were swollen and very painful. 

Week 4: Baby is now an embryo and 1⁄25 of an inch long. I lost a lot of weight and was consistently sick.

Week 5: The mood swings started, so did the tiredness, nausea with or without throwing up (morning sickness), my teeth were still painful and my gums would swell up every now and then. 

Week 6: Went to see a gynae to find out how far along my pregnancy was. I started to take prenatal vitamins with folic acid immediately.

Week 7: I was bleeding, then rushed to a nearby hospital and admitted to the trauma room. I was so scared of losing my baby, but luckily my baby was fine. My body heat increased and my hands and feet were constantly feeling hot.

Week 8: The embryo began to develop into a foetus. My body stated to itch, I had back pain, my breasts were extremely painful (I previously had an operation to remove a breast lump and during winter my breasts are sometimes painful), and I started to experience a lot of pain in my lower stomach.

Week 9: Back pain, with frequent urination. 

Week 10: More of the same... 

Week 11: I had extreme stomach pain for two days and on the third day I was in hospital again.

Week 12: Nearing the end of the first trimester. At this point my baby is about 7.6cm long and weighs almost 28g. Normally at this stage the gynae can tell the sex of the baby, but could not tell mine. My appetite started to grow and I'm picking up a little bit of weight.

namhla is 4 months pregnant

Can you relate? Have you had a difficult first trimester? Would you like to send us a regular pregnancy diary with photos? Send to chatback@parent24.com and we may publish them!

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