The first thing I realized about being pregnant in Sweden was the fact that you don’t see a doctor, you see a midwife. At first this sounded really odd to me. In the US it’s common practice to choose your doctor that will walk you through the pregnancy journey and deliver your baby. I always thought it was a nice set up since you’ll be comfortable with the doctor and they would have known you full medical history and journey until delivery. I’ve had friends that more or less interviewed several doctors and facilities before they made a decision on the doctor. I had the best OB-GYN in Beverly Hills when I was living in Los Angeles. She was one of the best in the industry. So I was more skeptical when I was told I would only see a doctor if there are complications during delivery and that my pregnancy would be handled by a midwife.
It took me awhile to come to terms with this, I even considered seeing a private doctor in order to get the care I thought was more “normal”. Daniel convinced me that it’s completely entirely safe and that Sweden has one of the lowest infant mortality rate in the world. He also mentioned that all of our friends have given birth to healthy babies this way. So I agreed.
Our midwife is named Marie and she’s adorable. She’s very knowledgable and has great bed-side manner. I felt so relieved after our first visit. She went through the entire process and answered all our questions. During our visit we learned that we were about 6 weeks into my first trimester. I had no idea! Then the worrying started to set in, what about the glass of wine I had the previous week? I was reassure by Marie that everything was fine and that the baby was well protected. I was given a list of things to watch out for in terms of food, exercise and other cautions I should observe. Daniel and I decided to keep the news to ourselves until after the first trimester where the risks for miscarriage is greatly reduced.
I think I had a relatively good first trimester. The morning sickness never was bad enough for me to vomit. I was nauseous, but it went away. It usually came in the afternoons and not the mornings. My boobs were super sore all the time and although I didn’t gain any weight my body was changing.
Week 9 I looked like a stuffed sausage. I was not liking this new change at all. I was retaining water and my face and body just look bloated all the time. My baby bump started to show a little, but I was more concerned that I wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer. I had developed a strange metal or metallic taste in my mouth that threw all my tastebuds off. I was craving more fruits and veggies which I thought was interesting since I was under the impression I would crave more junk foods. I guess the body knows what it wants. Also, I wasn’t able to eat as much in one sitting as I did before. This baby was regulating my food portions for me! LOL.
By week 12 I was starting to feel like my old self again, except with a larger belly and bigger boobs. The fatigue and nausea that I was feeling started to subside and my face started to deflate. I had a little more energy and overall was feeling better. We survived the first trimester and I was happy that the “hardest” part was over. Now into my second trimester! Looking forward to what that has to bring!