No Kidding!

One of the earliest pregnancy signs for some women may be fatigue and exhaustion.

Hoo doggies, they ain't jokin'.

I feel like I've been in a fog all day. I can never get enough sleep at night and I can never get a long enough nap. I know my body's working hard in there... but outwardly I have nothing to show for it! A passerby might think I'm just a lazy bum! But I assure you: I can't help it! Read on:

You may start going to bed sooner, or find it harder than usual to get out of bed in the morning. If you are working, by noon you may feel like you need to lie down. Exercising seems like too much effort. A simple activity like shopping may leave you feeling wiped out and lightheaded. This early pregnancy symptom is caused by all of the changes that your body is going through, plus the increasing levels of hormones. (source)

See? I have an excuse! A really good one!

Now on to more pressing matters. This pain in my lower right abdomen area. I woke up very early this morning (4-ish) with the words "ectopic pregnancy" bouncing around in my head. I couldn't go back to sleep for a good hour and a half.

I experienced this pain twice yesterday, both right after getting up. The first time it happened right after I got up from the couch. The second time it happened right after I jumped out of bed real quick like.

So of course in the wee hours of the morning... my mind went to the worst possible scenario.

But just now a thought hit me... three words this time: "round ligament pain." I remember it from my first pregnancy. I looked it up to refresh my memory.

Round ligament pain generally refers to a brief, sharp, stabbing pain or a longer-lasting dull ache that pregnant women commonly feel in the lower abdomen or groin, starting in the second trimester. You may feel round ligament pain as a short jabbing sensation if you suddenly change position, such as when you're getting out of bed or out of a chair or when you cough, roll over in bed, or get out of the bathtub. You may feel it as a dull ache after a particularly active day — when you've been walking a lot or doing some other physical activity. The round ligaments surround your uterus in your pelvis. As your uterus grows during pregnancy, the ligaments stretch and thicken to accommodate and support it. These changes can occasionally cause pain on one or both sides of your abdomen. (source)

Aha! This is it, right? Except that it says that it starts in one's SECOND trimester. I'm only halfway through my first. But I wonder if things are starting earlier because this is my second pregnancy? Or if I'm more in tune with my body because I remember how things went the first time?

I figure that as long as I don't experience more severe or frequent pain... and no bleeding... I can wait to ask my doctor about it. At my first appointment. Which is Monday, September 29.