Dear Mama-to-Be,

I remember sitting at my desk one afternoon, staring at my screen, fully intending to finish an email, and then waking up twenty minutes later with my fingers still hovering over the keyboard. I wasn’t tired in the usual way. It was a kind of exhaustion that felt like my entire body had powered down. And no matter how much I slept, it never felt like enough.

If you’re in your first trimester and feeling like your body and mind have been hijacked, I want you to know I’ve been there too.

The early weeks of pregnancy can feel like a secret storm. From the outside, you might look the same. But inside, everything is changing. I was shocked by how intense those first weeks were. I expected some nausea, maybe a few mood swings, but I wasn’t prepared for how unpredictable it would all feel.

Some days, I couldn’t even look at certain foods without feeling sick. Things I used to love suddenly turned my stomach. And don’t even get me started on the emotions. One minute I was excited, the next I was overwhelmed by thoughts I couldn’t explain. Pregnancy glow? That didn’t show up on my doorstep until well into the second trimester.

What surprised me the most was how much I needed to slow down. I’m someone who loves to keep busy, to feel productive, but during that first trimester, it was like my body gently (and sometimes not so gently) told me to pause. And it wasn’t easy. I felt guilty resting so much. I worried I wasn’t doing enough. But looking back now, I realize that was part of the work. My body needed every ounce of energy to build a brand new life, and that’s no small thing.

The good news? It got better. As I entered my second trimester, the fog began to lift. The intense sleepiness faded, and I started to feel more like myself again. Energy came back. Food became enjoyable again. My mind felt clearer. It truly was like a new season, and I’m grateful I gave myself grace during the hard parts to get there.

So if you’re in that first trimester right now, navigating the waves of exhaustion, nausea, and all the feelings in between, breathe. You’re not broken. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just in the middle of becoming.

Pregnancy isn’t always picture perfect, but that doesn’t make it any less powerful. You are already a mama. You are already doing something extraordinary. Trust the process, trust your body, and most of all, be gentle with yourself.

You’ve got this!