Oh, The Smells!

**I wrote a few posts over the past few months. These are to catch you up on where I've been.**

I mentioned the feelings of overwhelming exhaustion and nausea last week. I thought I would also let you know about another symptom I experienced in the first trimester. Sensitivity to smells.

Last week it started with tupperware. I had some leftovers in the fridge for lunch and when I went to open the container, I felt an overwhelming urge to run to the bathroom and toss everything I had eaten that day. I guess I've been lucky in that I actually haven't thrown up but the feeling is there. Sometimes I wonder if throwing up would be better than just feeling like doing so. I open the tupperware and realize, this is not going to be my lunch today. I also had some other containers that needed to go home with me in the fridge - things that I just never got around to eating. I tried opening them just to clean them out and the same thing happened. I tossed them all in a plastic bag and took them home with me. That evening, they sat on the kitchen table until we cleaned out the dishwasher and Hops cleaned them out and put them away for me.

This morning things got a little rough. I gag/coughed at the sight of the Shephard's Pie I made him earlier this week. I gagged again when I saw the empty pan in the sink, half filled with water. Meantime, somebody is standing on the other side of the island stuck between laughing at me and feeling bad at me. I think he is leaning more towards the laughing part.

I got to work today and the trashcan smelled like something died in it. I walked into the break room to heat up my bagel and got out as fast as possible. I don't think "Let's see how long we can go without breathing" is a good game to play while pregnant. I asked my co-worker to take the trash out, hoping it smelled as bad to everyone else as it did to me. There was also a tray of cookies and candies from Halloween (homemade candies, not store-bought, last forever candies) on the break room table. I tossed the stale cookies into the trash before he wrapped it up to take it outside. It's gone now, but I did catch a whiff as it was going by and ended up in the bathroom gagging and coughing again. A cold glass of water and being 40 feet away from the break room is helping now.

It seems it is mostly leftovers and meat that are making me feel nauseated these days. I can't take any meal to work with me that has to be warmed up in the microwave. I'm either eating cold meals or I'm eating out. I'm hoping this will subside when the second trimester comes around. Every website I read says most women feel better come the start of their second trimester. I can't wait for that to arrive!