I guess I'm really pregnant: Week Seven

Parents and friends, and the ever growing number of pregnancy books will tell you that when you find out you're pregnant you go through a variety of emotions. I started with elation and then moved on to disbelief. I felt so good. I couldn't possibly be pregnant. I had barely experienced any symptoms of pregnancy. After talking with my mom I remembered what an easy pregnancy she had. In contrast to my aunt who was sick her whole pregnancy, my mom experienced little more than a bit of morning nausea.
Well, I thought maybe I have that good gene and will also be free of the blights of pregnancy, and for the most part I have been. However, what I didn't realize was that it was a little too soon for me to feel pregnant. In the last week certain smells have triggered my gag reflex, and I've started feeling waves of nausea throughout the day. It's not so bad though. I think that it's kind of a right of passage to feel a little sick. I guess I'm really pregnant after all.

Interesting facts about pregnancy sickness from the What to Expect website:

Sickness during pregnancy is caused by some "unknown combination of hormones, increased stress, and other body changes (such as a keener sense of smell, or a metallic taste in the mouth) and can seem to conspire against a pregnant woman, especially in the early months. Morning sickness could be caused by the increased level of the pregnancy hormones hCG and estrogen circulating in your body, or the relaxation of the muscles of the digestive tract (making digestion less efficient) due to rising progesterone levels, or the rapid stretching of the uterine muscles. Skipping meals and food aversions also can contribute to the empty and nauseous feeling."