Hi friends!
If you follow me on instagram you probably already know that we are pregnant! I figured it would be fun to put together a first trimester pregnancy recap and do a little pregnancy Q&A to help guide this post! We are truly so excited and blessed to be growing this little bundle of joy. I am 17 and a half weeks as I am typing this. Many of your questions have been answered below, but before we get started I did want to acknowledge one thing.
I know that the journey to pregnancy can be triggering for those who are TTC or going through fertility, pregnancy loss, or the journey to growing your family. I just want you to know that I see you and that I am holding a space in my heart for you. Everyone’s journey is truly so different. My intentions about anything I post are never to make you feel worse about yourself. So if at any time you feel the need to unfollow or mute me, I completely understand. Guard your heart and do what you need to do to protect your mental health.
I wanted to acknowledge that before getting into your questions because it truly has been on my heart alot lately. I am thinking of you and praying for your positive pregnancy test soon.
Now let’s dive into your questions below!
When is your due date?
June 30th
Will you find out the gender?
NOPE! I have always wanted this. I know that there aren’t too many surprises as great as this one in life and I truly am so excited for this moment.
Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?
I actually don’t have a preference. I think the gift of life is beautiful either way! Maybe for baby number 2 there might be more of a preference.
How are you feeling?
First trimester was good overall and I feel very lucky for that. My most noticeable symptoms were nausea, sore boobs (very sore), exhaustion, major food aversions, headaches, and frequent peeing haha. Now that I am in my second trimester, I do feel more energized throughout the day. But when I come home from work I am OUT. I usually am sound asleep by 7:30-8:00. I can eat more foods now and don’t feel nauseous from certain smells. My boobs are no longer sore which is great and I definitely feel more like myself.
Were you TTC or was it a surprise?
Yes! We were trying! In the past few years we have said Fall of 2020 would be when we might feel ready to start trying. When Fall of 2020 came around, I very much felt ready.
What prenatal are you using?
I am using Actif Organic Prenatal and I order them from Amazon. I did some research on prenatals and knew I wanted to find one with certain amounts of folic acid, iron, and calcium. My iron levels have come back low the past few times I have gotten any blood work over the years so I knew iron was important. I started taking these in August before TTC.
How did you know you were ready to be a parent?
I always knew I wanted to be a mom someday. And I don’t think anyone is ever fully ready. Last summer I went on a beach trip with my best friend Katie. Her two little girls went too and I just remember admiring their little family so much and watching her be a mommy to her girls was so special to me. I got a good glimpse into what family life is like and that’s when I felt like I was fully ready.
How long did it take you to conceive/questions about timing?
Honestly, I had no idea what this experience would be like for us. I convinced myself that it would be hard for me to get pregnant because I personally know so many women who have struggled to get pregnant or have gone through multiple miscarriages.
I was on birth control pills for many years so I assumed it would take a while for my cycle to regulate again. August is when I got off of birth control. My cycle did come back that month and I was happy to see my period because to me that was a sign that my body was coming back naturally after being controlled by birth control for so long.
In September I had a conversation with a friend about TTC and she told me she had started the pre-mom kit. I had never heard of this but I immediately ordered it so that I could start tracking my most fertile days too. At this point I still didn’t know what the journey to pregnancy would be like for us but I figured the more information I knew about my body, the better. I tracked for about 20 days and then my HCG levels started reading very strange numbers that didn’t really make sense. I wasn’t able to track a full month to see an HCG surge because little did I know I was pregnant.
On October 15th, I was supposed to start my period but it never came. I figured this was my body still coming off of birth control. I convinced myself that the first cycle must have been a fluke and now I just wasn’t going to get my period or have a regular cycle for a while. The last week of October my body started to feel…different. I felt more tired than usual and my boobs HURT. ALOT. There were some nights I experienced some cramping to the point where I felt like I needed to lay down with a heating pad. Even though I knew these could be pregnancy symptoms, I sort of dismissed it and figured it was all in my head. But at the same time, part of me wondered.
On Sunday, November 1st I decided to take a pregnancy test. The pre-mom kit comes with pregnancy test pee sticks and sure enough after taking the test, two little lines appeared. Even though the second line was faded, I instantly smiled because I knew I was pregnant. All of those things I had felt all week were my first symptoms and this little test was my confirmation!
I held up the stick to show Jarred and he was confused (I hadn’t told him I was taking the test) and skeptical. I mean, it is a flimsy little thing but he wanted to be 100% sure. He is all about the facts haha! So I went to the store to buy 4 more tests and sure enough, they all read pregnant. We were both simultaneously shocked and excited and honestly slightly terrified because it’s just all so new!
What is something you didn’t know about pregnancy?
How much is unknown! Wow have I felt a bit foreign to this pregnancy because of how much trust goes into the process. I had my first ultrasound at 7 weeks. Then nothing again until 12 weeks! Then nothing again until 17 weeks. So between all those gaps I often would find myself just hoping and praying that everything was still okay. There are no physical signs of pregnancy in the beginning. No baby bump and no baby kicks so I guess I just didn’t know how worried and out of the loop I would feel in this beginning stage. I cannot WAIT for a big bump and to finally feel those movements because they are physical signs of life!
One more thing to note, I can feel my uterus growing and this is so wild to me! In the first few weeks I would get up from the couch quickly or sneeze and I would feel some sharp pains near my ovaries for a few seconds. I told my doctor about this and she said, “yep your uterus is stretching and expanding so any sudden movements like that can cause slight pain and discomfort”.
Have you read any books to prepare for the baby?
I have listened to a couple books on Audible and I love them!
Expecting Better: This book was recommended by a blogger I follow. I LOVED hearing all of the research that exists on the “rules” of pregnancy so that I could then make my own informed decisions. There are alot of myths about what you can and can’t do.
Baby Wise: WOW I am LOVING this book and cannot recommend it enough. I have about 3 more hours left to finish it but I think this book will actually be my bible during the newborn phase and months to follow. It got me excited to learn about schedules and feeding and so much more. I will absolutely be ordering the physical copy so that I can reference it quickly when baby is here.
What have you been eating?
Well I am here to report that I have eaten practically nothing healthy and everything unhealthy. I had some MAJOR food aversions in the beginning. I couldn’t even be in the same room as meat, eggs, or anything savory especially if there was any sort of strong food smell. All I wanted those first few months were saltines, bagels, and cereal. Each week of my pregnancy I have been able to eat more foods which I am so thankful for!
Will your nursery have a theme?
I am just not a theme type of girl! There will be no theme but I plan to keep things pretty neutral especially since we are not finding out the sex and will probably use this room for the next baby too. I love boho and whimsical vibes!
What are your maternity leave plans?
Well if you know me at all, you might know that I don’t plan much in advance. My mind rarely thinks about the future! I know that it’s necessary with a baby on the way, but this all still feels very far away. All I know is that I will be taking as much maternity time as possible and I will honestly not feel guilty for it. Babies don’t keep and this is my first time being a mom. I want to cherish every single moment possible.
How are you handling working during covid?
I am taking it day by day. There isn’t much I can control during a pandemic so I try to do whatever I can to make it the best situation possible. My job is very much still enjoyable to me, it’s just that there are many different circumstances now. I take 1000 mg of vitamin C daily and I think that has always helped my immunity. This has been in my morning routine for 4 years now. I wear my mask and my shield and I wash my hands as often as possible.
Are you doing anything for stretchmarks?
Yes! I can’t speak to this product since I haven’t gone full term yet. I don’t know how many stretch marks I will get and where. But I am trying to be proactive! I use Palmer’s massage lotion and order it from amazon. I rub this on my belly, butt, thighs and boobs every morning and night.
That’s all for now! Thank you all so much for asking such thought provoking questions. I am excited to have this first trimester pregnancy recap to look back on and cherish. Be sure to check out my other blog posts here!
xoxo, Sofie
