We are so thrilled to announce that we are having a baby!! Words cannot describe how excited we are. The little babe is due around the end of August. (Mike is hoping to be birthday twins since his is August 23rd ☺️)
We have been waiting for this moment for a long time and are completely over the moon that our family is finally growing. We are so thankful for this next season in our lives.
I am looking forward to sharing about the pregnancy as we go along, and I’ll be sure to post frequent updates over on Instagram too. (Did you see our announcement over there yet?)
For now, here’s a quick summary of some of the highlights from the first trimester.
How/When Did We Find Out?
We had been trying to get pregnant almost all of 2017 and when it didn’t happen as quickly as we’d hoped, we decided to take a little break. With renovating the RV, selling our house and moving to Oregon, that little break turned into almost 8 months! After settling into our new home last fall, we decided to start trying again and this time we were successful after only one month!
Related: Clearblue Connected Ovulation Test Review
Since we had been through many months of trying to conceive in the past, I was very aware that this time felt different. In fact, the morning that I took the pregnancy test I was almost certain that it was going to be positive. And of course, it was! I didn’t do anything special to tell Mike, because we basically took the test together. (Not literally, ha!) When we both saw the word ‘pregnant’ flash up on the digital reader we couldn’t have been happier!
We found out the day before Christmas eve and kept it to ourselves for a few days. It was a fun little secret that the two of us shared. And the best Christmas gift ever! We told our families and close friends shortly after and everyone has been so excited.
My Early Symptoms
Symptoms seems like a weird word to describe the changes in my body, but here’s a little rundown of how I’ve been feeling.
Morning Sickness
Thankfully I didn’t experience any morning sickness throughout this entire pregnancy. Often times I would just feel a little queasy in the afternoons or if I’d gone too long in between meals. Certain smells and/or cooking raw meat would make me feel a little nauseous at times, but that was really about it. I also started taking a gummy prenatal vitamin to help deal with any nausea and I’m still doing so.
Exhaustion
This was the hardest part for me, in terms of first trimester symptoms. I had never experienced this kind of fatigue before and couldn’t believe how tired I was all. the. time. I love being productive and tackling my to-do list every day and it was so hard for me to accept spending so much of my day resting. I was probably averaging around 10-12 hours of sleep each night and still finding myself taking naps on a daily basis. At one point I even thought I had mono! I finally started getting my energy back around week 14 and am so glad!
Cramping
I had quite a bit of cramping during the first trimester which of course can be a little scary. But it IS natural and a lot more common than I thought. It makes sense too – your body is going through lots of changes and stretching during those weeks so it only makes sense that the constant pulling and tugging can feel really uncomfortable. Luckily this only lasted a few weeks.
Heightened Sense of Smell
Oh man, this one is so crazy! I usually have a terrible sense of smell and now I feel like I can smell what the neighbors down the street are cooking for dinner! ? I’m not going to lie, I think I’ll be happy when this symptom goes away. There’s just too many weird smells in the world that I never noticed before.
Cravings
I wouldn’t say I’ve had any crazy cravings other than wanting all the carbs during those first few weeks. But, honestly, that isn’t anything new for me. I love me some popcorn, fries, rolls, and donuts on a usual basis – ha! I think the biggest change to my diet has been paying a little more attention to getting all of my micro-nutrients from healthy fruits and vegetables. I eat a high protein diet regularly so I’ve been keeping up with that as well.
Working Out
Last fall I started working out at Orange Theory and I love it! It’s basically high intensity interval training (HIIT) that is a great way to get a well rounded workout a few times a week. Since becoming pregnant I haven’t really had to change much with my workout regimen yet since I am still able to perform most of the exercises without any trouble. I do keep a close watch on my heart rate and make sure I am not overdoing it. Honestly, most of my first trimester I was lucky to make it into the gym once a week. I was just SO tired!
As I get further into my pregnancy I plan to keep working out and making adjustments to my intensity level as needed.
*If you are pregnant, of course you should absolutely consult with your doctor about any workout program you’re interested in!*
Our First Ultrasound
Our first doctors appointment was January 31st and was when we got to see the little babe for the first time. Getting to see the baby swimming around on the ultrasound screen was so surreal. Up until that point it hadn’t really felt real yet. Hearing the heartbeat and looking at our tiny bundle of joy for the first time was a moment we’ll cherish forever.
We’re So Grateful
Despite all of the odd symptoms and extreme tiredness for weeks on end, I am so beyond grateful that God has allowed me the amazing opportunity to grow life and have a sweet little babe of mine own. As I mentioned earlier, Mike and I tried for a long time to start a family and although it didn’t happen on our own timeline, we couldn’t be more thankful for this next chapter.
If you’re struggling to conceive, I know how hard it can be. The constant worry, the stress. I’ve been there. I pray that God will bless you in your motherhood journey, wherever you may be on it. He is so good, and His plan for you is better than anything you could dream up. Have faith, friend. ?
We cannot wait for what’s to come and are looking forward to sharing this journey with you. Thank you all for all of the overwhelming support and kind messages. The first trimester was definitely a rollercoaster and I am excited to watch my belly grow as we get closer to the little babe’s arrival. For now, we are just enjoying this time and taking it day by day.
I’ll be sharing some of the products that I’ve been loving so far in this pregnancy soon!
A big thank you to Nicole Londot Photography for capturing this special time on camera for us.