We’re Expecting + First Trimester Recap!

In case you missed it… we’re expecting! As a first-time mom, I’m so excited to share this journey with you, starting with my first trimester recap.

Did you catch my announcement on Instagram or in my newsletter?! We’re expecting!!!

From a young age, there was never a question in my mind – one day I would be a mom – and now the day is finally coming in June!

We held on closely to this not so little secret for quite some time, so I’m actually almost half way there as I’m writing this (ahhh – I can’t believe it!).

Even so, it’s never too late to share my first trimester recap…

The first 8-10 weeks of pregnancy felt like the slowwwwest ever! We didn’t want to tell anyone before we were past our first trimester, I didn’t feel great, and we had A LOT going on (like moving… again!).

But let’s rewind to how we found out…

I am so thankful that we had a relatively easy journey to conceive, as I know that’s not the case for so many, and I never thought it would be the case. If you or someone you know is struggling with fertility, there are so many amazing resources out there, but I’d love to be a support system for you too. I truly believe that everything in life happens the way its supposed to… even if we don’t think it’s on our timeline.

So my period was about a week late, and I didn’t think much of it because I didn’t have the most regular cycles anyway. I took a test… and it was positive!

(And yes, I took 5 tests that day!)

I naturally freaked out a little (because those few glasses of wine at my hubby’s birthday…) and wanted to confirm everything was ok… but they make you WAIT at the OB office until you’re at least 6 weeks… and those 10 days felt like FOREVER!

So we went in for our first ultrasound, thinking I was 6+ weeks, and saw basically nothing on the ultrasound. My heart dropped. There was no heartbeat, and just the beginning of a pregnancy, or a failed pregnancy. The doctor said our timing may just be off and we wouldn’t know, so come back in 10 days.

Talk about the longest 10 days of my life…

Luckily I had a huge distraction… I went to the biggest nutrition conference in DC that weekend, all the while freaking out. It seemed too easy for us, and in my past, anything too easy was just too good to be true.

But somehow we got through those 2ish weeks of waiting and went back to the doctor, and low and behold, our timing was off! We heard the heartbeat and everything looked good!

We told our parents and siblings that weekend, but kept our news to ourselves for the next 6 weeks (and boy is that a looooong time!).

First Trimester Symptoms

Overall, first trimester was a big OK. I’ve heard of worse, and there’s certainly better, but most of the time I was OK.

Nausea

An underlying, all-day nausea began around 7-8 weeks. I didn’t have morning sickness, as the name describes, but everyday between 2-4pm my nausea would intensify. There were many afternoons that were downright debilitating.

As someone who’s pushed through a lot of medical issues in the past (check out my “Health Story” highlight on Instagram for the details!), this was completely different. There were many days I just had to lay down and stop working (the benefits of working for myself).

I didn’t do much to directly combat the nausea, like sea sickness bracelets or ginger, but laying down made me feel 1,000 times better!

Exhaustion

The exhaustion was also unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Growing a human is freakin’ HARD WORK! Up until about week 15-16, I was a walking zombie. I was in bed by 830pm every night.

One of the biggest lessons I learned was that you have to listen to your body. Pre-pregnancy, I would push. And push way past my boundaries to get something done. Being pregnant made it nearly impossible for me to do that! I was forced to take a nap at 3pm some afternoons. I felt so inadequate at first, but recognized that this is a new season of life and the best thing I could do was to give my body some grace for all it was going through! So I listened, which honestly felt amazing!

Insomnia

I’m sure my exhaustion wasn’t helped at all by the crazy INSOMNIA I had. I never knew this was a thing pre-pregnancy, but apparently it’s fairly common! Almost everyday I would wake up at 2am or 5am – neither were welcomed!

Thank goodness for my Kindle! I usually read, tosses and turned, and eventually fell back asleep. Suffice to say, my usual 6am wake up and workout routine definitely took a backseat.

Bloating

Another symptom I had, but I feel like no one talks about is BLOATING. Holy cow!

Thanks to years of stomach issues, I know bloating, but this was so uncomfortable! I had to get dressed for my future sister-in-law’s bridal shower (and remember, no one except my immediate family knew I was pregnant!), and could only wear the loosest muumuu of a dress. OH WELL.

I did the “am I showing?” questioning all the time, but the bloating really does go away and feel so different than when the baby starts to grow.

Comfy clothes are a must though! I loved these high waisted leggings (found them more comfortable than lower cut ones) and loose tops, like this one (now on sale for just $27!).

Some people swear by these belly bands when you want to unbutton your pants, but I didn’t find them necessary!

Breast Growth

Just saying it like it is… The last symptom I had was a HUGE surprise to me – my boobs grew a full size in the first few weeks of being pregnant. No, I don’t blog about things like this, but it’s a natural part of pregnancy, so I wouldn’t be sharing the whole story if I didn’t mention it.

Not only is it so common for your boobs to get bigger, but it can also be quite painful early in pregnancy.

I immediately had to go bra shopping (and I’m almost ready to go again!). Clearly, I’ll keep you posted…

First Trimester Eats

The images they share in the movies of ice cream and pickles are great, but first trimester was nothing like that for me… I was CARB-LOADING!

Many of my usual go-tos were off the table. I couldn’t stand vegetables for several weeks. Even my favorite roasted carrots made me want to puke. Womp womp!

But carbs were always my friend! I lived on English muffins and butter. With extra salt. Or SunButter and jelly. And I always had pretzels around because my usual go-to of popcorn just didn’t sit right.

I also craved dairy way more than usual – yogurt, ice cream, cheese… but since dairy can hurt my stomach, I tend to avoid it most of the time. And a lot more fat. Specifically, avocados and butter. I didn’t question it, I just ate it!

There were a lot of meals (I didn’t share on Instagram) that were just toast or even better, when hubby made challah French toast! I didn’t even want anything sweet (like syrup) with it… just plain, extra butter, thanks!

All in all, I never thought the carb-loading would end, but slowly my appetite for other food returned- phew!

I’ll share my 2nd trimester favorites in a couple of weeks!

As far as foods I’m avoiding, it’s all the usual suspects- alcohol, sushi, rare meats, unpasteurized diary (or anything), and anything questionable.

I did eat romaine lettuce on the day the CDC announced the recall, so I did have a minor freak out, but all was ok!

First Trimester Workouts

I don’t have much to share here because there wasn’t all that much going on for the majority of my first trimester. I tried to walk as much as possible, did some Tone It Up daily moves when I could, but I only took a handful of my usual dance cardio classes during the first 8 weeks.

Around week 12, I got used to the idea of being pregnant (and that dancing wouldn’t harm the baby -of course I got the all clear from my doctor too!), and began taking 1-2 classes a week. It was so hard to peel myself off the couch, but if I wasn’t completely debilitated with nausea, I tried to move as much as possible. It actually helped me feel better, so I kept going!

As a sneak peek, now, working out consistently 3-4 times a week has been one of the best parts of being pregnant. It’s so much harder, but feels amazing!

First Trimester Supplements

And then there are the supplements! If you follow me on Instagram, I haven’t been shy about sharing my prenatal vitamins.

I get asked for recommendations all the time and I truly love New Chapter’s prenatal (I’ve worked with them in the past, but this is not sponsored). I found it gentle enough on my stomach too, which can be a problem for so many, especially during the first trimester.

New Chapter’s prenatal does not contain additional omega 3s like my OB preferred, however, so I took an additional omega 3 supplement too.

Last, I’m taking calcium and vitamin D. I’m not a big dairy eater, and even though I’ve had more during pregnancy than usual, it still doesn’t sit so great with me, so I feel more comfortable supplementing. Sure, I try to include many non-dairy calcium sources (canned salmon with bones, dried figs, green leafy vegetables), but I couldn’t tolerate a lot of those during my first trimester, so it felt safer to have an insurance policy built in.

So the first trimester was full of ups and downs. I was just looking back on some photos and we did some incredible things over the first 12 weeks. We had fun telling our parents, I worked countless hours at a nutrition conference, attended a wedding, my future sister-in-law’s bridal shower, and brother-in-law’s engagement. Plus, we traveled to Paris at the end of my 1st trimester (more the beginning of second). Overall, I was nervous most of the time, counting down the weeks until we were able to share with others, but really enjoyed the time my husband and I shared with just the two of us knowing this huge secret and life-changing event was about to occur!

I’m so excited to continue sharing updates with you… any questions?!
XO