I'm Pregnant! First Trimester Catchup

I cannot believe I’m finally writing these words… but I’m pregnant!

We are over-the-moon happy and grateful.

I’m also so grateful for this wonderful little community. Reading through your wonderful comments and messages has brought many tears to my eyes. It all feels that much more real now!

I’m excited to answer some of your questions about pregnancy so far and to do a bit of catching up.

When are you due?

My current due date is in mid-July! Barring any surprises, it looks like we will have a Cancer baby :)

How did you find out?

My cycle is usually pretty regular (within a day or so), but I made myself wait to take a test until my tracking app told me I was a few days late. During my lunch break on election day (of all days) I took a cheap test, but the second line was really faint, so I Facetimed my fried Jo, who informed me that I was indeed pregnant! We cried and squealed together over Facetime, but I didn’t fully believe it yet. After work I grabbed a ClearBlue test at the drug store, and when “pregnant” appeared on the screen I finally trusted the results! I then told Trey while we were cooking dinner and it took at least 5 minutes for him to process and believe the news! Then we laughed and cried for close to an hour.

How was your first trimester? What symptoms did you experience?

Oh man, the first trimester is no joke! And it’s hard to feel so crummy while trying to hide it and act like everything is normal, especially at the office. Symptoms came in waves…

Right away at 4-5 weeks, my waistline changed, my boobs doubled in size (making me a full a-cup hahah), I got super bloated, and I experienced a lot of cramping (which I had never heard anyone talk about). I had always heard you don’t show much until your second trimester, so I assumed you looked like your normal self until them. Boy, was I wrong. My body changed quickly — at least in my eyes!

Starting around 6 weeks, nausea and food aversions kicked in. I fortunately never threw up, but I definitely had to manage my dizziness and nausea with a ton of cold water, frequent snacks, and way more sleep and rest. Fruit was honestly my saving grace! I always had cold, pre-washed fruit ready to grab.

At 8 weeks, mono-like exhaustion hit me like a train. Getting through a full day at the office was often excruciating and I truly felt like I was just surviving and doing the bare minimum. Instagram content was severely lacking, and I didn’t cook dinner for a few straight weeks due to exhaustion and food aversions.

Also, ACNE. I’ve had weeks with clear-ish skin and weeks with absolutely savage hormonal breakouts so far in pregnancy, but I’m just hanging on for the ride.

Throughout all of my symptoms and lack of energy, Trey has been an angel.

When did you tell family and friends, and how?

We told only a couple of close friends right after finding out, and waited until our first prenatal appointment and sonogram to tell the next few. Because of COVID, I didn’t get to tell any of my close friends in person, but Facetime made it feel special still. Right after we found out (on November 3rd), we calculated how far along I would be at Christmas (11 weeks) and decided immediately we would wait to tell family for Christmas! It was hard keeping such a big secret from our families for so long, but surprising them with the news at Christmas made it absolutely worth it! I got to tell my sister in person after we picked her up from the airport, and it was incredibly special. This will be the first grandchild for my parents, so as you can imagine, it was a very joyful Christmas.

Were you planning/trying to get pregnant?

We were. We had originally planned to do a big Europe trip together this past summer before trying this fall, but life/Covid happened and we spent lots of quality time at home. It was a different year than any of us expected, but allowed us to build an even better foundation in our relationship (and work on home improvements). See a bit more below, but we still felt at peace with moving toward something we were feeling excited about.

How did you know you were ready?

Gosh, I don’t think I’m someone who was ever going to be “ready” because I overthink absolutely everything. However, Trey and I noticed over the past year or so that our attitude gradually shifted from thinking how hard it would be to have a baby and how much it would change our lives, to how much a baby and family would add to our lives. From there we casually kept throwing out “fall of 2020.”

We also feel we are pretty financially stable now, and have a strong foundation in our marriage. Looking back and seeing how much we’ve grown and matured, and how much better our communication is, I feel really confident that we’ll continue to thrive as a partnership with a babe in the mix.

All of that being said, we have always tried to maintain the perspective that we would be blessed if we could become parents and if I could carry our child, never taking it for granted. My heart goes out to every single woman and couple who has had a longer, tougher road to pregnancy or is still on that journey. Watching a close friend go through infertility for two years changed my perspective forever.

What have been your favorite books and resources so far?

I’ve been reading two books, followed a few apps, and also relied heavily on a few close friends who are pregnant and/or already mamas. But I’ve also made sure to not over-research and not google much (per the wise advice of friends).

I highly recommend the books Expecting Better and Real Food for Pregnancy. Both are based in science and equip you to make decisions for your own pregnancy based on factual information. It turns out a lot of pregnancy nutrition “rules” are extremely outdated and/or not really backed by modern science. With my doctor’s blessing I’ve eaten deli meat and plenty of seafood (DHA!) when they sound good! I have made sure to wash fruits and veggies very thoroughly, and only eat meat and seafood that are very high quality (pasture raised, wild caught, etc.) and cooked well.

My favorite pregnancy app is Pregnancy+, but I also enjoy updates on Ovia Pregnancy, The Bump and HiMommy!

What has your diet and workout routine been like so far?

Based on the books I mentioned above and also just wanting to be as healthy as possible for myself and for baby, movement and nutrition have been and will continue to be big priorities for me during pregnancy (truly more than ever)!

To be honest, I wasn’t able to workout much during my first trimester. I did Melissa Wood Health’s gentle pilates workouts when I felt up to it (like once a week haha) but mostly relied on walks.

Food-wise my goals have been to continue eating a balanced diet of protein, fiber, healthy fat and greens/veggies. Unfortunately first trimester food aversions made it tough at times, but I did my best and honestly feel like I did pretty well. There were times when eggs, salads, cooked veggies, and meat didn’t sound good at all, but anytime they did I made sure to incorporate them.

In my first trimester I ate far more fruit and carbs that I typically do, but I tried my best to keep it in moderation to maintain healthy blood sugar, and also to give myself grace and listen to my body. Other than Sonic tater tots, I still managed to keep things pretty healthy and balanced overall!

Now in my second trimester, I’m feeling much, much better and am incorporating more workouts (mostly pilates and walks) and eating my normal balanced diet! I have noticed I eat smaller portions at meals and more snacks in between.

And probably the most-asked questions… Are you finding out and sharing baby’s gender?

We are actually not going to find out! Yes, I know I’m in the minority these days. But we are so excited for that extra surprise on birth day!

I’ve always had a feeling I wanted to be surprised, and after finding out I was pregnant that gut feeling only grew.

As much as I worry and stress about some things, I’m shockingly go-with-the-flow about other things. I already know the moment when Trey tells me “it’s a ____” will be one of my most cherished memories.

You guys also know how much I adore my neutrals ;) But in all seriousness, my vibe will be very gender neutral when it comes to nursery decor, baby clothes, and parenting, so I am more than content to wait!

What style of names do you like?

Name-wise, we already have a short list of a few of very favorite names, so I’m not stressed about it at all. I’m not sure if they’re considered more old-fashioned or modern, but they are not overly popular or trendy. I have kept a baby names list for years, so that’s made things much easier, and fortunately Trey and I have similar taste! My favorite girl name hasn’t changed since I was around 16, but we’ll see if we get to use it or not :)

What has been a fun surprise during pregnancy so far?

It turns out my two very best friends in the world are also pregnant right now, so that has been such a joy to share with them! One is due in May, one is due in June, and I’m due in July. I have a few other very cherished friends who are also pregnant and due in the summer months too, so it will be a fun season.

Many of you likely follow my best gal Jo. She is due just 5 weeks before me and it has been such a joy and a blessing to go through our first pregnancies together. Having someone to confide in and relate to and commiserate with has made all the difference. For years we’ve talked of how incredible it would be to be pregnant at the same time at some point some day, never dreaming that we would be just 5 weeks apart in our first pregnancies and truly journeying through it together.

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Well, I feel this post is plenty long at this point, but I’m SO happy that the news is out and that I can share this big part of my life with all of you! I had to go through a more private season and sharing meals was tough because not much sounded good, but I made it and now I can share allll the things with you (in moderation). Thank you for being here and for celebrating with us!

xx
Jacy