Thank you all again for your sweet comments and emails about my baby news last week! I wanted to take some time to share a little bit more about my pregnancy so far, and also let you know about my plans for the future. Don’t worry…I’m not going to turn into a mommy blog! Here’s a little bit more about my first trimester…
My First Trimester
Nothing really prepares you for pregnancy, or how you’re going to feel. I’ve always been so excited about the idea of being pregnant and luckily that didn’t change. One big feeling that drove my first trimester was fear though. I know personally from friends and family members how common miscarriage can be so I really didn’t want to get my hopes up higher than they already were. Because of that, I really had to try to reign in my excitement until I felt like I was out of the clear. When I told my parents I even had to strongly preface, “Don’t get too excited!” With this being the first grandbaby on my family’s side you can only imagine how thrilled my parents are! I focused on eating well and trusted in God and His plan. Now that I’m in my second trimester I feel like I can breathe a little bit easier. Plus, the doctors keep telling me everything looks good!
Morning sickness is the most common complaint of pregnancy and I feel extremely lucky that I haven’t experienced it yet {knock on wood!}. Instead, I felt extreme and complete exhaustion. In January I was sleeping about 11-12 hours a night {yes practically half the day!}, and taking naps in the afternoon. That was a big deal because I typically hate napping, and I’m used to getting about 6-7 hours of sleep. My body must have needed the extra shut eye though. Now, in my second trimester, I have a lot more energy so I don’t need the afternoon naps but, ideally, I’d be getting about 9 hours of sleep a night. Usually I’m up late doing emails and blog work, so I really had to prioritize and you may have noticed some days of skipped posts and Instagrams. While I didn’t have morning sickness I would start to feel a little weak if I didn’t eat every few hours. Matthew and I called it “feeling green.” I made sure to have easy snacks close by like almonds, toast with peanut butter, and apple slices. I just would feel the strong need to get some food in my belly asap! It was a good reminder right off the top that I’m growing a baby inside of me and that needs to be my top priority. While I might have been able to skip meals before, I can’t do that now.
Another lovely sign for pregnancy was crazy, intense breakouts. Let me tell you, I haven’t broken out this badly since I was a freshman in high school. And I think it’s been even worse now. I’ve gotten huge cystic pimples which have totally affected my mood and self-esteem. It’s so frustrating to be taking care of your skin and still seeing these monster pimples form overnight. This has been a symptom of pregnancy that hasn’t gone away just yet. Thank goodness for makeup and photo editing though! Even still, I feel lucky and grateful to have had it pretty easy. And these few side effects are still definitely worth it!
The coolest thing so far about pregnancy has been going in for the ultrasounds. When I went in for my first ultrasound I wasn’t showing at all, except for a little bloat that anyone would just contribute to a big burrito lunch. Then the doctor puts the warm jelly on the ultrasound device, presses it to my stomach, and all of a sudden you see the little outline of a baby appear on the screen! And not only that, but I saw the baby flicker around and move! It was like a dancing jelly bean! I couldn’t help but cry. How amazing that our bodies can do this?! It really is the coolest thing! I was saying “That’s crazy!” through tears to the ultrasound tech, and she was like, “It’s not creepy!” and Matthew and I both said at the same time “no. CRAZY!” It really is crazy! I know I will only become more amazed at what my body is able to do in the coming months.
CURRENTLY I’M…
Feeling: I’m feeling even more excited since we’ve finally announced publicly. It feels a lot more real now. I hated holding this secret in but it was also a special time for me and Matthew. It’s amazing though to be getting emails and comments from you all with your well wishes and advice. I’m incredibly grateful for this support system I’ve found through blogging.
Craving: No big cravings that have spanned longer than a few days. This surprises me because I’m such a food person! For awhile I was craving orange juice every morning, though. It just sounded so refreshing! Other random cravings were mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, In-n-Out, and chocolate chip cookies. But I always crave that last one!
Reading: I’m currently reading Bringing Up Bébé because one of my best friends loved reading it when she was pregnant. I’d love any and all book recommendations though! I’m such a bookworm and even though they say you shouldn’t read too much, I can’t help it. Babies and pregnancy is my #1 interest these days.
What I’m most excited about right now: I can’t wait to feel the baby move!! They say that should happen in the next few weeks so I’m anxiously awaiting that feeling. Apparently it’s like butterflies in your stomach. So cute!
While I’m excited to share more pregnancy updates with you all I wanted to also reassure you that I’m not going to overdo it. At least I’ll try not to! I know some of you aren’t interested in babies just yet, and I also want to keep some things private and personal. I will create a little Maternity/Pregnancy section though for any of you interested in keeping up with my progress over the next few months!
As always, I’m so appreciative of all of your support. It’s amazing to think that many of you have seen me get engaged, get married, and now I’m pregnant! This community has been such a highlight in my life and I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed reading your comments and emails over the years. I feel like you’re all friends and family and this news is that much sweeter since I get to share it with you! Thank you for supporting me and Matthew and following along on our journey! It means the world!
P.S. If you want to see my full pregnancy story check out my Second & Third trimester posts.
xox
photos by Kimber Brown
