I woke up Wednesday morning officially out of my first trimester and saying hello to my second.
Well, according to my pregnancy app.
Now if only my first trimester morning sickness and fatigue got the message that we’ve moved on, that would be great.
The last several weeks have been a wild ride, y’all. A beautiful, wild ride.
We saw our sweet babe again on ultrasound last week for the first time since our 8-week appointment. It is definitely looking more like a baby now and less like a tiny whale. This will be our last ultrasound until the anatomy scan at about 18 weeks, so I am going to have to practice a lot of patience over the next 4 weeks.
The first trimester has been … well, it has been challenging. I’m not going to sugar coat it. As wonderful as it has been to find out we’re expecting and then watch my body change each week as the baby grows, the first few months of pregnancy have been very difficult for me for many reasons. Early on I struggled with the overwhelming fear that we would experience another miscarriage. In my last post, I described this fear as paralyzing at times.
I’ve also battled some pretty intense morning sickness and extreme fatigue. Both of which are obviously common in the first trimester, but holy moly. I was not prepared for just how lousy I would feel.
I am starting to feel a little better now, but still not back to my normal go, go, go self.
Earlier this month I invited my Instagram community to ask questions about our pregnancy and told them I would answer those as part of this first trimester post. I received some great asks from folks who are curious about pregnancy after miscarriage, when we found out, and all sorts of other topics. Questions and answers are below:
Q: When did you find out?
A: At the end of May, a few of days before Memorial Day.
Q: How are you overcoming the “what ifs” like you mentioned in your first post?
A: This is something I have really struggled with. Early on, I was extremely fearful that we would have another loss — and even now, I still am at times. I would analyze every single little change in my body and each symptom (or lack of symptoms during the first weeks), and then I would work myself up over it. Once we saw the heartbeat at 8 weeks and heard it at 12, and then saw our baby again last week, it has gotten easier to manage the fears of the what ifs. I also tell myself that if something were to happen again, it is completely beyond my control. All I can do is take care of myself and my body to nourish the baby. I want to enjoy my pregnancy, and getting stuck in those fears prevents me from doing that.
Q: Is there anything you’re scared about pregnancy, labor, or becoming a mom?
A: Nope. I have waited so long to get to experience this wonderful miracle, and there is nothing about it that scares me. I’m just excited.
Q: Are you still doing keto while pregnant?
A: No. Keto is a pretty restrictive diet, and with the nausea and vomiting I’ve experienced, I need to eat whatever I can keep down. I don’t need my diet restricted even more than it already is.
Q: How long did you wait to start trying again after your miscarriage?
A: My doctor wanted me to go through two cycles before we started trying again, so that’s what we did. We started trying again with my third cycle and got pregnant then.
Q: What are you most looking forward to?
A: Being a mom and watching my husband become a dad. He is going to be such a wonderful father. I’m also really looking forward to those first hours after birth when it will be just the two of us and our baby. I’m hopeful that we don’t have any complications and can do the undisturbed hour after birth with skin-to-skin contact. It makes me so happy just thinking about how special those first moments with our baby will be.
Q: Might be too early, but are you going to have anyone else in the room for delivery?
A: No, just Justin. We have talked about doing birth photography, though, so we will see.
Q: You said you’re planning another Disney trip for next year. Are you still going?
A: Yes, we are! I booked the trip in July when 2020 dates opened, so I obviously knew I was pregnant at the time. Our trip is planned for October next year, and we are very excited about our first Disney vacation as a family of 3. It will definitely be a different experience for us, but I’m not worried about taking a 9-month-old to Disney. We’re seasoned Disney veterans, after all.
Q: Are you going to move to a bigger house since you’re having a baby?
A: Nope! Our house is small, but we bought it with the intention that it would be our first home as a family. We realize that we will eventually outgrow it, but our mortgage is low right now which allows us to save money (and pay for daycare) without feeling like we’re stretching ourselves thin each month. We will be here for a few more years.
Q: Are you going to find out the sex of the baby?
A: Yes. Our anatomy scan will be at the end of August or beginning of September. Once we know, we will share. We do plan do keep the name a secret until after the baby is here, though.
Q: Any cravings so far?
A: Sandwiches from Jimmy John’s (it has to be Jimmy John’s haha). Of course, deli meat is a big no-no when you’re pregnant so I have been settling for veggie subs. Which, surprisingly, takes care of my craving.
That’s all for now, friends. I am so excited to share this journey and new season of life with you, and I plan to post regular updates throughout our pregnancy.
