Pregnancy - First Trimester

WE'RE PREGNANT!

It feels so good to say that. Also, warning* long post. 

We truly are blessed. I didn't necessarily intend to wait until almost 18 weeks to announce, but every time I almost did, something told me to wait. Travis and I told friends and family pretty soon on, though. Once you let the world know, they know and there's no going back. Being that this is our first pregnancy, we wanted to enjoy the beginning of this journey for ourselves before shouting it from the roof tops. 

I want to share my experience with pregnancy in the first trimester: how I felt, things I craved, things I learned, etc. You think you know all about pregnancy until you actually become pregnant and then its like, "whut" There's so much shit you can't eat or do, and I never realized how fast life changes, in a good way (literally from the moment that stick says positive).

I guess you could say we decided to start trying for a little babe. We never really said "today is the day" we just sort of agreed that we both could see ourselves as parents at this point in our lives, and then it just happened .... on the first try, haha! I realize that I am fortunate, and in no way am I trying to brag. I just did not realize how easy it was for me … the more ya know. 

Above is my 12 week ultra sound. 

The moment of truth.

I took 3 total- All positive, right on the spot. No waiting, no faint lines, I was FOR SURE pregnant. 

0-4 weeks (before I knew I was pregnant):

-Bloated, had to unbutton my pants a lot.

-Gassy, I know it's gross but it's real life, people. I've never been a very "gassy person" so when this started I knew something wasn't right with my stomach.

-Heart beating harder. Not faster, just harder. It felt like it was working overtime, little did I know it was.

-Food tasted 10x better, and I was obsessed with Japanese food.. I still am. 

5 weeks (when I found out):

I cut out caffeine completely and I still don't drink it. I know some mama's do and more power to you, but to me caffeine isn't that important, not now any way. At first cutting out caffeine was a HUGE change for me. I was getting the caffeine withdrawal headaches which SUCK, but they only lasted about 2 days. Of course I cut out wine and alcohol ASAP. I actually cried when the pregnancy test said positive because Travis had just bought me two bottles of Robert Mondavi and I really wanted to drink them (priorities lol). I'd be lying if I said I didn't want wine.. I'm counting down the days until I can have a glass again. I'm fully aware that a glass here and there is ok, but to me there's no point. I did have a sip in Charleston and I swear I died and went to heaven. I will cherish that sip every day until December, and in the mean time, I will enjoy my mocktails and decaf coffee. 

Around 5 weeks, I began waking up to pee at least twice, in the middle of the night. THE WORST. I've always been the type of person who could sleep 8-10 hours straight without waking up to pee, so this was an adjustment. I've fallen asleep on the toilet many times as result .. not kidding.

6 weeks:

-Fatigue!! This is one thing I was pissed no one told me about. I've never been so tired in my life, not exaggerating. Naps were my best friend. I went to bed around 7-8pm most nights on accident, I just couldn't stay awake to save my life.

-Acne was SO bad. I've never had acne, not even as a teenager, so this has been new to me. Still struggling with it in the second trimester.

-Boobs started to hurt, real frikkin' bad. I literally had to hold my boobs just to walk down the stairs. I also had dreams that I was breastfeeding a monster. Not sure if it was because my boobs were hurting THAT bad or if God was mentally preparing me. 

-Tailbone pain which has since gone away, but was miserable for my entire first trimester. I couldn't even vacuum the carpet without limping afterwards. Apparently when you get pregnant, your tailbone becomes mobile and sort of detaches itself a little bit from your spine. My doctor described it as floating, and then proceeded to tell me that some women break their tailbone during labor. Thanks Doc! 

I was extremely lucky in my first trimester and had ZERO morning sickness. My mom was actually worried for a while and kept asking if I was feeling nauseous. I still have the same pack of saltines beside my bed, unopened because I never needed them, PRAISE! 

There were some things that made me feel nauseous, don't get me wrong, it just wasn't in the morning and never threw up. 

Things that made me nauseous: 

pork chops, steak, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, Lacroix, the smell of dog, Bath & Body Works lotions and plug ins. Pretty much all of the stuff that I LOVED before getting pregnant. Yes, I loved the smell of a dog lol! I had to unplug all of my wallflowers the entire first trimester and then my house constantly smelt like dog to me, so it was a little miserable for a while. 

I found out I was pregnant at 5 weeks (the day after my nephew was born, to be exact). First thing I did was run to google: "what to do when you get a positive pregnancy test?" You would think it would be common sense, duh wait and call the Dr. in the morning, but I was literally shaking and my heart was beating faster than it ever has before. Pro tip though: DON'T GOOGLE YOUR SYMPTOMS. You're either miscarrying or you have cancer. 

My first ultrasound was 9 weeks-3 days. THE LONGEST WAIT EVER. My mom and Travis went to my first ultra sound with me. The baby looked like a little gummy bear, and we could see a tiny dot on the screen that kept blinking (the heart beat). The heart beat was 174. This was probably one of my top favorite days of my life. 

The 12 week scan, on the other hand, was incredibly scary. Your 12 week is your make or break it. Will there still be a heart beat, or not? I hate to be so negative, but it's true. On top of that anxiety, I was by myself on this one. Travis couldn't get off and neither could my mom. I did the first trimester testing for down syndrome and other abnormalities. I laid on the ultrasound chair, the US tech turned on the screen, there was my baby.. not a teddy bear any more. Baby was moving like crazy, and I was able to hear the heart beat (beating at 172) I could finally catch my breath again. All testing came back completely normal- I'm one happy mama!  

My first trimester cravings: 

-Anything sweet (I've never been into sweets that much, I've always went salty instead)

-yogurt, so I went out and bought about 20 different flavors and brands. 

-Spicy pickles and a glass of milk, together.

-Japanese 

-green olives/black olives 

-ice cream, candy, desserts 

-fruit

-lemonade 

Also, if you're planning on becoming pregnant, be prepared to spend double or even triple on food through the drive thru! I went from spending $5 at chikfila to $15. I would literally look at the menu and my mouth would water. 

 My first trimester purchases: 

This big ass pregnancy pillow above, that you really don't even need until you're in your second trimester. I guess I just wanted to buy something that made me feel like an important pregnant lady. Click here to purchase. Dax has obi taken over. While we are on the subject of Dax, he totally wanted nothing to do with me until the second trimester. It was so odd to me that I researched it for hours. Apparently he can sense my hormone change and some dogs get weirded out by it. Kizzie on the other hand, has been EXTRA protective over me. She goes off on Travis just for hugging me. I still don't think she knows that the baby is in my belly though, because she has no regards for my stomach and where she steps.

The day after I found out I was pregnant, I ran to Babies R Us (again, to feel like an important pregnant lady) and bought Palmer's cocoa butter and oil for stretch marks. Now, this I do recommend doing as soon as you find out, and do it everyday for the entire pregnancy. Your body starts stretching and changing as soon as implantation occurs. I bought the Burt's Bees Mama Bee body butter on Amazon after hearing really great things. I rotate using all of them throughout the week. 

I've been taking the Vita Fusion PreNatal Gummies  with DHA since the day after I found out. These have been pretty great, they taste decent and never made me nauseous. I'm a constipated person to begin with, so I can't give an honest opinion on if these made more constipated or not. I'm sure that any prenatal will cause constipation regardless. 

The apps that I use that have been LIFE SAVORS: 

1. My fav, The Bump. 

2. Nurture

3. Ovia Pregnancy 

I check them everyday, first thing in the morning, for updates on lil babe. So much information and I'd be lost without them. My doctor must love when I come in, because I never have questions for him. The apps explain everything per each day and is so spot on. 

    

 How I told my parents: 

Easter day, I wrote on the eggs ahead of time before getting with the family. If you've ever dyed Easter eggs before then you know that you can write on them and it wont show up until after you've dyed them. My mom began dyeing her first egg, a "B" popped up and she was so confused. She thought the government was out to get us. Her response: "I've never noticed a B on the eggs! Have you ever noticed a B?!" bahaha, pure oblivion. We dyed the rest of "baby" and she thought it was adorable to do for my nephew who was just born, which I mean it would have been but she was missing the purpose and I guess I didn't think that one all the way through. We then dyed the "H" and busted out in happy tears! Baby Holdren will be here December 2018! 

Unfortunately my dad was on our Jenkins family vacay, so I told him and the Jenkins family via Facebook message. I asked how vacay was going and called him Grandpa squared, he got the hint pretty quickly. He's excited, we are all excited and I love how emotional he gets when he talks about the baby. Our family is growing and I think my parents are enjoying every moment of being new grandparents! 

A few stats: 

1st tri- 13.5 week checkup - heart beat was 160, heard via Doppler. 

2nd tri- 17.5 week checkup - heart beat was again, 160, heard via Doppler. 

Due date: December 2nd 2018

I feel like it's a girl and have since day 1 - It's a feeling that I can't describe. I'm 95% sure it's a girl(ugh watch me be wrong) but I'm almost positive I'm not. Either way, I'll be happy as long as he/she is healthy. 

we find out July 9th and have chosen to know the gender right then and there. I'm too impatient for a gender reveal. 

If you read this extremely long post, I thank you! I want to share every step of this journey with you all, and most of all want a place where I can come to when I want to reminisce on this pregnancy. Pregnancy truly is an amazing thing. It's a roller coaster of feelings, body changes (I actually peed my pants from a sneeze while writing this) and emotions, but I love every second of it and wouldn't change it for the world. 

Stay tuned for Boy or Girl! 

Xx,

LeAnne and Baby H