As I start to write this, I have to laugh because no one knows (aside from immediate family) that I am pregnant. By the time I wrap this up and do post it, you’ll all be in the know. It feels like it is so far away (8 more weeks!) but I have a feeling that it is going to fly by. I absolutely cannot wait.
I wanted to give updates week-by-week for anyone who is interested in this sort of this. My blog will not be a pregnancy blog by any means, but still – a lifestyle blog that will capture what is happening in my world at the moment. Pregnancy will take up a portion of that, and eventually raising a vegetarian/plant-based baby. I can see this blog evolving as my own life continues to, and I think that is beautiful. I hope you guys stick around to evolve with me, too.
So, in an effort to capture the little details of my pregnancy journey, I’ll try to jot down key points here. I’ll try my best to do this for each trimester. Okay, here we go!
NOTE: This pic was taken during week 8 – I promise you’ll see some bump pics next time. I need to get better at recording them!
January 6th, the day we found out: To be honest, I didn’t have any feeling that I was pregnant. We had been trying for 3 months, and for some reason this month just didn’t feel it. I used the Ovia ovulation tracking app, which kept telling me “it’s too soon to test” – and I am not a patient person. BUT, I knew testing early would just cost money and I’d probably second-guess the results anyways because it’s simply, like the app says, too early.
Well, I caved ONE DAY before Ovia wanted me to test. Just one day before my missed period at 5 AM. To be honest, I was getting a little suspicious because I always have pretty brutal PMS (mood swings like crazy) but that whole week before I felt fine and couldn’t feel my period coming at all (I know you ladies feel me on this – you can usually feel it coming). Took the test and it looked like nothing, until I looked really close – is that a faint line?! I spent literally the next hour or so posting the pic to forums and asking for confirmation. I even inverted the colors on the photo – I am crazy. Of course, it was the last pregnancy test I had in the house!!
But all the women on the forum fed me what I wanted to hear, “looks promising!” “I see it!” “Congrats!” I could not believe it. It’s strange, even when you are trying, you are still 100% shocked that it actually happened. I knew it would happen eventually, right? But still – IT IS HUGE! So now it’s about 6:30 AM and Joe doesn’t usually get up until 7. I was losing it, not only because he wasn’t up yet but because I myself still wanted to take more tests to be 100% positive. But I am an open book, and there is no way I could wait to tell Joe. So at 7, he got up. I let him shower and do his usual routine and waiting patiently in bed with this onesie. I purchased it a little bit ago because I knew I wanted to break the news to him that way (we’re clearly big Star Wars fans).
I couldn’t even hold it the minute he came in after his shower, I gushed and gushed and held up the onesie. It was an emotional moment, and then got even more emotional when I explained the faint line to him. We decided that we’d wait until tomorrow morning so that the hcg could build up before we got carried away. UGH. WAITING.
I spent the day working from home (which worked out awesome) because I had contractors coming to the house. I kept busy, and Joe and I made plans in the meantime to celebrate with dinner at one of my favorite vegan spots. After dinner, we’d grab the tests.
Dinner was great – we gushed about babies all night. Naturally, we got home and I couldn’t wait to take the test so we did. I took 3 from 3 different brands – and they were all 100% positive. Dark lines and a positive window. WEEEE!
Lots of hugging and crying and talking and gushing to our families via FaceTime. It was so awesome.
Week 4: This is the week that I found out, so there is nothing too crazy to report yet because it is very early. Mainly, I have been very tired and sluggish – I spent the weekend watching tv on the couch for the most part (plus it snowed all day). I called my OBGYN and set up my first two appointments. I had already been taking my prenatals for a couple months now, so I continued with that. I woke up at 4:30 AM on a Saturday and 5:45 AM on a Sunday. I just feel the need to get up early (as usual) but even 4:30 is a little rough for me. Regardless, I am up and drinking peppermint tea and planning out my meals.
My focus is to just keep 100% healthy and put good food into my body. I’m reading The Kind Mama by Alicia Silverstone, but that’s it. I don’t want to scare myself with many pregnancy books. If I have questions and concerns, I will call my doctor. I do read articles online, and a lot of blog posts. I much prefer it to pregnancy books. I also downloaded a few apps – Ovia Pregnancy and The Bump stood out to me the most and I preferred their interface. I really like Ovia Pregnancy for their food library – type in any food and it will tell you why it is good/bad for you during pregnancy. I find that really helpful.
A couple nights this week I felt a little wave of nausea – nothing crazy. Just enough to feel uncomfortable and on guard. I grabbed a few Saltines and nibbled on them before bed and was fine.
I had mild cramping in my pelvic area, and when that happened it totally hit me that – wow, something is growing inside me. It was a very bizarre feeling.
Week 5: Cravings all things starchy and plain. Think boiled potatoes, couscous, toast, crackers. Also oranges – I’ve been eating like 3 oranges a day. Maybe because they are refreshing? I didn’t think that my nose could get any stronger (I am usually very sensitive to smell in general) but I can definitely smell e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g now. It’s pretty gross.
But overall, no crazy nausea or anything – which is nice and I am just going to enjoy it. Just really sore boobs (tmi) and have not been sleeping through the night like I usually do (which is normal). My new pattern is go to bed around 9:30, wake up at 2:30 – pee, toss and turn, go back to sleep until 5-5:30.
Week 6: I have been pretty lucky on the nausea front – I feel off every once in a while (and I threw up breakfast just once) but aside from that, I am not crippled by it. Still eating all things starchy – potatoes, sandwiches, bread…
Overall, this week feels really good. However – I am in bed by legit 7:30-8pm. I usually go to bed around 9:30-10, but I cannot keep my eyes open for the life of me at night!! Pregnancy exhaustion is realer than I ever imagined. Also – mood swings. Sorry, Joe!!
Side note, we are finishing the last pieces of our basement remodeling (weee!) and we are going to make a play area for our little babe. We cleaned out so much of the basement and got rid of soooo much junk/clutter. It felt so good to just clear out and make room for something so special. We are going to be ready before we know it!
Week 7:Â Well, it was fun while it lasted. All-day on/off nausea is in full swing. It’s such an uncomfortable/off feeling… but I have been keeping everything down, which is good. Still feels so yucky!! I have to keep eating small portions like on the hour to keep my stomach full but not too full…. when it is empty, the nausea is way worse. It’s kicking my ass.
Food aversions like crazy – I miss lentils, spinach, quinoa, rice, greens… but ughhh yuck. I can’t even think about them. What have I been eating? Plain everything – potatoes, bread, whole grain waffles, pasta with olive oil and salt (my current favorite). I have also been good with fruit for now and tomatoessssss like crazy (and still oranges!)
The weirdest thing is my aversion to water. I drink so much water normally but it makes me feel crummy now. UGH!! Trying my best to keep the fluids coming. Chocolate soy milk has been a go-to (protein yay), and juice.
Exhaustion is so real – growing facial features and limbs is one hell of a job. I went to bed at 7:30 one night! 11 hours of sleep on the weekends… I don’t hate it.
Week 8: The worst of the nausea started at the beginning of this week – I was up all night. I slept on couch and kept moving between that and the spare bedroom – braved work the next day (I looked dead – literally, 3 people told me I looked pale… thanks!!) Still eating on the hour to keep the nausea down. But… the best thing ever. We went to Florida with my parents for a couple days and it started a little rocky, but by the end… I felt so much better. I actually had no nausea for 2 days in a row (just “off” feelings). I got to eat lots of tropical fruit (wanting all things ice cold, too) and even managed to eat some solid meals while eating out. But… pickles. How stereotypical of me, right? I bought so many jars of pickles. We grabbed some fresh ones at the farmer’s market one day, and another deli tin from a local shop. They are just so damn refreshing.
Other highlights: my Dad found me and my mom vegan donuts and cupcakes. WEEEEE! Definitely curbed my carb and sweet tooth. So, while week 8 started off rough, it ended really great. Maybe nausea is easing up….?? Let’s hope soooo! My first appointment is the end of this week, so I am very much looking forward to that!
Week 9: Weeee! Ultrasound to kick off this week and it has made everything 10000 x’s more real. 174 heartbeat! Happy to say that everything went well, so I am feeling great. Nausea has also gone away during the day – it mostly hits right before bed now. I’ll take it. Exhausted, and also a bit nervous with the crazy snow and ice we’ve been having. I’m afraid of slipping/falling, so I have been moving extra slow outdoors.
Oh, and we booked a consultation with a recommended pediatrician. I’m very excited for that!
Week 10:Â Feeling great this week. We had another u/s appointment and the heartbeat was 172 – this cutie is staying strong. Nothing crazy to report this week… still exhausted as ever (sleeping from 8pm – 6:30/7am). My aversion to water is OVER (thankfully). I was starting to feel like crap drinking all that juice/gatorade. My body (and my skin) is very happy with this change of events. The highlight – getting blood drawn for some testing, which also will reveal gender!! I can hardly contain my excitement – we find out in 7-10 calendar days. WEEE!
Week 11: Week 11! I am so happy because the majority of my food aversions are gone (still no lentils or quinoa for me… or thai/japanese cuisine – boo!) But I am loving greens, beans, couscous, etc. I haven’t been craving all the crackers and bread I was before and haven’t needed it much. The nausea during the day is completely gone. Before bed is a different story – yuck. I get pretty nausea around 8PM and try my best to go to sleep before it comes in full force. One night in particular this week was rough (I was up past 9:30) and I ended up using the Sea Bands I bought earlier in the pregnancy and fell asleep with them on. They seemed to help! Placebo effect or not, I went right to bed.
Aaaaaaand this is the week we found out we’re having a sweet girl!! Words can’t begin to describe how much more real this made the whole thing feel. We’re absolutely bursting with happiness.
Week 12: Finally let the big reveal out! It felt so good to finally share our plum-sized secret with the world – our sweet sunshine girl!! Words can’t even begin to describe all the love we felt from our friends and family – it was overwhelming, in the best way. This week has felt good – fine during the day, still nauseous at night. I’m still wearing Sea Bands to bed. This week’s cravings: avocado, tomato soup, and always lots of fruit. Yay for having my appetite back!
That about wraps up the first trimester – this post is so long, so props to anyone who manages to get through it. Thanks for listening and following my journey! xx bianca
