Wow! I can’t believe I am sitting here writing a first trimester recap post! How did these first 13 weeks go by so fast? I am actually sitting here 20 weeks along now! This pregnancy is such a blessing and is definitely flying by.
BABY’S DUE DATE!
I haven’t officially announced my due date yet, so here it is: baby is expected to arrive on September 4th!
A little secret though, my birthday is in August so I am hoping the baby will come early and I will have a birthday month friend. We shall see!
GOING OFF MY BC
I had been on the pill for over 10 years. This past October, I decided to go off of my pill for three reasons:
First, I felt like being on the pill was affecting my mood in a negative way. I am not sure if it was something that gradually happened over time or was a recent change, but I just felt so moody. I would overreact to things, be a downer, and felt negative about a lot of things in my life. I knew that something was up, and my first thought was figuring out if my pill was what was causing these mood changes. I am happy to report, that it was! After a few weeks, wow! I felt like a whole new person. It’s crazy how many side affects birth control can have.
Second, I felt like being on the pill was causing me to hold onto extra weight that I was desperately trying to get rid of. I don’t think Covid was helping with the pounds either! I have heard from so many friends that going off the pill helped them shed some of these extra pounds. To be honest, I don’t think I was off the pill long enough to notice if it helped with my weight, so we shall see after the baby is born!
Third, and most exciting, Kevin and I knew we wanted to start a family in the near future and going off of contraception was one of the first steps!
HOW WE FOUND OUT
I don’t talk about my day job on my blog very much, but it did play a factor into when I felt comfortable trying for a baby. For those of you that don’t know, I am in the environmental science/ natural resource management field. The majority of my year is spent outside and it can be a very physically demanding job. I also deal with chemical herbicides from March to October each year.
Because of my job, I only felt comfortable trying for a baby from November- January. These months I consider to be my “off” season.
Originally the plan was to start trying in 2022, but I also knew how long it could potentially take to happen. So after discussing, Kevin and I decided we were ready this past fall/winter.
Intentionally trying to get pregnant was something new for us! We quickly started learning more about my cycling and how to increase our chances of conceiving. I tracked my cycle with two apps- Flo and Cycles.
After a few negative tests, I decided to order an ovulation kit. I had been on birth control for so long, I honestly didn’t know if my cycle was even normal.
I took the first luteinizing hormone (LH) test the day after my “period” (it was actually early pregnancy spotting) ended. The results were through the roof high! When you have an LH surge that means your body is about to ovulate, but typically you don’t ovulate until about 10 days after your period and mine had JUST ended. I thought the results were odd, but figured it was either my body being out of wack or the ovulation kit app was not accurate.
The next day I did another LH test, and again the results were super high. Thats when I started reading more about the LH tests. According to the internet, an LH test could also pick up up the pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). I told Kevin and went up stairs to take a test. 2 minutes later, there they were- two pink lines! We were pregnant!
I do want to take the time note that if you are struggling with infertility, reading my short journey to pregnancy is probably difficult. I know many people, and have read many stories about infertility. Please know that my heart goes out to you, and that I am praying and sending good vibes your way! I would also be honored to hear more about your journey or answer any questions about mine. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!
OFF TO THE DOCTOR!
A week after confirming I was pregnant with an at home test, Kevin and I headed to the doctor. Unfortunately, Kevin could not come into the office with me because of Covid, but he did get to FaceTime me during the ultrasound. We got to see our baby for the first time that day!
He/She has been getting bigger with each passing day and doctors visit. Today at 20 weeks, baby is approximately the size of a banana- about 10.2 ounces and 6.5 inches.
HOW WE TOLD FRIENDS & FAMILY
For Kevin’s family, we told his siblings individually, and then for his mom, we invited her over for dinner and gave her a Grandma Tervis cup when she asked for a drink!
For my family, we invited them over for a game day. While there, we gave them what they thought was a Valentine’s Day present. Inside there was chocolate and an ultrasound picture!
FIRST TRIMESTER SYMPTOMS
Before getting a positive at home test, I had two symptoms that made me think I could possibly be pregnant. First, a few days before Christmas, I was in Costco and I started having heartburn. I NEVER get heartburn! So that’s when I started questioning things. Second, right around that same time, I went to bed one night and I could not lay on my stomach. I am definitely a tummy sleeper, but my stomach felt so bloated and uncomfortable to lay on. So weird! I later read this can be an early sign of pregnancy.
After those early signs, I didn’t have any symptoms till about 10 weeks. That unfortunately is when the nausea hit, and wow did it hit hard. It ended up being so bad that I had to go on prescription anti-nausea medication, and I’m still on it.
I wouldn’t say I’ve had any cravings, but I have had serious food aversions, which is so weird for me because I am not and have never been a picky eater. I either 100% want to eat something, or 100% want nothing to do with it. It’s weird too because I’ll cook something thinking I want it, and immediately after one bite, I can’t eat any more. It definitely makes meal planning difficult so I just try to keep lots of options in the house and with me at work.
I was also VERY tired and that lasted probably until about 14/15 weeks. Hence why I was so quiet on my blog and instagram for most of January and February. I am so happy to finally have energy back!
BABY’S GENDER
Yes, we are finding out the baby’s gender before their birth. We have our reveal planned for mid-May! Regardless of the gender, we just so thankful and excited for this little one to arrive!
PRENATAL
I have been taking the Nature Made Prenatal Vitamin. My doctor liked this one because its “cheap” and has everything you need including iron. Of course, consult with your doctor before taking anything.
Well I think that covers the first trimester of my pregnancy pretty well. I will be posting my first trimester must-haves soon. I can’t wait to continue sharing this journey with you!
xoxo, Kaitlyn
