Hey, remember when I decided I really wanted to blog again so I wrote a few entries and then disappeared for a few months?
Yeah, sorry about that.
I'm assuming if you're reading this, you are aware of my big news: I'm pregnant! My husband and I are expecting a little one to arrive Late November. I found out just a few days after I wrote my last blog post, which explains my absence. In short, I haven't felt up to doing much of anything outside of things I'm already obligated to do.
But I thought I'd write a quick recap of my first trimester, so here we go!
How have I been feeling?
When people ask me this via text, I just send them the puking emoji. That seems to sum it up nicely. Truly, I have felt nauseous pretty much all day, every day, since I found out I was pregnant. There were days I could not get out of bed and had my laptop perched up on my lap. There were days I laid down on the floor during a meeting with my camera off because I couldn't even sit up. There were days I was throwing up, but thankfully that wasn't every single day. It has happened a handful of times. But I just felt- SICK. I also had really bad headaches, and overall just felt exhausted.
Now that I am past the first trimester, I am hopeful I'll turn a corner. But I've heard stories of women who felt sick during their entire pregnancy, so we will see what comes.
Any cravings?
Do potatoes count? I have mostly just been wanting potatoes- in any form. Baked, fries, hashbrowns, roasted, chips, etc. But other than that, nothing too unusual.
Any food aversions?
At first it was coffee, it tasted like gasoline and I could not go near it. But that has stopped and I am back to drinking one small cup each morning. I can't stand broccoli right now, which I did eat before pregnancy. Also can't stand the site of raw chicken. My husband has been doing all of the cooking, because I never really know what is going to set me off.
Are we finding out the sex of the baby?
No. People are either shocked by this and say they can't imagine not finding out, or they say "that's so fun!". No in between. I guess for us, it just doesn't really matter. We'll be thrilled either way, and we aren't really planning the nursery around the sex of the baby.
How and when did we tell our family?
We told them when I was 7 (almost 8) weeks. We had done our first ultrasound that week so I felt safe telling my family. I also decided that if (Heaven Forbid) something were to happen, I would want my family to know and be there for us. So that weekend, we made the rounds to each home and told them. We told my mom and Tom's parents and brother the same way- we had Leo wearing a Big Brother bandanna. It took all of them except Nick a few minutes to figure it out, but once they did they were thrilled, and tears were shed. We told my sister and her family by giving Ryan and Cara shirts that said "Older Cousin" and "middle cousin" and then we had a little onesie that said "youngest cousin". And finally, we told my brother and sister in law by asking Sara if she could help us make our guest room into a nursery.
When did we tell everyone else?
I'll be honest, I told a lot of friends before I announced it on social. It was so hard keeping it a secret. I am someone who is really open about things I am going through, and to not share the biggest news of our life with some of my closest friends was VERY HARD. So I told people one by one or in groups. And then we dropped the big social media message during my 12th week, we figured we were close enough to the first trimester being over.
Here's a little video of some of the reactions when we told family and friends:
All the times I've Cried:
So in the beginning of the pregnancy I was crying quite a bit, and I was journaling to keep tabs on my emotions. But, like blogging, journaling went out the window. I was just too tired to do anything outside of work. But, I found my very easy onset of tears amusing, so I am going to share some of the silly things that made me cry:
My nephew got a really bad sunburn when they were in Florida. I was at their house here in Michigan dogsitting, pregnant and miserable. They did not yet know I was pregnant. But when I saw his sunburn, I started crying.
Someone I didn't even like was eliminated from American Idol.
Abby Wambach on Brene Brown's podcast talking about how much she loves the Dixie Chicks.
Watching the Dear Evan Hansen movie trailer.
Seeing a clip from Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants, a movie I have seen at least 5 times.
Hearing "The Best Day" re-record on Taylor Swift's Fearless (Taylor's Version) album
And probably many, many more. Here's the thing- my family will probably laugh and say this isn't all that surprising, I've always been a crier. But the reality is, ever since I was put on Wellbutrin and Lexapro two years ago, I don't cry. Like, it almost had the opposite effect- I couldn't muster up tears even when things were sad. It was kind of frustrating in a way. But, it made it all more surprising when I began to cry out of the blue at the beginning of this pregnancy.
Speaking of medication....
How am I taking care of my mental health?
I am not shy about speaking up about mental health. When I found out I was pregnant, I called my doctor's office immediately to ask about my medication. My doctor did not want me on Wellbutrin and Lexapro, so she switched me to Zoloft. It's been working great- it has helped keep my anxiety at bay and the crying has lessened a bit. I feel confident with this decision. I am also still in therapy, while it is still virtual it is essential to making sure I am doing okay.
Did I get the Covid vaccine?
Yes. In that same phone call when I asked about medication, I asked if it was safe to get the vaccine. The answer was yes, and I was lucky and able to schedule my appointment pretty quickly. There's tons of SCIENTIFIC based research on the vaccine and pregnancy, and I feel safe with the decision I made.
Am I still working out?
Yep. I've cut back. Previous to pregnancy, I was working out about 6 or 7 days a week, doing pretty high intensity workouts. Now, I manage to get between 3-4 workouts. I have been mostly sticking to strength training and cardio kickboxing. I found Bootcamp can be difficult. I think it's all the up and down of the heart rate. But I've done bootcamp a few times! I modify moves a bit and I am not comfortable jumping, so I tap or jog in place instead.
On Eating Disorders/Body Image:
This is something I'm really struggling with. I wrote a Facebook post about it recently that sums it up nicely, so instead of repeating myself I will share that here:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10109888894647772&set=a.644304850872&__cft__[0]=AZWI4r3xLsoSGN8mvnWYxdOP-NRuW7Nvez02YNiXKPESaCjejoizMx10Q0N71gPdfEHXUMfaL0FUdA21Prk_RvrWSqI8cwJAGA0MijXNc1YX9ft6szbo1V2YGLz0UXV2IkA&__tn__=EH-R
That about covers it, my friends. I'm hoping to be feeling better and writing more as time goes on.
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