First Trimester Update

Boy have these last 13 weeks flown by! We are a third of the way which feels so surreal. Since we kept pretty much our entire first trimester under wraps, I thought I'd share how it went for me

Week four for me was a breeze. I had zero inkling that I was pregnant until we got our positive test during a routine doctors appointment around 4 weeks 5 days. Weeks 5-9 were essentially the same repetitive symptoms and boy were they unpleasant. By week five, nausea hit in HARDCORE. Like debilitating nausea. Thankfully, I never experienced any vomiting episodes, but I combated the nausea in a terrible way! It seemed the only thing that made me feel better was eating something every two hours. That's a good amount of food. I don't recommend it! Along with the nausea came my first food aversion... coffee. It wasn't the smell or taste, but the mere thought of coffee made me want to hurl. During my first trimester I think I drank a Starbucks decaf Americano with cream and vanilla MAYBE three times, which if you know me is super unusual. I love my coffee! As far as cravings go, I've really craved a lot of comfort type foods... soups and mashed potatoes... carbs! Again, I don't recommend my eating habits!

As far as physical activity goes, I was active most days of the week up until week five when the nausea hit. Since then I've stepped foot in the gym maybe five times. I'm a little disappointed in myself, but it's something I'm hoping to get back into as these symptoms fade in the second trimester (I'm already feeling a million times better). Weeks 5-7 I started experiencing a really stuffy nose, especially at night. At first, I attributed it to allergies but it's been a persistent thing since. I read that stuffy noses are common during pregnancy because of blood flow changes. As far as body changes, I started experiencing some serious abdominal bloat starting around week 6. I was so uncomfortable during the evenings. The extreme bloat ended week 12. One word, constipation. End of topic, lol. Oh and I almost forgot about this symptom and I have no clue how. I'm reminded every time I look in the mirror that I'm pregnant. Acne! I am not one to usually have more than one random pimple at a time, but holy cow! Pretty much my entire first trimester was spent looking like a pizza instead of a glowing, mom to be. Week 10 I began to have trouble buttoning my pre-pregnancy jeans by the evening, so I used the ole rubber band trick.

Around week 10 I also started experiencing sciatica in the right side of my hindend/tailbone. It seems to have gone away as time went on. Frequent urination is also improving. I'm down from getting up six times a night to three times during the night. Feels like winning the lottery! Aside from the nausea, pregnancy has pretty much gone as I expected it too. My outlook during week 12 is far different than that of week 9 and I'm sure as time goes on I will forget all the not so pleasant moments of the first trimester!

Brent's biggest pregnancy complaint would be how loud I breathe now. He doesn't understand the struggle of all your organs shifting lol. But I totally empathize for him! I sound like I've been running on a hampster wheel for hours just from walking up the stairs! Also, week 9 I had to buy a new bra before vacation. Essentially NONE of my regular bras fit so I've been living in sports bras and will be until right before I deliver, at which point I'll purchase bras that I won't outgrow... because there is no sign of them stopping anytime soon *insert embarrassed emoji*. I'm already a D cup 13 weeks in and can't fathom them any larger!

Well now that you know all the unpleasant details, here's to hoping the second trimester treats me nicer!