It took me long enough, but here it is, a full update on my first trimester!! I really want to make these posts feel as real + unglossy as possible, so I added a few iPhone photos that mean something to me from the journey along the way! I always love looking back on my blog posts from my pregnancy with Hudson because you really do forget the details so quickly once the baby is born! It’s tough to have many photos before 13 weeks because truthfully there isn’t much “bump” going on, but here’s the few that we snapped along the way, most not of my stomach because other than bloat it didn’t feel worth photographing too much!!
I’m going to jump into all of your questions, so here goes!!
Were we trying?
Yes, but similar to with Hudson, we’re very lucky that it happened quickly. More quickly than we pictured it, to be honest. I will never ever take this for granted, but also I was picturing our timeline a little bit later than what it is. So is life!
How did you know you were pregnant / How did we find out?
Matt and I went on a date night to the TWA hotel and the entire time I kept telling him I thought I was pregnant. I had been saying it for a few weeks, and some people thought I was bonkers and others said they’ve heard with your second you can tell way earlier. I just KNEW basically right away! It’s like all of those pregnancy feelings in your stomach and boobs just come back in a second with #2. I took a test that night, with Matt, and sure enough! He didn’t believe it at first, and it took explaining to him that a faint line is a positive before he truly was like “ok, I guess you’re pregnant!!” It was when we were still living with our friends in the rental, so we ran downstairs and told them that night!!
What early symptoms did you have?
Right away I felt a crampy feeling in my stomach, I’d say just days after. I definitely did not have this with Hudson, and I think I only felt it because I knew what to look for. The first true symptom for me is always my boobs – they go from an A-cup to a C-cup in basically weeks, and get super sore. By about 7 weeks they’re full blown pregnancy boobs, but I don’t think I felt those symptoms before taking the test. When we took the test I basically had 0 symptoms. As most of you know, this pregnancy I had really bad vertigo during the first trimester at around 7 weeks, and then again around 11 weeks. I am not sure if I’d consider it a symptom, but it definitely had a huge impact on my day-to-day. I never really get “morning sickness” because I am not a huge throw up kind of person, but this pregnancy I had terrible stomach issues during the first trimester. I never had those with Hudson. Nothing I ate sat well with me, and I ended up losing weight in the beginning because I felt so sick all of the time.
What was different in this first trimester VS last pregnancy with Hudson?
EVERYTHING! For one, I was soooo hungry with Hudson and this time around I didn’t have much of an appetite. I didn’t get sick at all with Hudson, and this pregnancy I spent a greater part of the first trimester feeling exhausted in bed, sick with vertigo, sick with stomach issues, and just all around sick. With Hudson I put on a few lbs during the first trimester, and this time I lost a few. Basically everything under the sun was opposite!
Have you had any cravings?
OMG yes!! For one, Panera Bread, as most of you know!! I’ve eaten a You-pick-two with an asian sesame salad and a chicken noodle soup more times than I am proud of. In both pregnancies I craved eggs for breakfast in the beginning. I’ve also loved tacos (but with no meat, I have an aversion to meats still!) and tuna fish sandwiches! My cravings were somewhat similar than with my first pregnancy, but also very different. The biggest similarity is that my love for sweets gets put on hold, and I crave more savory things!
What is the biggest lifestyle change you have to make while pregnant?
Not eating sushi is tough, I usually eat it about once a week! I also like to have wine, especially around the holidays and at special occasions, but I’ll be sober this holiday season and at Noelle’s wedding which bums me out a bit. I definitely have to scale back running, and find alternative ways to exercise after a certain point, which I am getting closer to now that my belly is growing more. I think the hardest lifestyle change for me with baby number two is just having a toddler and not being able to be everything I want to be for him. It was a huge weight and guilt on me for a while – having to ask Matt for more help, asking to just lay in bed because I felt sick or exhausted, putting on more TV so I could get a break. The guilt is hard, but it is truly a lifestyle change you have to make to make it through those tough first few months. I am sure toward the end I will also have to make those changes as well.
When do you start using oil for stretch marks?
I don’t personally start until I start to feel a bit itchy, which in both of my pregnancies was around 18 weeks when my belly began to pop out.
Have you been talking to Hudson about baby?
YES! We started to talk to him about the baby around 7 or 8 weeks. Hudson has come to every doctors appointment, and we try to explain to him how he can help with the baby, where the baby will be sleeping and he helps me put little things into the baby’s future nursery. I knew there was a risk involved in telling him so early, but he is honestly still young enough that if anything were to happen, he isn’t emotionally invested. I’d say he only halfway gets it, and also is so busy at this stage that his interest level is pretty low.
What did your exercise schedule look like?
I’ve had friends whose doctors requested they didn’t workout during pregnancy, but for me personally, I’ve never had a doctor recommend against it. With Hudson I was SUPER diligent since I didn’t have a toddler and worked out probably 5 days a week, but with this pregnancy it has been probably closer to 3-4 days. During the first trimester I was so sick that I definitely did skip some weeks to rest. My energy levels were soo low, and I was always scared my vertigo would come back. But, I did keep up some form of physical activity throughout, and once my energy returned in the second trimester I went back to about 3-4 days a week of some kind of workout whether it be 30 minutes of cardio, a Youtube workout video, a run, light weights, etc. I feel so much less achy, and I sleep so much better when I am exercising regularly, so I plan to workout throughout my entire pregnancy just like with Hudson!
Do you have any ideas on the gender?
We found out the gender through the Panorama test around 14 weeks, so we’ve known for over a month. We had a gender reveal party which I will be sharing soon! I am honestly just loving sharing Fall content right now, so that’s my main reason for holding off on sharing, because I have tons of photos from our party, but not enough days in the week to share them all with all of my content I already have planned! I WILL share soon, I promise!
Most exciting thing?
I am honestly so excited for that first moment I meet the baby, and see what it looks like! I loved that time with Hudson. I am also excited to go back in time and get to relive some of my favorite baby things. I’m honestly very scared and anxious about it all knowing how hard it can be at times, but I can’t wait to see Hudson and the baby eventually play together and become friends.
What are the psychological tolls of pregnancy? Very curious. What do you worry about the most?
This is such a great question, and one I’m not sure I’ve been asked before. For me, one of the first psychological questions was CAN I HANDLE THIS? Can I handle pregnancy with a toddler? Will I be able to handle two? Will Hudson resent me? How will Hudson be with the baby? I also worried during the first trimester about the baby, because before you feel them kicking it almost doesn’t feel real. As my pregnancy progressed, my biggest thing turned into “Am I failing?” There were days in the first trimester where I really felt like I was failing at everything. I couldn’t keep up with Hudson, I was lazier than usual in sharing responsibilities with Matt, I couldn’t be a good manager to my assistant because I couldn’t even get up! There was one day where my assistant Sea worked while I laid in bed, I felt so bad! I think as time went on and my energy levels went up, the worry shifted to weight gain – women are always worries about how much weight to gain during pregnancy, if I am eating healthy enough, am I active enough? It’s just a battle every week worrying if you’re gaining too much or not enough. It’s scary to watch your body completely change!
When are you due?
I am due March 7, 2020!
That’s all of the questions for now, I will be back soon with a 20 week update!! If you made it this far, congratulations!!