First Trimester Pregnancy Recap

Well, even though I’m now 15+ weeks along, I thought I’d do a First Trimester Pregnancy recap!

Since this is my last pregnancy, I want to remember all the fun (and not so fun) details.  I’m also hoping this post can help any of you out there who are pregnant or wanting to be pregnant soon. 🙂

I know EVERY lady is different and results will vary in regards to morning sickness, weight gain, cravings, body structure and weird pregnancy issues.  Soooo, I’m obviously just sharing my experience and the things that have happened to me!

Weight Gain and Belly Pics…

I gained 5 pounds in my first trimester, which I’m okay with.  I’m really hoping to keep my overall weight gain to 30 pounds….fingers crossed.

I haven’t taken too many “belly pictures” yet because I really don’t have much of a belly.  My waist has definitely expanded though!  I also feel extra poofy and bloated.  My arms definitely seem bigger and my feet and ankles seem extra poofy at times too.  Ya, it’s so cute.

I really want to document my belly growth this time around because sadly, I wasn’t too diligent at taking pictures during my other pregnancies.  Sooo, I will definitely be posting lots of “belly pics” on this blog.  I’m sure you’re all thrilled. 😉

Sooooo, I took these lovely pictures yesterday morning.  I’m now 15+ weeks along…

Yes, I totally should have smiled in that side profile pic.  However, I decided it required too much brain power to hold my phone AND take the picture with one hand while keeping my other arm out of the way!  You can tell I’m deeply concentrating.  Hee hee.  Oh, and I also realize these pictures are blurry.  I’m technologically challenged.

Here’s another picture Kev took of me on Sunday.  Yes, I know my outfit is scary….it’s my typical cozy Sunday (after church) attire!

Morning Sickness

Sadly, y’all know how sick I’ve been.  Blah.  Fortunately, I haven’t thrown up at all, but I’ve felt right on the verge many, many, many times!

I started feeling sick right around 7 weeks, but it wasn’t too bad.  I felt a little bit nauseous, but it didn’t seem to overtake my life.

The morning “all day long” sickness definitely peaked from weeks 9-12.  It was almost unbearable at times.  I would feel sorta kinda okay in the morning (why in the world is it called morning sickness!??) and then it would get worse and worse as the day progressed.

By 4:00 or 5:00, I would be just so darn sick.  I’m sure Kev and the kids were so tired of hearing me moan, groan and complain all the time.  However, moaning, groaning and complaining DID help me feel a little bit better though. 😉

I started to feel slightly better from week 13 until now (week 15.)  I’m still not 100%, but I’m SO MUCH better than I was!  Phew.

Morning Sickness Remedies

I’m sorry to say that NOTHING really helped to relieve my morning sickness.  I tried pretty much everything my doctor recommended; Vitamin B6 mixed with half a Unisom, Phenergan (made me super tired and restless!) and Zofran (didn’t seem to help at all).

I also tried wearing motion sickness bands.  They may have helped an itty bitty bit, but it was nothing significant.  I did find that eating carbs seemed to settle my stomach a bit though.

Energy Level

I’m always so amazed at how tired I am when I’m pregnant!  It seems like the minute I get a positive pregnancy test, I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus!

There were days I would fall back asleep after I dropped the big kids at school, then fall asleep again on the couch later in the day and then be ready to go to bed by 8:00 PM.  Sadly, an 8:00 bedtime is not an option for a mother of 5 though. 🙁

I just felt so dang tired ALL THE TIME!  I tried to listen to my body and would rest whenever I could.

Cravings

I didn’t have any REAL cravings because NOTHING sounded good to me at all.  However, there were a few things that sounded less gross…

• Fruit always tasted wonderful especially berries, pineapple and bananas
• Eggs.  I loved having scrambled eggs or a fried egg on toast.
• Cottage cheese.  I loved to dip healthier crackers in cottage cheese.  It was quick, easy, no nonsense and filled me up!
• Yogurt.  Yogurt was also quick, easy and always tasted good.
• Sugary candy.  Things like Laffy Taffy, Sweet Tarts and Starburst seemed to settle my tummy a bit.  Weird.
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches.  These always sounded good to me and were so quick and easy to make.

This has been a typical lunch for me the past couple months…PB&J with fruit (yes, that is Grover on my plate.)

Food Aversions

Pretty much everything sounded gross to me except the foods I mentioned above!  There were definitely things that sounded extra gross though.

• Water. Yes, this one made me sad because I LOVE water!  Actually, all drinks sounded pretty gross to me because it made me ill to have liquid sloshing around in my stomach.  I still made myself drink water, but not nearly as much as I usually do.
• Protein Shakes and Green Smoothies.  Okay, when I first got pregnant, I had a wonderful plan to just drink protein shakes and green smoothies whenever I felt nauseous.  I thought it would be easier to sip on a drink rather than actually eat something.  I also thought it would be a great way to get extra fruits and veggies in.  WELL, as soon as the “morning sickness” hit, the thought of a green smoothie or protein shake made me want to hurl.  Soooo, my plan didn’t work.  Dang.
• Vegetables.  Yes, this one made me sad too.  Veggies just didn’t sound good to me AT ALL.  I still tried to fit them it whenever I could, but it was pretty pathetic.  I did try to order a salad whenever we went out to eat though because salads just taste so much better when I don’t have to make them myself!
• Mint Gum.  Actually anything minty sounded disgusting to me.  I resorted to eating fruity or cinnamon gum occasionally.
• Cakes, cookies, brownies, all the good stuff.  Yes, all my favorite treats sounded pretty gross to me most of the time!  I still ate them from time to time, but I can’t say I ever craved them at all!  I wish this food aversion would stay with me, dang it.

Exercise!

For the first few weeks I did pretty good and kept to my typical 4 killer workouts a week.  However, after my weird neurological experience, I slowed down quite a bit.  I took a couple weeks off completely and then started working out from home.  From weeks 9-12 (when I was extra sick), I probably only exercised once (maybe twice) a week though.

I’m happy to say that since my energy level has increased the past week or so, I’ve been exercising a lot more and it makes me so so happy!  My new “plan” is to go to two muscle classes at the gym and then run twice a week.  I may throw in an extra run or an “at home” workout too, depending on how I’m feeling.  For now, I’m just happy to feel sorta kinda like my normal self again!

Other Pregnancy Weirdness

• I had the nose of a dog.  Yes, I could smell EVERYTHING within a 5 mile radius.  It was terrible.  My “mega smelling skills” killed what little appetite I had left and made me so DANG sick!  I couldn’t even stand the smell of soap or shampoo.  Psycho.
• I had (and still have) “cotton mouth” and a weird taste in my mouth constantly.  It’s not fun at all.  Chewing gum seems to help, as long as it’s not mint gum (**see food aversions.)
• My nose has been stuffed and I’ve felt congested.  I read that this is a normal symptom of pregnancy.  Isn’t that so weird!??  Maybe it’s the body’s natural way of dealing with the “dog nose smell skills,” lol.
• I get heartburn quite often.  I always get heartburn when I’m pregnant.  Yuck.  When I’m not pregnant, I might get it once a year or even less.  I’m really not a fan of heartburn and Tums make me want to hurl.
• I pee all day and all night long.  That might be TMI, but it’s the truth!  It’s actually increased quite a bit since I started my second trimester too.  I have to wake up in the night at least two times to go.  It’s a royal pain.

Well, that pretty much sums up my first trimester!  I’m so grateful to have it over with….forever!

I really want to enjoy the rest of this pregnancy.  It will be a lot of fun to watch my belly (thighs, face, arms and bum) grow and feel the miracle of a baby once again.  I want to cherish every moment since this will be my last pregnancy.  Sigh.

Oh, and I also wanted to tell you guys that we will be finding out what we’re having in 6 days!!  Eeee!

On March 3rd, my doc said she could do a “gender check.”  Everyone is SO excited!  Of course, we would love to have another little girl since we only have one, but I wouldn’t mind another sweet little boy either!  I’m just hoping for a 100% healthy baby.  I’ll of course, inform all y’all as soon as we find out!!

Well, that’s all folks!  Have a great night!

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