Photo Credit: Cassie Olimb Photography // Blue Floral Maxi Dress: Red Dress Boutique (c/o) // Lola Cuff Bracelet // Monogram Necklace (XL size in gold) // Earrings //
Hey y’all!!! This post has taken me a minute to write (since I’ll be 17 weeks on Thursday haha), but better late than never! Part of my blog and Instagram present, I always want to be as real, open, and personal with y’all as I can be. I asked for people to send in questions, and thank you to every single one of y’all who did, I totally appreciate it! Being a first time mom and this being my first pregnancy ever, there are so many changes that go on in your body that you don’t even know to know if that makes sense. Without further ado, I’ll go into the Q&A first, and then I will give my thoughts + recap on my personal experience.
When is your due date?
Here due date is March 1, 2018! It’s seriously going to be here before I know it. It’s actually crazy how much of an estimate a due date is. Before getting pregnant, I always thought it was like very scientific. And while, it kinda is, it’s also just the best guess! They actually estimate it from the first day of your last period, which for me was May 25! Your 40 weeks basically starts from there, even though the baby isn’t formed on the first day of your period. Y’all probably already knew that, but I really didn’t! 🙂
What did you track your periods/ovulation on?
For me, I had actually just stopped taking birth control after I got my last period in May (which is so crazy it happened so fast), but for those few weeks after, I used the app called “Glow” on the Apple App store. It basically let’s you track all of your health information, your period start/end date, body temperature, any symptoms, etc. to best predict your ovulation window. I feel like it really helped us, and would totally recommend it to anyone TTC! I also took my temperature every morning before getting out of bed for like 3 or 4 weeks (until I had that first positive pregnancy test!), because they say your temperature will actually spike on days you’re ovulating.
Did you ‘feel’ that you were pregnant before taking the test?
This is actually such a good question! My answer is yes and no. I knew that I felt different, but played it off at first to my body just adjusting after barely being off the birth control pill. One day in particular, Drew & I were actually out shopping at Perimeter Mall and I started having the worst cramps ever. They were so onset and I literally told Drew I just needed to go to the bathroom area of Von Maur and sit down. Thankfully they have awesome seating around the ‘women’s lounge’ (haha) area. They lasted about 15-20 minutes or so (seemed like an eternity) and I felt bad because we drove all the way up there (nearly an hour from our house), and I was about to make Drew drive us back home LOL. Thankfully, I took some ibuprofen, drank a smoothie, and felt better within 30 minutes. Drew was seriously so sweet, and had no idea the crazy thoughts running through my mind lol. Also before I took my pregnancy tests, the weeks leading up my boobs (sorry if this is TMI) hurt so bad an my heart felt like it was constantly racing. I would literally be laying down in bed and it felt as I had just run up a flight of stairs! It was a very weird feeling. I then obviously missed my period and was still convinced that maybe my body was just out of whack (haha), but obviously I took the pregnancy test and it was positive.
How did you find out that you were pregnant?
Funny enough, I took my first pregnancy test on a Friday, and it appeared to be negative. I had no clue what I was doing as this was the first box of pregnancy tests I’d ever purchased in my life! I waited about a minute or so, and nothing happened. I was anxious and really didn’t know what to think because I KNEW that something felt different with my body. I buried it in the trash can (like it was a crime scene weapon or something), because I didn’t want Drew to speculate that I was pregnant. It was such a big deal for me for him to be truly surprise! My curiosity got the best of me on like Sunday or Monday, so I dug the test out of the trash can. :’) Yes, crazy pregnant lady here. And there was the FAINTEST little second line. Had I just not waited long enough?! I was more confused than ever, and was still not convinced that I wasn’t pregnant. Then, that following Tuesday I woke up so early, like 7am, and if you know me my body is never wide awake that early. I went and grabbed the pregnancy test box that I hid in the guest bathroom, and was like okay, if this one is negative, I can just chill out. Well guess what? That beautiful 2nd little pink line popped up within seconds, I’M PREGNANT! I was excited, but also in disbelief. Like, okay was this a false positive?! I know, I’m crazy! So I went on like a 30 minute walk through my neighborhood, came back home, took another test, and it was positive! I was pregnant!
What prenatals are you taking?
I seriously am obsessed with my prenatal vitamins. The day that I found out, Drew & I went to Target and picked up the Smarty Pants Prenatal Complete gummy vitamins. I actually want to do some kind of post on them on their own. I am not sure if I was just lucky or if they’re that good, but I never ever felt bad after taking them. I typically take them in the morning 30 minutes-an hour after eating breakfast. They taste like candy and are packed full of good for mama and baby ingredients, without all the nasty stuff neither of us need! 🙂 I get mine at Target, and they actually have deals frequently on them on the cartwheel app (which I love, anyone else?!).
Morning Sickness?
I feel like I was so lucky to not have any morning sickness really, at all! They say that especially with little girls, mamas are very sick, but that wasn’t the case for me. That’s actually the one part of pregnancy I’ve dreaded forever, because my mom was super sick with my sister + I when she was pregnant. Like they say, every woman is different and every pregnancy is different, so I may be sick with my next baby, who knows? I’m so thankful that it wasn’t bad for me! I would get a little nauseous in the mornings, but that’s really only if I didn’t eat right when I woke up. As long as I ate first thing, I was good. My worst symptom was probably that I was always sooo tired. It was hard for me to find the energy to do my every day things like working out, getting ready, etc. I think tit was compounded too because you really have to watch your caffeine take, and for me, I cut back significantly. For the first few weeks I cut out caffeine completely, but then realized that wasn’t sustainable haha so I keep it to less than 150mg/day.
How am I feeling & what are the biggest changes I’ve noticed with my body?
For starters, I am feeling great! There is just something that is so beautiful and empowering knowing that you are growing the most precious gift inside of you. It’s so hard to describe! I was reading in my pregnancy journal the other day, and this quote really stood out to me. “” .
The biggest changes – let’s see here! For my first trimester I really didn’t show at all! I feel like my little bump popped up around 14 weeks (which is into my 2nd trimester). I know this is different for everyone, but my facial skin is like better than it ever has been. My skin is super clear and soft. The same is the opposite for my back though (thankfully it has subsided), I got horrible acne on my back during the first couple of months of pregnancy. Which, I’ve never had before! Also, fun fact, you can’t use acne medication (topical & def not oral) while pregnant! So all of my acne washes and products with benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid will be taking a 10 month vacation in my beauty cabinets. I feel like my chest has also grown (which was uncomfortable in the beginning), but I really don’t notice it too much now (maybe I’ve just gotten used to them?). I’ve been really good about drinking tons of water, and I really feel like that’s helped me not swell up (yet), so we will see how long that lasts! 🙂
What were your cravings?
For the first trimester, I swear there were like 2 or 3 weeks all I wanted was watermelon or PB&J. Seriously. Everything else just sounded blah to me! I really didn’t have any food aversions, but there would be so many times we would make dinner or go out to eat somewhere and by the time the food was ready, I would change my mind. Poor Drew, but he was always so sweet and understanding. 🙂
What have been the hardest things for you to give up?
Food wise, sushi. OMG!!! I miss eating sushi! More specifically poke bowls, I love raw tuna + salmon, which are both major no-nos while pregnant. I also really like kombucha, so that sucks when Drew is drinking one and I can’t have one. It just has small amounts of alcohol, so I just am steering clear just to be safe! Also, deli meat! I actually didn’t know about this one before I was pregnant, but I can’t have deli meat! The reason is the same for sushi/raw fish, it has to do with the handling of the meat and potential cross-contamination issues. They say if it’s heated well you’re fine, but I am not taking chances. I miss my beach club from Jimmy Johns dearly, though. 🙂
What am I the most nervous about?
Lots of things! Just kidding, well kinda haha. I would say like every first time mama, the delivery! I know it’s going to be horrible, but like my mom says, you see that beautiful baby and forget all of the pain. She said if you didn’t forget, you wouldn’t keep having more babies after that haha. I’m the exited kind of nervous just to know our lives will forever be changed, in which a good way. This life is what Drew and I have known for so long, so to think that it will be so different than it has been, is so crazy/hard to picture. We cannot wait to snuggle with our little princess though. We talk about that all the time, we will just be laying in bed watching tv, saying van you believe in a few months we’ll have our little girl laying right next to us? I can’t wait! I’m also nervous about not getting a lot of sleep. I need a LOT of sleep to function (like 8-10 hours!), so I’m hoping + praying we can maximize our sleep time post-baby. 🙂
Have I purchased maternity clothes/where do I plan on shopping for maternity clothes?
I actually haven’t bought anything specifically maternity yet, but the new purchases I’ve made, I’ve definitely had my growing bump in mind! Shift dresses are perfect for small/medium-sized bumps, because they’re very loose and flowy throughout the belly and hip areas. Not to mention they’re the comfiest things, ever! Flowy tops and kimonos have been my go-tos lately also! I actually have a girlfriend who just gave me like 6 pairs of maternity jeans (she’s amazing!!), and I can’t wait to start rocking those. They’re mostly from Gap and Old Navy, and a couple Jessica Simpson pairs as well. They’re all my normal size (6/28) and fit really well. I’ve also been eyeing a few pairs of Jeans from A Pea in the Pod, they actually feel designer jeans that I wear when I’m not pregnant. 🙂 These maternity jeans are so adorable and trendy, I really want to get a pair (or 2!). I love these maternity jeans too, the wash is perfect as a medium washed jean really goes with everything!
