Oh, Baby! Part 1: First Trimester

It was a long road to get to Quincy, but boy was it worth it! Aaron and I decided to start a family in fall of 2016, right after we got back from Spain. As the year went on, we realized it wasn’t happening quite as fast as it should, so we started looking into our options with a fertility specialist. We ended up getting put on the 8 month waiting list and finally got things rolling in January 2019. By March of 2019 we were pregnant! IUI is the procedure that worked for us and I’m so very glad it did. Below is a picture of the day we went in for the procedure, International Women’s Day! I remember feeling so confident and serene. I knew this was going to work and I was excited.

I found out I was pregnant on March 19 and kept it secret from Aaron for 2 whole days because I couldn’t figure out how to tell him. I finally decided to include it in an apology video for missing my best friend’s birthday. It’s really difficult to surprise Aaron and unfortunately, I didn’t surprise him this time either.

Month 1

I found out I was pregnant 3 weeks and 4 days in and only knew I was pregnant because of the pregnancy test. I felt absolutely nothing out of the ordinary for weeks! No weird cramps, no sore breasts, no extra sleep needs, no morning sickness… I honestly should not have bragged so much about that early on. It came back to bite me in the but during month 2. Everyone kept asking me “How do you feel?” and at that time I was just so elated to be pregnant I always answered with a resounding “Great!” We spent a lot of time with friends during this time. These folks were my support group through the entire journey. Also, a new car was in store so my trusty Honda Civic was out and a new Subaru Outback was in!

Month 2

Then the 7th week hit and it all went haywire. All of this sudden my appetite was gone and morning sickness was more like all day sickness. I was still working full time, so my office mates really got me through this until the end of the school year. I didn’t have the exhaustion that some people experience, but being so sick all the time made me want to just sleep instead of be sick all evening. I was going to bed around 5:30-6 throughout the rest of my first trimester. At least if I was sleeping, I wasn’t feeling sick! Cycling also kept my mind off the nausea and I got some much needed exercise. Coffee was completely out, peppermint tea was in. I lived on a diet of buttered noodles and toast, with some brothy soups mixed in there. To this day I still feel guilty for not eating better during this important developmental time for my baby, but I never missed a prenatal vitamin!

Month 3

The end of the school year came and went and I was very sick during this time. I wasn’t throwing up, but I was nauseous from sun up to sun down. It was really a blur, but I do remember starting to get really excited about the nursery. The first job was to clear out my office space and transition it to a nursery. It was quite a task and it took the next 4 months to really get it completed. Aaron took really good care of me during this time. I was sick for the majority of it and he cooked whatever I asked for…which was mostly soup, noodles, or toast…again. Root beer was a big hit during this time too. We were able to get three ultrasounds of the baby before the end of the 1st trimester because we had gone through a fertility office, so we followed up a lot to make sure everything was good.

Seeing that baby bean for the first time was indescribable. That feeling of knowing you’re housing a growing human was something I only thought I was prepared for. I was not prepared for those feelings. It makes me tear up just remembering!

8 Week Ultrasound

12 Week Ultrasound

14 Week Ultrasound

It was amazing to see the progress on the ultrasound on how big that baby got in only a few weeks. First it was a jelly bean, then gummy bear, and then a nutter butter bar (speaking size wise). After the 14th week, I wouldn’t see baby until 21 weeks when they did the anatomy scan. I just had to wait and let him grow.

I do remember thinking I couldn’t imagine being pregnant and taking care of a toddler like my best friend was. I was horribly sick and really enjoyed my much needed me time. I definitely established some extra respect for all moms out there! The 2nd trimester got better and was really my “adventure” trimester.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin