I will never forget the feeling of seeing those two little pink lines for the first time.
Shock – obviously.
A ridiculously high level of nervousness – absolutely.
Complete and utter excitement – most definitely!
I remember looking at Orion (my oh so lovable 100 lb Golden-Aussie) and him looking back at me, and simply stating “oh sh*t.” We can read each others minds so I’m sure he was thinking the same thing…
After the excitement rolls through, panic sets in and sets in quickly. What do I do? What’s going to happen? How will things change? Omg what am I supposed to eat and not eat? What can I expect?
I am one of the first in my group of friends to become pregnant so it was definitely hard for me to find people to turn to, and since it was early on I didn’t necessarily want to share the news yet.
So, to whom did I turn – the all-knowing, always useful sidekick we have with us on a day-to-day basis.
Google.
Yep, Google.
I literally googled “I have a positive pregnancy test. What should I do?” and “First Trimester 101.” As you can imagine, the mass amount of information was absolutely overwhelming. Not only that, but a lot of the information I found was contradictory. There are tons of resources out there, but I found that the following 3 steps were the most beneficial at the beginning:
- Schedule an appointment with your OBGYN as soon as possible. Now don’t panic–most offices will make you wait until you’re 8 weeks pregnant to come in for an appointment, so it’s completely normal to not see a doctor for a few weeks after you find out.
- Tell your significant other and figure out who your people will be. Most people wait, but I truly found it invaluable to have people I could confide in when I was feeling anxious or had questions. You will be telling these people about your pregnancy before you are out of the first trimester, so be sure you are ok with them knowing about your health even if things may not go as planned. My mother and mother-in-law were the first people (besides my husband) who were let in on the good news.
- Find a pregnancy app that will help with all the questions you may have along the way. There are tons of options, but I chose to go with The Bump. This app gives you weekly updates on the babe, can send you daily notifications, and it updates your daily list of articles with topics that are relevant to your current stage of pregnancy. The Bump has been my pregnancy Bible since the moment I found out I was expecting
That’s it! That’s literally all you need to think about for the first 8 weeks. Pretty simple huh? But if you’re anything like me, I’m sure you want to get an idea of what you can expect. To give you a brief overview, here’s a recounting of the symptoms and emotions I experienced during my first trimester.
My Symptoms
Extreme Fatigue
- I could literally nap all day if I had the option. I used to wake up at 4:45 AM to make it to 5:30 AM bootcamp sessions, but I was lucky if I could pull myself out of bed by 8 AM.
- After work, I would immediately take a nap, make dinner, and then go right back to sleep. Orion and I were on the same schedule….
Nausea
- I was very lucky and never experienced any nausea or morning sickness. I just needed to eat a small snack about every 30 minutes (which was pretty annoying considering I had to constantly take my Invisalign trays in and out every time).
- Keep in mind that this is NOT the norm. It’s typical to feel extremely nauseous throughout the pregnancy and especially in the first trimester.
Back Pain
- This early in the pregnancy, I wasn’t showing but I surprisingly felt extremely uncomfortable all the time. I would constantly feel pressure and tweaks in my lower back.
- To combat the back pain, my husband purchased a back-support cushion for my desk chair at work. I’m telling you, the additional padding was clutch for a long day at the office!
Indigestion
- I’ve never been a burper, but the burping is REAL. Enough said…
Cravings
- I only wanted savory, tangy, and spicy foods. Sweets were just not doing it for me–no donuts, ice cream, candy, etc which was surprising considering I could down a dozen donuts like it’s my job.
- POTATOES – all the potatoes! If I could have had some sort of potato dish as part of every meal I would have.
- Wendy’s cheeseburgers and Arby’s roast beef sandwiches were a staple for lunch.
- I absolutely could not stomach salads and other veggies. It was like my taste buds completely refused to acknowledge that these foods had flavor.
- I never thought I’d see the day but I could not stomach coffee for the life of me. It was way too acidic and bitter. Even the smell would be too much for me.
Workouts
- For the most part, you can continue to workout as you were before you found out you were expecting. I probably read over 50 articles on the topic, but the consensus is you can feel free to workout at the same level you did pre-pregnancy, you just have to watch your heart rate.
- Some people will say you need to keep your heart rate under 140 bpm, however a better measure (mainly because everyone is different) is to ensure that you are able to have a conversation at all times during your workouts. If it becomes difficult to speak, you need to slow down and take a break.
- I was really concerned about my workouts as I was a member of a bootcamp program–and let me tell ya, these 45 minute workouts were intense to say the least. For peace of mind, I chose to cancel my bootcamp membership and booked a weekly session with a personal trainer instead. These have been AH-mazing. I’ve been able to get in a good workout and push myself, while knowing that someone is always watching and providing guidance on how to best proceed based on my current stage of pregnancy and any symptoms I may be experiencing that day.
Clothing
- There is a lot going on in the first trimester, but you typically have yet to “show.” I was able to wear items from my pre-pregnancy wardrobe up until about Week 13. This is the point in my pregnancy where I started to absolutely hate any sort of restrictive clothing below, on, or above my stomach. I could button my jeans but I would be unbelievably uncomfortable less than an hour later. I even tried the hair tie trick….you know the one…..I hated it. I felt like my pants were super undone at all times and it made me super self-conscious. Thankfully, my office is super casual so I could go to work and wear leggings, Uggs, and a nice sweater–comfy to the max!
- I didn’t start investing in a new wardrobe until I hit the 12th week of pregnancy. I purchased a few tops and sweaters in a size larger than normal, but didn’t feel the need to invest in any maternity pieces as of yet. I would rock a lot of my non-maternity sweaters and shift dresses if I wanted to wear an outfit that didn’t involve leggings of some sort.
Emotions
- I can honestly say my emotions were relatively stable throughout the entire first trimester. I never really felt the need to lash out at any one or break into tears, which is pretty normal for pregnancy.
- The only emotion I felt more often than normal was annoyance…mainly at work….but that’s normal right?!
The hardest part of the first trimester is dealing with the unknown. You want to tell everyone and jump for joy, but at the same time you want to keep the news to yourself and your loved ones because you’re not quite in the “safe zone” in terms of the chance of a miscarriage. The way I tackled this anxiety, was to simply enjoy everything in the moment and not give into the fear of the what could be. Staying calm, and not becoming stressed, is good for both you and baby.
And that’s a wrap! I know that was a lot of information but I was just so excited to share (…and knew how much I wanted to know about other mothers’ experiences when I first found out). I am by no means an expert on pregnancy and please keep in mind that everyone’s experience is totally different. I would love to hear about your experiences and please please please drop any advice you may have for the next two trimesters in a comment below.
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