my experience with the first trimester

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I’ve been helping hundreds of women with their pregnancy as both a registered dietitian and certified lactation consultant for several years. Every pregnancy experience is unique and over the past 3.5 years I’ve used many women’s testimonials in my practice. I have been using their stories along with my  nutrition education to help mothers. Well, I’m excited to say it’s now time for me to experience what pregnancy is first hand. I’ve been keeping a pregnancy journal to try to track my meals and my symptoms. It’s been quite the journey so far! I’m currently at 12 weeks, so just cleared my first trimester. So, let me tell you about it…

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How I found out:

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I got off my birth control (the Nexplanon) beginning of December 2017 as my husband and I decided we were “ready for a kid” (are you ever really ready though??). My periods were so irregular after getting off of the birth control. I was late by 5-7 days every month and I kept thinking I was pregnant, but when I’d take a pregnancy test, it was always negative. Then came May, 5 months after I stopped birth control and our 3 year wedding anniversary was the 30th. I was 3 days late from the previous months menstrual cycle so I didn’t think I was pregnant, but I just thought it’d be so so cool if I could surprise my husband on our anniversary with a positive pregnancy test. I actually prayed to God and asked that if it was His will, that I might be able to gift my husband the best gift – to carry his baby. We had just moved from Hawaii two weeks prior and we were starting over in Florida, where he is now stationed with the military.

I took a pregnancy test trying not to get my hopes up. Since I was checking every month thinking I was pregnant but actually wasn’t, I was preparing myself to not be pregnant. When low and behold the positive plus sign appeared. I can’t tell you how many angles I held that pregnancy stick in and how many lights I turned on and off to make sure it was actually a plus sign. It was! I couldn’t believe it. I called my best friend and my sisters because I just HAD to tell someone but I didn’t want to tell my husband just yet. We all squealed with our high pitched voices.

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My husband and I had agreed that we would NOT get each other anniversary gifts this year, since we had  just moved and there was a lot going on. Well the morning of our anniversary, May 30th, I took another pregnancy test just to make sure and it was positive again. I wrapped up the pregnancy tests and wrote my husband a poem basically saying how much I thanked God for him, how much we’ve grown together and to let him know he was going to be a dad.

“…I want you to know, that our family’s about to grow. A son or a daughter, you’re going to be a father…”

I waited till he woke up, then told him I got him a gift. “No NO NO! Babe! We agreed! We are not getting each other gifts!” “I know I know, but I saw this and I just HAD to get it for you!” He was definitely not happy I got him a gift because he felt bad he didn’t get me anything.

I told him to read the poem first, then open the box. I watched his eyes read the poem then when he got to the bottom of the page, he stopped, looked at me, and I could see tears flooding his eyes. I’ve only seen him cry twice – our wedding day, and now. He then opened the box and looked at the tests and was just speechless. It was so so sweet! He said he never would’ve guessed!

I’ve always wanted to surprise my husband, and today I finally did it! It was the best anniversary gift we both could have gotten.

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About my pregnancy:

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I’m at 12 weeks now – at the end of the first trimester!  Yay! So I wanted to let you know about my experience…

My pregnancy (so far!), has not been that bad! The first symptoms I noticed were my breasts aching, which brought me back to when I was studying for the IBCLC lactation exam. It’s my breasts growing its factory to make milk. The hormone estrogen controls the growth of the ducts, and progesterone controls the growth of the glandular buds (the milk making tissue). Also follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, prolactin, oxytocin and human placental lactogen are all in full force getting my body ready to be able to breastfeed. I’ve also noticed my areola getting darker and larger, which is to help the baby find the breast easier after delivery since they can’t see well.

I was around 4 or 5 weeks when I found out I was pregnant. I then had to do a urine test at a lab to confirm my pregnancy. At 6 weeks, I had to enroll with my OB and just filled out a TON of paperwork. I met with one of the nurses and she scheduled my appointment to meet my OB. I actually requested a midwife instead. At 10 weeks, I had my first ultrasound with my midwife. It was so so crazy seeing my lil peanut! Too early to see if its a girl or boy, but he/she was kicking and my midwife kept saying how active she/he was. We could see his/her heart beat which is crazy. Peanut is definitely alive and already a human being. So amazing!

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I will say at 12 weeks I definitely don’t look pregnant. I thought my belly would start to show, but it hasn’t yet! I’ve gained 3lbs which is what the recommendation is for my pregnancy weight gain bracket. I occasionally get abdominal pain which I know is a sign that my uterus is growing. For the most part, things are great. I break down other aspects of my pregnancy below. (I’ve been keeping a week by week pregnancy journal to help me keep track).

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Food and Nutrition:

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My appetite was very big until about week 7 or 8, when the nausea started to hit me. Thankfully I never had full on morning sickness, but just some nausea here and there- especially if I wasn’t eating or drinking. My nausea would get worse in the evenings around dinner time. I carried Peppermint essential oils in my pocket and would smell it anytime I got nauseous. I tried eating the ginger candies but they didn’t really help.

Almonds and frozen fruit were my go to when feeling nauseous. Oh my goodness, did they help! I had to have cold food and anything hot made me sick, which is probably why I felt  more nauseous at dinner time. 

Before pregnancy, I was mostly vegan/vegetarian, however I never used the labels as such because I don’t like putting rules or restrictions on myself. I’d occassionally have fish or cheese. So far, I’ve tried to stick to my old ways, but honestly I have no desire for tofu, beans, hummus (!!), or any protein that was cooked. I don’t remember the last time I had yogurt, but I started incorporating greek yogurt because it was so easy to eat a cold container of it that had 15g of protein (during pregnancy you want to aim for 71g of protein a day!).

I didn’t have any crazy cravings, but one thing I did crave that was strange was Ranch dressing with cucumbers. I didn’t however give in.

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Protein has definitely been the hardest thing for me especially since I don’t really consume animal products. I did start eating scrambled eggs, sardines,and yogurt in addition to some plant based proteins like peanut butter, chia seed pudding, oatmeal, and protien smoothies. I tried to force myself to eat more beans but I never realized how strong food aversions are! If you don’t want something, don’t force yourself! Which is advice I used to tell moms – “well can you just make yourself eat it — your baby needs this” LOL. I definitely know it’s possible to be vegan and pregnant, but for me being primarily concerned with nutrition and having such strong food aversions to vegan foods, I chose to eat more animal products. Disclaimer – now that I’m moving out from my nausea, I’ve resorted back to my vegan/plant based ways, even though I do need to be a LOT more mindful of my protein… 71g/day is rough!

I did throw up once (so far), and that was at 10 weeks when I took my prenatal vitamin at night on an empty stomach – dumb move! I had only a slice of bread and some frozen fruit at dinner and I guess it wasn’t enough. I remember smelling my peppermint EO profusely, and eating more bread just trying to help the nausea go away, but it was too late =/ Ugh I cannot tell you how much I HATE throwing up! I remember sitting in the bathroom floor by the toilet, eating 5-6 slices of bread after I threw up! Just trying to fill my stomach with something!

In terms of fatigue – I’ve been feeling great! I know some women say, they feel like they’ve been hit by a truck and literally have no energy for anything! I’ve woken up with lots of energy. There might have been days here and there where I just needed a quick cat nap, but pretty much felt fine.

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Exercise:

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I am so so thankful to live right next to a gym that offers free classes to all military spouses! So having a free gym with classes I enjoy, with friends that I’ve met that encourage me to go, has really been wonderful. My energy is great, however I do get tired and get out of breath faster but I’m being more careful about listening to my body and slowing down when I feel weak. I usually push myself through HIIT workouts and tell myself  “pain is all in my head”- which are not a good thing to practice. So I’m being a lot more mindful now. I try to go running in the evening if I don’t feel nauseous. I did run one mile and was planning on going for my second mile when all of a sudden I got a HUGE hit of nausea and had to stop and walk home. I’ve been going to yoga classes twice a week, and then a spin class 1-2x/week. I also go walking with my  dog in the evenings, which is nice. So overall, I think the exercise is still good. That’s one thing I’m so thankful for – I don’t have pure utter fatigue, like I know a lot of moms experience.

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Prenatal Vitamins:

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I started taking prenatal vitamins 2 months before I got my birth control taken out to prepare my body. I was also taking either just folate or a prenatal vitamin until I found out I was pregnant. Once I found out I was pregnant at 5 weeks, I started taking the prenatals and DHA supplement. I’ve been taking general prenatal vitamins that my midwife prescribed me- however they do not have DHA in them! Ladies…make sure you are taking some kind of DHA supplement if your prenatal vitamins don’t have it! DHA is so important for baby’s brain development which is crucial in the first trimester!

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My take away:

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I’m not sure if it’s because I had been preparing my body nutritionally before conception or if that’s just the way my body is, but overall I have not felt really sick. I try to eat on a consistent basis and keep healthy snacks with me at all times. I carry around bags of almonds, granola bars, rice cakes, or even pbj sandwiches. I eat  a lot of fruit and thankfully since it’s summer, time there is an abundance of options. I eat mangos, peaches, watermelon, and cherries all the time.

My recommendations are to eat consistently – whatever your body can handle. I’d recommend foods/snacks with vitamin B6 which helps with nausea. For me it was almonds and frozen fruit. Try to do whatever workouts you can handle. I definitely know it helps fight fatigue (which sounds counterintuitive), but I think that’s what has helped with my energy. Find a gym or exercise with a friend or mom group. Don’t put food restrictions on yourself – if you can avoid the unhealthy cravings, thats great! However, if that’s all you can hold down then just make sure you are aware of how your body feels with different foods.  It is possible to stay vegan and be pregnant, but for me I opted to eat animal products when I needed it.

Unfortunately the first trimester is the most critical time for proper nutrition because the first trimester is when all the major organs are developing (2nd and third trimester is all about growth and maturation). So I think preparing your body before pregnancy will help. Definitely take prenatal vitamins. If you can handle smoothies – try to pack as much nutrition as you can.

You’ve got it! Time sure does fly! I can’t believe the first trimester is up already! Yay for motherhood! 

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