For some this may come as a surprise but if Dan and I see you in person regularly then you already know this news. We are thrilled that we are expecting our first child this July! This is something that we have been enjoying with our close friends and family for a while but now that it’s pretty much impossible to hide, I’m ready to pull the bandaid and share our news more broadly. It can be tricky to navigate how you want to tell your job, your acquaintances, etc and I’m such a shy person when unveiling such big news about my personal life it was nice to keep our little bundle close to us at the beginning. To be honest, it also didn’t feel fully real until I started to show. Even when we’d go for appointments and see the baby on the screen, I still couldn’t really believe it to be true since I have felt a million symptoms but none of them were a baby wiggling around in my stomach. This was something we were actively trying for so it wasn’t a surprise or anything, it’s just such an unreal experience that I’m glad we get to share together.

I don’t blog much on here anymore but it’s been such an amazing time capsule for me to look back on so I thought I would blog about my pregnancy experience so far so I can remember all the details to look back on and if by chance you find it interesting, than I’m happy to share more!

Symptoms

• bloating from even before I took a pregnancy test
• heartburn – I have had heartburn in general, pregnant or not, it’s just amplified now 🙂
• Nightime headaches
• Nausea in first trimester but pretty much gone now unless I eat something weird
• Loss of breath – sometimes I will be doing absolutely nothing and just be out of breath, for someone who loves to workout and be active this is a very foreign feeling but I feel very in touch with my body and have slowed down quite a bit
• Fatigue – napping is my jam! Sometimes I get home from work, take a nap, wake up for an hour or two, and then go to bed. I’m just also relishing this time now to sleep because I know those days are numbered 🙂
• My bra size has more than doubled… I will leave it at that. There are a lot more physical symptoms but I will leave the tmi out for now.
• Mood swings – the hardest part of being pregnant is taking Bart to work every day where you patience is truly tested! I wouldn’t say I get super cranky or anything, I just feel less patient overall.

Soooo after hearing all that, who wants to hang out? These symptoms have me completely convinced I am having a girl for no other reason than the surge of hormones is REAL. No matter what you are having, a pregnant person gets a surge of hormones anyway so who really knows but we will find out soon! Now onto the more fun stuff.

Food “Cravings”

• CARBS – all the carbs, mainly bagels and cream cheese but I’ll take toast any way. I don’t say cravings really because it’s not like I’m craving anything really, just some things taste so much better than others
• Fruit – Whatever is in season but oranges and mango have been my go to’s lately.
• Eggs – I’ve always liked eggs but I probably eat eggs every day now and am loving it
• Pickles – so cliche but I’ve always like pickles so now I just always order extra if I’m ordering a meal that includes pickles
• Ice Water – this sounds so basic but I crave cold water, it’s just so damn good!

Items/Things I’m loving

• Maternity pants/leggings – So many people told me not to waste money on maternity clothes but honestly, for me, they have been such an amazing investment. I imagine I will wear them well into even postpartum.
• Maternity pillow – wowwwww, I am obsessed with the pregnancy pillow Dan got me that’s basically a big huge U-Shape. I am a cozy person in general and love laying in bed drinking tea or reading, etc so this has just made my bed time experience all the better :). I don’t sleep incredibly well through the night so it makes it just a more pleasant experience all around.
• Prenatal yoga – I didn’t really know what to expect when I signed up for a prenatal class, I thought it would just be super modified yoga. However, with a skilled Doula leading the class she actually has been teaching me a lot about pregnancy and birth and how to work with your body when it’s sending you signals of any kind. Also, the sense of community. It’s so nice to meet other expecting mom’s in my neighborhood.
• Mom tribes! I have so many amazing mom’s in my life who have been nothing but overly helpful and generous with their time, advice, etc. This is completely PRICELESS!

Activities

• I’m mainly now just sticking to Yoga pretty regularly and walking a lot. I use my Fitbit to make sure I’m getting at least 10,000 steps a day in and trying to soak in all the fresh air I can because it just feels good.
• I was still horseback riding up until recently which was fine because the horse I ride is very safe but ultimately stopped because without a core it’s a lot achier on my back and hips
• I did go skiing and snowboarding but this is something I’m very comfortable with and we went during the week to avoid big crowds. One of the biggest concerns with people continuing to do this sport while pregnant is actually other people, the risk of someone else running into you so we were super mindful of this.

Everyone has their own experience and makes their own choices so you just have to do what’s best for you. My experience has definitely been interesting and I’m sure there is always something new that will pop up to learn about myself, my body, the pregnancy, and then our baby!