First Trimester Bump Date + Pregnancy Q&A

 

Hiiii friends! :)

 

This may be one of my most exciting posts I've ever written! It has literally taken me so long to get it finished because I have so many things I want to share and say! First, I just want to say to all of the women experiencing infertility and struggle with getting pregnant that my heart is with you and honestly I could not fathom how you may be feeling. Everyone has different journeys and even though our story is quite a God-sent miracle, I still very much feel for those who can't say the same. Sending you so much love and it is my hope that you will have a happy ending to your baby journey.


 Now, let's get started.

 


I cannot explain to you all how extremely excited Marcus and I are to welcome our Little Bean into our home in October 2021! We have always known that we wanted to have children, but we just honestly could never make up our minds on when. As you all know, we love to GO. We are always traveling, hanging out with friends, doing spontaneous things together and for the longest time we just couldn't see how a baby would fit into that world (just being completely transparent), but over the last year we started having even more in-depth conversations about having a baby and ultimately decided that we truly wanted this and we realized that the longer we waited, the more reasons we would find not to do it. Also, we are the most careful people on the planet, so we also knew it wouldn't "just happen" to us. We had to consciously decide that we were going to do this. So, we made the decision at the very end of 2020 that we would start trying first of the year. So on January 1, 2021, we began our journey to becoming parents.

 

When is your due date?

We are due October 23, 2021! Hello Fall Baby! :)

 

When and how did you find out?

So, here's the thing. I am someone who is always very in tune with my body. I have my period tracker app always updated and I experience ovulation pains so I know when that's happening too. My body always does the same things when preparing for that time of the month. So, I knew my time of the month was approaching, but my body just did not feel like it normally would feel. I immediately thought, "am I pregnant?", but brushed it off because I mean.. we had JUST started trying.

 

Something kept tugging at me though, so on Feb. 11th (which was the day my period was supposed to start), I went and bought a pregnancy test after work. I took the test and saw a VERY faint second line. I wasn't convinced so I said I would wait until the 13th and if my period still hadn't come, I would take the other test. So, that morning, I took the other test and y'all... the second line was VERY clear, lol but guess what? I still wasn't convinced! So after work, I went and bought the test that says "pregnant" or "not pregnant" and took that test that night and well... y'all know the rest. :)

At this point, I felt like I had the sweetest secret and I was over the moon with emotion/excitement. I still could not believe these tests were saying I was pregnant! I was home alone and I recorded some videos of my initial reaction so I would have them to look back on later. I honestly could not wait to share it with Marcus! However, y'all know I'm extra so I didn't just want to tell him, I wanted him to find out in a special way!



How Did You Tell Marcus?

As luck would have it, the next day was Valentine's Day! So I immediately hopped on Amazon to see if they had any baby announcement items I could have sent for overnight delivery. I ended up finding a super cute onesie and a glass that said "Dad Est. 2021" and they both said they would be delivered by 8pm on 2/14. PERFECT. I could not wait! I planned to put the onesie, glass, pregnancy test, and a bottle of one of his favorite whiskey's I had already got customized for Valentine's Day in a box and give it to him. I went to sleep EXTRA early on the 13th because I was afraid if I stayed up talking to him, I'd spill the beans before I was ready, haha!

 

On Valentine's Day we exchanged gifts early and I told him I had another gift for him, but part of it wasn't here yet and so he would have to wait until it arrived. Y'all... I checked my Amazon tracking ALL. DAY. LONG. I was so anxious! Unfortunately, this was right before the "Nashville Snow", so my package ended up being delayed and did not come until February 20th! Y'all know I didn't wait though, lol. Once I got the notification it wouldn't come on time (around 8pm), I ran downstairs and printed pictures of the onesie and glass and proceeded with my plan. There was NO WAY I could keep this to myself another day!

 

When I tell you guys Marcus reaction was PRICELESS.. I mean it was absolutely priceless. I have honestly never seen him overcome with that much emotion! He did not cry, but he definitely had glassy eyes and he was just so surprised and happy! He also couldn't believe how fast it happened. It was literally the best Valentine's Day and we were able to just share our joy and excitement with each other and talk about our hopes and dreams for the sweet Little Bean!

 


What was your first symptom you can remember?

HEADACHES. Terrible, throbbing, I want to pull my hair out, headaches! Once I found out I was pregnant, it all started to make sense. They were so intense and made me not want to get out of bed! I think headaches were my top symptom throughout the entire first trimester. Prior to pregnancy, I was always so quick to pop a Advil or Tylenol for any ache or pain! It's so crazy how much your tolerance increases when you think about the precious baby you're trying to protect. Even after my doctor told me I could take Tylenol, I didn't do it. I have just been toughing these bad boys out!


Did you experience morning sickness?

Yes and no? I am so happy to say that although I definitely experienced nausea in my first trimester, I never actually threw up! Honestly experiencing morning sickness was one of my biggest fears when thinking about having a baby because I have a REAL fear of throwing up! When I was younger, I would cry when I would be really sick because I was scared I would throw up. I truly thank God that I haven't experienced that symptom!

Now, like I said, I did have nausea. Some days the nausea was so bad that I probably would have felt better if I had thrown up, but when the nausea would hit, I would just go to sleep. I also kept ginger chews near by and that helped me a ton when the nausea would hit like while I was at work. A lot of times, it would be the throbbing headache and nausea together so needless to say, I slept that off a lot. One thing I noticed was that when I let myself go too long without eating, that's when the nausea really got me. As long as I kept eating at least every two hours or so in the first trimester, I was okay for the most part.


What were your first trimester symptoms?

- Headaches (see above, 1st symptom)

- ACNE.. How old am I?! My skin has been breaking out BAD y'all and after the headaches, this was the next symptom I noticed. It was bizarre because I've shared how much I have been investing in my skincare routines, but once baby arrived in the womb, none of that mattered. I have acne everywhere including my back! So mamas, please share your pregnancy skincare routines because your girl is struggling!

- Nausea (see above)

- EXTREME fatigue.. like wow. I had heard about pregnancy fatigue, but until you experience it for yourself, it's hard to fathom! Not only did I want to sleep, I NEEDED to sleep. Sometimes all day long. This took some getting used to. There were times I wanted to do things (like clean, work on blog stuff, etc.), but my body simply would not let me. It would get frustrating, but my Mom and Marcus always encouraged me to listen to my body and they have been the best throughout this entire time!

- Sore & Growing Boobs! TMI, but my boobs got SO extremely sore and sensitive! The smallest movements hurt! Now the growth.. I mean goodness.. this was one of the first things my husband noticed, haha! They are so huge now and I've heard they are going to keep right on growing!

- Frequent Urination. When I have to go, I have to go! And boy do I go often! This isn't so fun when it hits me at 1am. :)

- Pregnancy Brain... is real. I am not usually one to forget things, but phew! I have forgotten so many things since becoming pregnant and I've done some strange things I never do too! Like, one time I couldn't find my phone and I went looking all over the house for it. I decided to call it from my husband's phone and it was on the roof of my car. Nice Jam, nice.

- Constipation.. I'm just going to leave this here and move on. #ItHappens


 

Did you have any cravings?

YES. So at first, the only thing that sounded good to me to eat was turkey burgers! Not just any turkey burger, but a grilled one, at home, made by my husband! I know he's glad this craving faded, haha! But I wanted turkey burgers, with no bun or fixings. Just the burger, ketchup, and pickles! So bizarre I know!

More Consistent Cravings:

- ITALIAN. This is my newest craving! I want pizza and spaghetti all the time! Not sure if it's the sauce I'm wanting or what, but it tastes so good to me right now.

- SWEET FRUIT. Give me all the apples, pineapples, oranges, etc.!

- SOUR STUFF. I want sour candy and pickles. Period. 

- SPICY STUFF. Isn't this weird? Sometimes it causes indigestion and heartburn, but like.. I have to have it! I have always liked spicy food, but this is on a whole different level for me now. I especially enjoy Mexican food right now with a spicy kick. I've never been a huge salsa person, but spicy salsa? I'll take a big bowl please!

- CEREAL. I can eat cereal any time of day and be completely satisfied. It's amazing.

- JUICE. Orange juice, cranberry juice, lemonade, apple juice. Doesn't matter! Just give me ALL the juice over ice please!

- FROZEN DRINKS. I want a slush from Sonic or an Icee every single day. It is absolutely amazing to me right now!


 

What about food aversions?

OMG so in the beginning like I said above, nothing sounded good to me except turkey burgers. However, now I can eat more of my normal things, but my favorite food of all time is still kinda at the bottom of my want list right now! I don't really want hot wings y'all! I've tried eating them a few times over the last few weeks and it just doesn't do it for me like it used to. Also, Ginger Ale is literally my most favorite drink, but if I have to choose between that and juice, juice will win!

I also haven't wanted any Chick Fil A (gasp!) or Zaxby's (double gasp!). You couldn't keep me from these places pre-pregnancy!



Are you going to find out the gender?

Um.. absolutely! I don't think me nor Marcus would be able to wait until October to find out. I'm honestly dying to know now! We are planning a gender reveal for late May and I can't wait!



Did you surprise any of your family/friends?

I did! I literally have all of my closest friends and family's reactions on video except Marcus! I was so nervous/excited/anxious to tell him that I didn't think to record, but honestly the moment was so precious between us, I will cherish that memory and I don't think it was meant to be shared! Surprise Announcement video coming soon to Instagram! :)



Do you think it is a boy or a girl?

It is really hard to say! At this particular moment writing this post, I am thinking boy. The reason is because literally the majority of the "old wives tales" say girl and I feel like that stuff is hardly ever accurate, haha! Also, there's so many women in my family and Marcus' family that something is just telling me we have a boy! I honestly don't care either way. I think it would be cool to have a sweet little girl and also super cool to be a boy Mom! Only time will tell, c'mon gender reveal!


 

How many kids do you guys want?

I think we have decided on two. Marcus and I both grew up as only children in our households, so we really want our kids to experience having at least one sibling to grow up with. However, I've always said I don't like odd numbers, so if God wants us to have a third, we will have to try for a fourth, haha!



What was your first pregnancy purchase?

Um.. the onesie for the photos we took, haha! Y'all Marcus and I really haven't bought anything yet! I have been waiting to find out the gender so I can buy more gender specific things, but I guess that's no excuse for not buying diapers and such, haha! We will get started soon, but let me just tell y'all.. my Mom has already begun her spoiling! Little Bean has SO MANY THINGS at her house!



Did you experience worry or anxiety at all?

Oh my gosh, YES. I'm honestly still experiencing it! Pregnancy is weird and different for everyone so there would be times in the first trimester where my symptoms would completely disappear and I'd panic. Or I'd have the occasional spotting or brown discharge (sorry for the TMI, but just trying to be as real as possible!), and I'd FREAK OUT. I'm thankful to have my cousin who's an OBGYN and my amazing doctor who reassured me often when that worry started to creep in.

Also, I have not shared this here or on Instagram yet, but back at the end of 2019, I had to have a LEEP (Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure) in order to remove pre-cancerous cells from my cervix. Because of this, I have to have more frequent doctor's appointments so they can continuously check my cervix to ensure that it is not opening up prematurely and to make sure I won't need "cervical cerclage" to keep it closed. Because I know of this possibility, I worry A LOT about my baby being safe and being able to stay in the womb full term. I try not to think about it and since entering the second trimester, it has gotten a LITTLE easier, but it's still always in the back of my mind. I never shared about this because I wasn't really ready to, but I am now so let me know if you guys want a more in-depth post about this experience and the process of how it was found and dealt with.



Overall, how are you feeling?

Those of you who asked this question, THANK YOU! It means a lot to me that you care about how I'm feeling. :) Now that the first trimester is behind me, I really do feel so good! I'm just super excited to have the majority of my energy back because now I can focus my energy on planning for my little baby! I can also get back to producing more consistent content. It was killing me that I just didn't feel up to it!

A symptom I have now is the round ligament pains on the sides of my stomach which can be brutal! However, I know it is my stomach stretching to accommodate my growing baby so it is fine with me and I honestly look at it as a positive thing (even though it HURTS, haha). I want to start some sort of mild workout routine too so that I can stay in shape and healthy. I have heard that working out helps make labor and delivery easier, too. :)

 

 



PHEW. That was long! So if you made it all the way through to this point, YOU A REAL ONE! :) Thank you guys so much for the outpouring of love you have sent Marcus and I's way. We truly appreciate all of the support and love that our baby has already! Please continue to keep us in your prayers that Little Bean will continue to develop safely and we will both stay healthy, happy, and strong throughout the entire pregnancy and when s(he) gets to be in my arms for the first time. Gosh, I can't wait for that day! :)

If you think of any other questions I may have missed, feel free to leave them below or reach out to me directly and I'd be happy to answer them for you!

Until next time, thank you SO much for reading! xo


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6 comments

  1. Aww! This is so special! This is actually exactly how my husband and I are. No kids... yet. ;-) Maybe someday! Such an exciting time!! <3

    Lizzie
    www.lizzieinlace.com

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  2. Love the transparency! Get ready for the fun part. 2nd trimester you get to coast for a bit!

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  3. Awww this sounds like such an exciting time! Congrats to you both, can't wait to continue to hear more about your journey. :) Xx.

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  4. This was so fun to read! I'm really happy for y'all! I'm sorry that you weren't able to tell your husband in the way that you hoped, but I'm glad you were able to tell him on Valentine's Day. How precious. And yay for not having the same level of morning sickness that you expected. Sending you love throughout the rest of your pregnancy.

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  5. I'm just so excited for you, and love seeing your updates. We're looking for all the information ahead of time so we can be informed before we get pregnant so I really appreciate all of your info!! xx

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  6. Congratulations to you both, this is such an exciting time in your lives, and can see you're treasuring every moment of it. Thank you for sharing!
    xo Jaimie
    www.jaimietucker.com

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Through Jam's Eyes