Sharing my first trimester update complete with pregnancy essentials, symptoms, and all the random food cravings and aversions!
In case you missed my announcement on Instagram and some of my other posts and stories – surprise! We’re having a baby girl at the end of October! Now that I’m almost through my second trimester (where does the time go?!), I figured it’s about time I gave an update on our TTC journey, how we found out, and my first trimester! Read on for all the nitty-gritty details including symptoms, food cravings and aversions, first trimester essentials, and more.
My Fertility & TTC Journey
First, I want to send love and hold space for anyone who’s fertility and TTC journey has been anything but what they expected or hoped. While I can never begin to imagine what it’s like to struggle with fertility, I understand this topic can be triggering and that is never my intention with writing this post.
Starting at the beginning – I went off the pill in 2016 when I made the switch to an IUD. I struggled with the pill for years – remembering to take it, finding the right pill combo for my body, and becoming more aware of the side effects and long-term impact on my health. I got the 5-year Mirena IUD and loved it, but only kept it in for 3 years because of our family planning timing.
From Birth Control to the Fertility Awareness Method
I had my IUD removed last July, knowing that we’d want to start trying in the fall and that my body might need a few months to get back in sync with its natural cycle. I was fortunate that I immediately started with a regular cycle every 26-28 days, which I tracked along with my basal body temperature and a few other fertility indicators outlined in Taking Charge of Your Fertility. This time trying out the fertility awareness method to get to know my body and for birth control (with some backup methods during my “fertile window”), was eye-opening and I’ll never go back to hormonal birth control again.
I LOVED the fertility awareness method and would recommend it to everyone. It allowed me to really get to know my body and my cycle (a.k.a. our Firth Vital Sign!) so that when we decided to start trying, it (hopefully) wouldn’t take too long. I used the Kindara app and a basal body thermometer I bought on Amazon. I also skimmed through Taking Charge of Your Fertility, which explains the fertility tracking method really well.
And Then There was SIBO
Unfortunately, right as I went off birth control, I also found out I had SIBO and would need to undergo a 3-month protocol to fix the dysbiosis before we could start trying since many of the supplements and antibiotics I’d be taking are not approved for pregnancy. I plan to share more about my SIBO experience and protocol in another post soon, but long story short, we had to wait until Thanksgiving to start trying instead of September as I was hoping. Not the end of the world, but I was feeling that biological clock ticking.
The Day We Found Out
We were incredibly fortunate that it only took us three months to get pregnant – we got pregnant on our third “try” in February. But, those were the longest and most stressful three months of my life. Why do we spend our entire 20’s trying NOT to get pregnant, and then as soon as we’re ready, we want to be pregnant, like, yesterday?! The month we got pregnant, I was much better about using ovulation strips and I also switched up my prenatal to the Ready, Set, Go prenatal from Best Nest Wellness which has Vitex – an herb touted for assisting with hormone regulation and fertility.
We found out February 19th and it’s a day I’ll never forget. I’d been feeling unusually tired for two days – so tired that I took a nap on my office floor that day – so I had a sneaky suspicion and decided to take a test even though I wasn’t expecting my period for another 2 days. After getting negative’s on the ~10 tests I’d taken the two months before, I was pretty shocked to finally see “yes+” pop up on the screen. Then, I just had to wait 30 minutes (which felt like forever) for Turan to get home from work so I could shove the thing in his face and we could celebrate!
P.S. I’m HAPPY to share any and all details about my experience and journey with anyone. Just email me or DM me on Instagram and I would love to chat further! It’s a very confusing time and I know everyone’s experience is different, but I found it helpful to talk to other women who had gone through TTC while I was in the thick of it!
My First Trimester Symptoms
Fatigue
This was the first symptom to kick in before I even got a positive pregnancy test. As I mentioned, it started two days before I knew I was pregnant and continued until week 14 when I miraculously got a surge of energy and no longer needed to take my 2-hour midday nap. One silver lining about being in quarantine during your entire first trimester is the luxury of working from bed and/or taking a nap any time of day!
“Morning” Sickness
Starting at week 6 on the dot, I experienced all-day nausea. I was fortunate that I never threw up, but I do think the term “morning” sickness should be changed to “all-day” sickness. I started to feel nauseous around 11 am and it would last until dinnertime. The only things that helped were peppermint tea, resting, and lotssss of carbs. All. Day. Long.
Fibroid Pain
This was something I never expected and definitely never read about in all my pregnancy googling the first few days after getting the positive pee stick. Not only did I not know I had a fibroid, but I had no idea that they can grow when you’re pregnant. Apparently it’s common for women to be unaware of having a uterine fibroid until pregnancy because the first time most women have an ultrasound of their uterus is when they’re pregnant.
At my first appointment at 6 weeks, the ultrasound technician said my fibroid that was 4 x 4 cm. By my 8 week appointment, it was 6 x 6 cm and by 11 weeks it was 7 x 7 cm and causing A LOT of pain. I felt intense pain on my lower right side that grew progressively worse. It got so painful that I didn’t sleep a wink one night, certain I was miscarrying. I made an appointment first thing the next morning and my OB confirmed it was the fibroid causing the pain and that I might have to take pain meds (Tylenol or even narcotics) for the rest of my pregnancy. I was devastated.
Fortunately, the pain went away on its own after five more days and it hasn’t been a problem since. My OB says it’s in a “good” place and shouldn’t interfere much with pregnancy or delivery, but this was certainly one symptom I wasn’t expecting.
Hip Pain & Butt Aches
Achy hips (and butt?!) were one of the first symptoms I noticed and it has stuck with me into my second trimester. Fortunately, it’s mostly at night from sleeping on my left side, but with lots of stretching, rubbing magnesium lotion on my hips before bed, and switching sides during the night, I’ve been able to manage the pain pretty well.
First Trimester Food Cravings
Dairy (Baby girl wants Calcium!)
I joke but I was craving cold creamy white foods the first few weeks – think cream cheese, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, tzatziki sauce, lots of milk in my coffee. I guess my body (and baby!) was telling me it needed calcium and these cold foods hit the spot. I had yogurt and granola about 3x a week, and would even wake up at 3 am starving and eat a Siggi’s Key Lime yogurt before going back to sleep 🙂
Caaaarbs
Like most pregnant women, I definitely craved more carbs than normal. I usually try to stick to complex carbs like quinoa, sweet potatoes, and oats, but for about 5 weeks, I allowed myself to enjoy more simple (and non-gluten-free) carbs like saltine crackers (with cheese), cereal, toast with honey, and cookies. Some days, I would snack on crackers all day long to help with the nausea and I was totally ok with that. I was kind to my body and knew it was just a phase and that I’d be back to eating more nutrient-dense complex carbs soon enough.
Fruit Popsicles
My chocolate sweet tooth totally went out the window during my first trimester. I went from eating a few squares of dark chocolate almost every day, to exclusively craving fruit popsicles after dinner. I loved the lime and fruit punch frozen fruit pops from Whole Foods and ate one almost every night.
The random cravings
Stouffer’s lasagna. Shrimp tempura. Graham crackers. Greek salad. Quesadillas. Tuna fish. BBQ ribs. Sometimes all in one day. While I mostly tried to eat my normal, balanced meal, sometimes my husband and I would be watching a TV show, see an ad for a type of food, and suddenly THAT’S what I had to have for dinner that night. And yes, my husband definitely took advantage of this and would plant seeds in my head like fried chicken from Pies ‘n’ Thighs one night 😉
First Trimester Food Aversions
Roasted Veggies
Roasted broccoli, roasted sweet potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts, roasted asparagus. You name it. I wanted NONE of them. Instead, I found that steamed or lightly sauteed vegetables had a less fragrant smell and lighter taste I could stomach. I also craved HUGE salads for lunch some days so always made sure to indulge when that craving hit so I could get in my veggies and greens.
Seafood
Especially salmon. Which made me SO sad because I love salmon and we usually eat it once or twice a week. Luckily I had been taking an omega-3 fish oil supplement since the start of pregnancy and was able to stomach it during the first trimester, so I knew I was still getting enough healthy fats and omega-3’s in for baby’s brain and nervous system development.
Coffee
This was a big one for me. It was really odd to wake up and be repulsed by the smell of coffee since I’ve been a coffee drinker since college. Fortunately, I didn’t get a headache the first few days skipping my coffee, and I was able to swap my morning cup of joe for a cup of Darjeeling black tea with a splash of milk which calmed my stomach and still gave me the morning routine of sipping a warm beverage.
My First Trimester Essentials
- Ginger People Gin Gin Ginger Chews – These were a savior during week 6 when the nausea first hit. Unfortunately, I overdid it on ginger that first week (ginger ale, ginger tea, ginger chews, ginger capsules), and the smell or thought of it made me even more nauseous after that week so I had to move on to peppermint, below.
- Peppermint Tea – After overdoing it on the ginger, I switched to peppermint tea and it was PERFECT. I drank about 2 cups of every afternoon when the nausea was settling in, and as the weather got warmer, I made iced peppermint tea which I still drink this summer.
- Aura Cacia Peppermint Mist – The pregnancy smell sensitivity is a REAL thing, and this spray saved me on some days when everything smelled terrible and triggered nausea. I’d spray it on the inside of my masks so I didn’t have to smell my breath, I’d spray it in my office when I was working, and I’d spray it in the bedroom before bed.
- Simple Mills Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers – I was OBSESSED with these in my first trimester. I literally went through a box every other day, eating them with cheese, tuna salad (weird, I know), and hummus.
- Bob’s Red Mill Brown Rice Cereal – I ate this EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING. For a month. With a banana, some cinnamon, and a drizzle of maple syrup. It was the perfect breakfast to settle my stomach in the morning.
- Alo High Waist Alosoft Yoga Leggings – I LIVED in these leggings for 2 months. I bought a size up and they were perfect because they stretched with me as I grew. I still fit in them now that I’m 24 weeks pregnant and they’ll be perfect for postpartum!
First Trimester Supplements
I started taking most of these supplements a few months before we started trying and have continued to take them into my second trimester with no plans to stop. I was slightly Vitamin D deficient last year when I had my full blood panel done at Parsley, and was glad to catch it early so I could start supplementing right away. As with all supplements, please check with your doctor or healthcare provider before starting a new routine or making changes to your supplements. And it’s always a good idea to get your bloodwork done first so you know what you’re actually deficient (or not deficient) in so you don’t overdo it!
- Prenatal – I’ve tried a few different brands over the last year that I’ve been taking a prenatal, and have finally settled on the Best Nest Wellness Mama Bird Prenatal. It has methylated folate and B12 (which I need since I have the MTHFR gene mutation that makes me unable to use folic acid). It’s only one pill and I’ve had zero side effects from taking it.
- Fish Oil – I took the Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA for a few months before switching over to the OmegaGenics EPA-DHA 1000 from Fullscript. I loved them both – no fishy aftertaste or burp and the OmegaGenics is just one (large) capsule that’s lightly citrus flavored.
- Vitamin D – When I found out I was slightly vitamin D deficient last summer, I started taking these Vitamin D3 + K2 drops and have still continued taking it into pregnancy (at a slightly lower dose than when I was deficient). I drop these into my coffee and milk, mix into my yogurt, or I drop them onto my tongue when I take my fish oil (Vitamin D is fat-soluble so you want to take it with a fat!).
- Probiotic – I take an Ortho Biotic probiotic from Ortho Molecular Products a couple of times a week, usually in the morning before I have oatmeal to ensure I’m pairing it with a prebiotic. On days that I don’t take a probiotic, I make sure I’m getting a lot of fiber and eating some fermented foods (e.g. yogurt & kefir).
- Magnesium – I have been taking magnesium before bed for about two years not, and it’s been a savior for me in pregnancy. It helps with muscle cramps (hello hip and butt aches!) and since I take magnesium citrate from Calm, it helps me stay regular every. single. morning. yay.
Stay tuned for a second-trimester update in a few weeks! What questions do you have about our TTC journey and my pregnancy so far?