When I look back at my first pregnancy, I have a lot of thoughts. First let me preface...the first half of my pregnancy was ROUGH. I had morning aka "all day sickness" well into my second trimester and I took meds to control it all the way up to my third trimester. The nausea started around 6 weeks and DID NOT LEAVE. The meds only helped me not to throw up every day and took the edge off, but I was still so, so nauseas. And TIRED!! I averaged 11-13 hours a sleep each night! I am not kidding!! Some days I'd even take an afternoon nap. Sleep was the only way I could escape feeling so sick and the medicine I was on made me sleep SO GOOD.
Another symptom I had along with the nausea were several food aversions and I could smell EVERYTHING. Ugh that had to be the worst. When Austin would get home in the evenings I would go back in our bedroom, close the door, light a candle, and bury my head under the covers and I could STILL smell what he was cooking. I even took our dog to the vet because I thought something was wrong with him because his feet smelled terrible. Oh dear. And the one food I couldn't eat...EGGS. Oh my gosh. Everything about eggs grossed me out, but mainly the smell. I remember thinking at the end of my pregnancy if I would have this baby and then magically be able to eat eggs again because I really didn't think that would be possible (a week postpartum I made some scrambled eggs and I've had them daily since...funny how that works!)
Overall I just felt like I had a really bad stomach bug that was never going away. It was rough ya'll. I found myself crying in bed most nights because I just wanted to feel better. I didn't even feel pregnant or look it for that matter, I was just SICK.
I first felt Jack move around 20 weeks. I remember going to my 20 week ultrasound and the night before thinking I felt something while I was laying in bed and then the next few nights I definitely did!! I just had to lay down really still (usually after dinner in the evenings) and I would feel little pops! I always heard it described as feeling like popping popcorn in your tummy and it was true! I feel like once I felt him moving and my belly started growing (I popped around 22ish weeks) I started to feel better. I was still queasy for several more weeks but feeling him move, watching him grow in my belly and having that connection changed the game!
My third trimester was my FAVORITE. Which might surprise you, because from what most people told me, the third trimester was the hardest. Nope, not for me. Even at 40 weeks I felt great! I wanted pregnancy to end because I was ready to meet my baby, not because I felt bad! (well I was ready to have some more room in my stomach back so I could eat a decent meal and not feel like I was gonna explode ;) ) But I just LOVED carrying my baby around and feeling him kick. I loved being the one who was supplying him life and keeping him safe. I knew when I gave birth I would miss him being in my belly. It was actually VERY emotional for me after I gave birth that he wasn't in there anymore...but that's a story for another day!
Overall I was blessed with a healthy pregnancy (besides getting a stomach bug at 30 weeks. YUCK) with zero complications. I had two amazing midwifes that I worked with during my pregnancy and they were my saving grace! They made my pregnancy journey that much sweeter and I am so thankful I had them. I was able to continue lifting weights and eat a healthy diet (after the first trimester at least). I plan on sharing more about what I did in pregnancy when it came to my workout program, the foods I ate, supplements I took, and how I prepared my body for a smooth labor and delivery.
Feel free to ask questions in the comments and if you are currently pregnant let me know below! I'd love to support you in any way I can on this journey!
Stay Strong Ladies!
<3
-anna
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