Hey Guys!
Today I wanted to share with you my latest journey! But first a little back story, My husband and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary in October and also started on our journey to becoming parents! We decided that after 3 years, 1 house and 1 dog, we were ready to expand our family even more. Read on to find out how I prepared my body for conception, and all about my 1st trimester!
I had been on birth control pills for about 7 years so I decided to meet with my doctor before quitting cold turkey. She said after my latest pack was finished I could continue not to take them and recommended giving my body at least 2 months to rid my body of the pills and let my cycles level out. She also recommended I start taking prenatals about 3 months before we started trying which I believe helped some of my symptoms I will talk about later on. I heard that some prenatals can cause nausea and other side effects but I am happy to report mine are super yummy and don’t cause my stomach to hurt or anything! Check them out HERE. I have been taking them since about July and haven’t missed a dose yet! They are that delicious!
I also started changing up my skincare routine in preparation for pregnancy. I have acne prone skin so I used a lot of harsh products to help combat the acne. My skin was pretty much always clean aside from the occasional hormonal breakout which was nice. I switched over to gentle, all natural products that are pregnancy safe. I found this amazing website where you can search your skincare and find out how safe it is on a scale from 1-5. Check it out HERE. Since my skin was so used to medicine and now that my hormones are out of wack I will admit that my skin has never looked worse. I have acne all over my face, chest and back but instead of reaching for toxic chemicals I now use natural salicylic acid products which I hope will start to take effect as my hormones balance out in the 2nd trimester. Check out the products I recommend below.
I also started to work out more in preparation for pregnancy especially focusing on the arms and abs. I love the Popsugar Fitness videos on Youtube because they have all different levels and are FREE!
Now on to the 1st trimester.
My husband and I would track when I ovulated and I used the Ovia Fertility app to figure out when my most fertile days were. We tried for 2 months before becoming successful. I know some people say they can tell when they are pregnant but I didn’t feel any different. I took a test 4 days before my missed period because I was anxious and the test was positive! I recommend taking a test first thing in the morning because your urine will be filled with the hormones the test is looking for. I remember taking the test in the bathroom thinking it was too soon and not even telling my husband I was taking it. As I watched it I saw 2 lines starting to form and I remember looking in the mirror saying “No Way”. My husband was so excited and I immediately called the Dr. to get a confirmation appointment. I had my first appointment at 5 weeks where they confirmed.
Everyone kept asking me if I needed anything for morning sickness but other than being tired I felt great! Which worried me but I thought I should enjoy it while I could! My Mom had really bad morning sickness with me and my sister so I figured it would happen to me. At around 6 weeks, we told our parents and my sister. This is when the nausea started to kick in. I have only throw up maybe 3 times but I feel pretty nauseous all day. I gag a lot and feel sick if I over eat which sucks because I am constantly starving! I am also very tired and can easily sleep for 12 hours no problem. I attribute my lack of extreme morning sickness to the fact that I was taking my prenatals for a few months before conceiving. I read that this can help.
My top cravings so far have been:
-Chips (salt and vinegar and sour cream and onion)
-Cottage Cheese
-Mac and Cheese
-Bologna
-Soda Pop
-Neapolitan Ice Cream
I snack on saltine crackers when I wake up which helps the nausea go away for at least a little and I try to stay hydrated all day. I haven’t been working out as much as I would like since I am so nauseas but I do take my dog on hour walks daily which is great. I have also been drinking a lot of Ginger Ale to help my stomach and get rid of my pop craving since I am not drinking any caffeine.
My favorite apps to track baby’s progress are Ovia Pregnancy and The Bump. I also ready Dr. Oz’s “You Having a Baby” book which can be found HERE. I am currently on the hunt to read books about newborns and breastfeeding so if you have any suggestions send them my way!
