First Trimester Recap
In case anyone is wondering what I experienced during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy, or is also pregnant right now and wants to feel less crazy 😉 , I thought I’d share a little first trimester recap here! I am covering all the things — diet & exercise changes, symptoms, cravings, caffeine, moods, doctor’s appointments and more!
I recently saw Bre Sheppard do a post like this and I liked how she broke it down, so I’m going to do something similar! Thanks for the inspo, Bre! ; )
week 4: may 10-16
When you are actively “trying” and find out you are pregnant, you are technically only 3.5-4 weeks along, so it is very early. In case you are unfamiliar with how they come up with the dates, they base it off of the first day of your last period. For example, my last period started on April 6th, and I got my first positive pregnancy test on May 7th.
However, since I ovulate late in my cycle (around day 20), I adjusted the dates in my app(s) and was technically one week earlier than I would have been if I based it on my period. (Hopefully that makes sense.)
This was more accurate to match the size of baby when measured on an ultrasound as well. Something to note if you also ovulate later in your cycle! If you’re not tracking when you get pregnant, you might not know, which is not a huge deal. You’ll figure it out at your doctor!
How I’m Feeling:
Excited, but nervous! And honestly… in denial. It felt too good to be true. I honestly didn’t believe that I was pregnant until I went in for official blood work. I took about 11 pregnancy tests in 3 days, lol. No exaggeration.
Probably the only positive thing about having a miscarriage is that your OB’s office will typically let you come in a little earlier when you get pregnant again to make sure things look okay. At least mine did/does, which was really helpful to calm my anxiety.
Body Changes/Symptoms:
My main symptom early on was breast soreness. I noticed it the day before I took a pregnancy test. I really wasn’t experiencing any other symptoms just yet. I did have a tiny amount of blood around the time I was supposed to get my period, which I believe was the “implantation” bleed. I don’t recall having that during my last pregnancy, but last time I was also oblivious since we weren’t trying.
DIET/EXERCISE/CRAVINGS/CAFFEINE:
During this time I continued to eat my normal, healthy, but balanced diet. Too early to have any changes in cravings or anything!
I already started to cut back on exercise during the process of trying to conceive (TTC) as well as during the two week wait (the time between ovulation and taking a pregnancy test). I just didn’t want to add any extra stress on my body so I stuck with mostly walks, and that is what felt best to me both physically + mentally at the time. I was still doing a few lifting sessions per week, but nothing too intense.
I was still drinking about 1 cup of coffee most days of the week, with a few days off here and there.
Doctor’s appointments:
I went in at 4 weeks to get bloodwork to confirm that hCG (the pregnancy hormone) was present and that the pregnancy tests weren’t lying after all. LOL. They also have you come in 48 hours later to make sure hCG levels are doubling like they should in a normal, healthy pregnancy. I did that and all was good. (This is not a totally necessary step that they’ll do for every pregnancy.)
Since I had a miscarriage last time, they also checked my progesterone levels to make sure they were high enough and if not, we would have considered having me take progesterone to help sustain the pregnancy. However, based on my numbers, they said I didn’t need it. Everything looked “perfect” according to the nurse.
telling family members
During week 4 I told my mom. Even though it was SO early on, I needed her to be in the know. I wanted to have her to talk to and to pray for us during the early, nerve wracking time. She was excited for us, but of course, cautiously optimistic. Understandably so!
WEEK 5: MAY 17-23
HOW I’M FEELING:
At this point I was feeling pretty happy and hopeful. For some reason, I had a better feeling about everything with this pregnancy right from the start. Maybe I was just more mentally prepared for the process. However, I was definitely still eager for my appointment the following week.
BODY CHANGES/SYMPTOMS:
I didn’t have a ton of symptoms other than sore breasts and occasional nausea, but nothing crazy. I did, however, have some cramping that scared me a little, because it felt very similar to my last pregnancy. Sometimes it felt like period cramps, but one episode in the middle of the night was a little more severe.
Some amount of cramping is totally normal in early pregnancy and can just be a sign that your uterus is growing and things are happening in there. It’s not always a cause for concern, but it’s hard not to feel nervous when it feels so much like what you experienced prior to having a miscarriage.
DIET/EXERCISE/CRAVINGS/CAFFEINE:
No big changes in diet & exercise at this point — mostly still walking! And no specific cravings. I believe I was still drinking small amounts of coffee at this point, 1 cup or less a day.
DOCTOR’S APPOINTMENTS:
Sadly, no appointments that week!
TELLING FAMILY MEMBERS:
We actually ended up telling Ethan’s parents this week, because his 94-year-old grandpa was in town from Colorado and we wanted to be able to tell him in person before he left. It was pretty special! 🙂 I’m sad I didn’t get this one on video. His parents of course were thrilled and there were tears shed. ; )
week 6: may 24-30
HOW I’M FEELING:
Excited for my first appointment, and super relieved afterward! See below. : ) Sad that Ethan isn’t able to come to anything due to COVID-19. 🙁
body changes/symptoms:
During this week I started to feel pretty fatigued. Continued breast soreness & they also were noticeably getting bigger already. My acid reflux also started to get bad. I take meds for acid reflux all the time, so it is especially bad during pregnancy. I also had some nausea on and off, but no vomiting thankfully!
diet/exercise/cravings/caffeine:
Still no funny cravings. ; ) Still just walking and occasional lifting as well. I think it was around this time I started to cut back on coffee because my stomach hurt and it just didn’t really sound great anymore.
There were moments around this time where certain foods just did not sound good. Chicken was usually the main culprit, or any type of reheated meat (but I kinda always hate that, lol).
doctor’s appointments:
I went in for my first ultrasound at 6 weeks and 2 days. They warned me that because it was so early, it was possible that we wouldn’t be able to detect a heartbeat yet, and not to panic if that was the case. When it is that early on, they have to do a vaginal ultrasound rather than on top of your belly since baby is so tiny.
However, there was a detectable heartbeat! It was 113 bpm and they said anything >100 bpm at that point was great. I felt SO relieved after that appointment. Especially since the heart rate never went above 86 bpm during my last pregnancy, which is how we knew things were not looking good. This was a very good day! (BUT keep in mind that it could be too early to detect HR at this point — try not to stress if that is the case for you! Every pregnancy is different.)
telling family members:
This week we told my dad, so my mom no longer had to keep that huge secret! Haha. He was thrilled and cried and said “he knew it”, but he totally didn’t. ; )
week 7: may 31-june 6
body changes/symptoms:
Fatigue, big ol’ mood swings and continued to have some cramping during this time — uterus was growing! Also felt SUPER bloated a lot. Boobs still sore and growing!
diet/exercise/cravings/caffeine:
No big changes from the previous week!
doctor’s appointments:
During most pregnancies, your first appointment isn’t until the 8-week mark. This is when you meet with a nurse practitioner to ask questions, talk about what to expect, get a packet of information from them, etc.
My 8-week coordinator appointment got pushed up to 7.5 weeks, so this week I had another appointment. They were also kind enough to sneak me in for another ultrasound! The growth was right on track, and the heart rate went up to 149-151 bpm!!! YAY! So happy.
HOW I’M FEELING:
Super happy and encouraged after that ultrasound!
telling family members:
I told one of my life long best friends this week! Again, she is someone I knew I wanted to tell in person, and I wasn’t sure if I’d see her again before the end of my first trimester, so I wanted to do it when I had the chance! 🙂 Aside from my friend Shelby (who I told around week 5), she is the only friend that knew before 10 weeks!
week 8: june 7-13
body changes/symptoms:
At the time, I felt like I was starting to get a tiny bump already. However, in hindsight, I realize that I was just extremely bloated during that time. All the hormones mess with your digestive system and everything is crazy, haha.
Acid reflux continued to be a real b*tch. Super fatigued. Occasional cramping.
Having some nausea but sadly I feel like I’m used to stomach aches.. so it’s tolerable. Not a ton of food aversions, but sometimes everything just sounds “blah”.
diet/exercise/cravings/caffeine:
This was really the first time I felt like I had a “craving”, and I still don’t know if you could call it that. I was at the store and grabbed some Sun Chips because they looked really good. I got home and Ethan started eating them and I warned him not to eat them all, since I basically bought them for myself, after all. (I NEVER buy chips, by the way, haha.)
Two days later I was SUPER excited to have some Sun Chips with my lunch and when I went to the pantry to grab them, they were GONE. ETHAN ATE THE WHOLE BAG IN TWO DAYS. I probably got 4 chips total. To say I was livid is an understatement, hahaha. My mood swings were REAL and mama bear was not happy about this. He still owes me some Sun Chips…
Chips & salsa also sounded really good. But when do they not? ; )
I basically quit coffee completely around this time. Just wasn’t feelin’ it!
doctor’s appointments:
I had a little bit of spotting at 8 weeks and 2 days. Of course I was nervous about it, so I called the office and they actually squeezed me in late that afternoon to check and make sure everything was looking okay.
Thankfully, it was, and the heart rate this time was 178 bpm! Such a relief!
Also, worth noting: from my initial pregnancy bloodwork we discovered that I have a negative blood type. When you are pregnant with negative blood type you have to get a Rhogam shot to prevent some sort of issues from happening. I don’t fully understand what it means but you can Google it, LOL. The shot is in the butt and it hurts! Apparently I’ll have to get another one at 28 weeks.
telling family members:
This week we told my brother and sister-in-law! We had my niece Sierra put on a “big cousin” shirt, and I put on a “mama” shirt and they were shocked. I know they both have been praying for us more than anyone, so they were so, so happy. Also, my SIL is due in October with a baby boy, so our babies will be so close in age! We can’t wait.
week 9: june 14-20
how i’m feeling:
Already a little anxious for another appointment. In early pregnancy it’s difficult to “feel” pregnant because you don’t have a bump and aren’t feeling kicks yet, so a heart beat and ultrasound is such a gift to get peace of mind. Overall, though, feeling excited and ready to tell people!
body changes/symptoms:
I think a tiny little bump is forming! But definitely nothing significant that others would notice unless they were looking for it.
The mood swings were REAL this week. The previous symptoms also continued, haha.
diet/exercise/cravings/caffeine:
I’m boring when it comes to cravings, haha! Really nothing major that I’m like “I HAVE to have that right now”. There are things that do not sound good, however. I am usually a huge gum chewer and haven’t chewed gum hardly at all. If I’m not eating I just really don’t want anything in my mouth right now lol.
Also just craving plain water more than anything. Usually I love Bai drinks, but when I feel nauseous and blah, it just doesn’t sound good! Although, I did have apple juice that really hit the spot one day.
doctor’s appointments:
Sadly, none this week. After having ultrasounds 3 weeks in a row, I had gotten spoiled and I had a little bit of anxiety this week not getting that reassurance. Tried to pray through it and stay relaxed as much as possible!
telling family members:
This week we told Ethan’s twin sisters, Jessie and Claire! Their reactions were PRICELESS and I am so glad I recorded it. I’ll post this sweet video! 🙂 They are so excited to be aunts.
week 10: june 21-27
how i’m feeling:
Planning our gender reveal and excited for that! Getting anxious to be done with first trimester (and feeling better!) and be able to tell everyone!
body changes/symptoms:
The day I turned 10 weeks I felt AWFUL. Luckily it was a Sunday so I could just lay around most of the day. It’s hard to fake it on IG sometimes, haha! I was just SUPER fatigued and nauseous, etc.
My nausea still ebbs and flows, but it tends to happen at night more than in the morning. Still struggling with my acid reflux (thought I was literally going to die/vomit after we had Mexican food one night) and continue to have sore breasts. My boobs are also feeling huge.
AWFUL HEADACHES. Woof. (Wive’s tales say headache = boy!)
diet/exercise/cravings/caffeine:
Still eating as healthy as I can overall! Not being strict with myself and definitely allowing desserts and/or snacks here and there. But I know how important nutrition is for baby, so trying to get in all the veggies, and eating salmon at least once a week for those good fats! And eating eggs daily for the choline and because they are one of the main protein sources that still sound really good. : )
No coffee on the majority of days. Doing fine without it! No major cravings, although chips & salsa still sound amazing. Now that I think about it, so do French fries…
Mostly walking, still. I did a few strength moves the other day, like push-ups leaning on the counter, squats and lunges. The next day I was sore from like 20 push-ups, LOL. Clearly I haven’t lifted in a while!
But I’m really trying to be at peace with that and reminding myself that it is more than okay to be easy on my body right now. Once I feel better in the second trimester (hopefully) I will probably start to add more workouts in besides walking. But will continue to listen to my body & see what feels good!
doctor’s appointments:
I had an appointment when I was 10 weeks and 2 days. I was due for a pap smear so I got that done, and also got to listen to the heart beat through a Doppler for the first time (rather than an ultrasound). I definitely prefer the ultrasounds so I can see everything too, but even the Doppler was nice reassurance! Heart rate was strong in the 170s! Yay!
telling family members:
My parents and in-laws started to tell some extended family members around this time, with our permission! After my appointment we also started to tell more of our close friends.
week 11: june 28-july 4
how i’m feeling:
Super anxious to tell the rest of my close friends, and the world! Also praying for genetic testing blood work to come back okay.
body changes/symptoms:
At 11 weeks and 1 day I started having some pretty bad pain in my lower abdomen / around my ovaries. It felt like what I imagine a hernia to feel like (that might be a little dramatic), but it did NOT feel good, and it felt concerning.
Later when looking at my booklet from my doctor’s office, I realized it is what they call “round ligament pain” — which “feels like a muscle cramp or pull in the lower abdomen, often when coughing or during position changes”. It is caused by the ligaments that support the enlarging uterus stretching.
I had experienced this a little earlier on in my pregnancy (that pulling feeling), but not to this extent. This was the most painful it had been, and from what I hear, it only gets worse. Haha, YAY! But hey – if it means baby is growing, I’ll take it!
Other symptoms: the typical headaches, occasional nausea, but overall, doing okay!
diet/exercise/cravings/caffeine:
No coffee (maybe 1x/week). Just walking. Bought some peanut butter M&Ms the other day because they looked amazing and they are definitely hitting the spot, lol. Overall, still trying to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, but a lot of things just do not sound good. More aversions or just feeling “blah” than craving specific foods.
doctor’s appointments:
At 11 weeks and 1 day I had my genetic testing blood work! I was also having some pain (and anxiety because of the pain) so they also let me hear the heartbeat that morning with a Doppler. Thankfully, all was okay and HR was in the 160s.
telling friends/family members:
Finally got to tell my BFFs of 15+ years! I was waiting to tell them in person & wanted to do it when we were all together, and it was perfect! The video was hilarious — it took a long time to register that Ethan said “Shanna’s pregnant” and it was actually true! Haha. They are so excited for us!
week 12: july 5-11
how i’m feeling:
The day I turned 12 weeks I actually felt great! Not sure if it was just a lucky day or if I really am starting to turn a corner here.
Received a phone call at 12 weeks + 1 day that the genetic results came back and everything looked normal and healthy! Feeling SO incredibly thankful for that. Which also means the gender results are ready! I will be picking those up to take to my cousin to keep until our gender reveal! CANNOT WAIT to know if it’s a boy or a girl!!! Ethan is dying for it to be a boy, and I feel like it’s going to be a boy, but will be thrilled either way!
BEYOND EXCITED SINCE I FINALLY ANNOUNCED!
body changes/symptoms:
Definitely feeling like my belly has been growing – especially the past 3-4 days! Crazy how quickly that happens. Boobs still growing, but not quite as tender as they were a few weeks ago.
diet/exercise/cravings/caffeine:
Still feel like not many foods are sounding good, haha. Just walking. No fun updates here!
doctor’s appointments:
I had a sonogram today (at 12 weeks + 2 days) and I wanted to have that last piece of reassurance prior to announcing. Thankfully, baby looked great! Wiggling around and HR 164! Unfortunately now I will only have appointments every 4 weeks! : ( Will have to do a lot of praying and meditating in between to keep myself calm!
telling family members:
At this point all of our close friends and family members know, and finally, you all do too! 🙂
I hope you enjoyed reading my first trimester recap! So excited y’all are finally in the know and we can go on this journey together! : ) Let me know if I missed anything or if you have any questions! I will do a Q&A on Instagram and try to write up a blog post to summarize those too if that would be helpful.
Thanks for all of your love and support!
XO,
Shanna