This post has taken me approximately six meals and two and a half naps to write. And it’s only 3:30. I think I’m missing out on that “magical second trimester energy” everyone raves about. So let’s get to it before I pass out while sitting up, again.
And now to answer a few questions as asked by some of you on Instagram!
How did you know you were pregnant?
I took a test. Then I took another. And another. Then I called a doctor and made up a fake excuse so they’d give me an appointment because unlike what movies show you, you can’t actually see a doctor the second you think you’re pregnant.
You’re supposed to just trust that $7 test you bought at Target and be cool with it for 8-9 weeks until a doctor will see you. But see that didn’t sit well with me. I don’t even trust $7 eyeliner from Target, let alone a test that is predicting whether or not I’m growing another human inside of me. The first time around when I found out I was pregnant I had no idea it worked like this so I called and asked for “a pregnancy confirmation” appointment. And the receptionist on the other end basically laughed and said, “we don’t do those.” Well you should, Cheryl, you really should. I’ve gone to the doctor to confirm an ingrown eyelash, would it hurt you to confirm an ingrown human? Idk, just a thought here.
So yeah, I guess you could say I’ve got some feelings about this first part. I’ll try to be more concise with the other answers or this could get lengthy.
How did you tell Chris?
Chris was on a flight to San Francisco when I randomly decided to take a test. As cliche as it sounds I just had a feeling. And if you’re reading this and wondering if it was “just a feeling” or more of a lack of a … well period, no that wasn’t it. I’ll spare you the details but I was pretty sure I wasn’t pregnant for that exact reason, but a random feeling just told me I should probably not pour a glass of wine and go take a test. *google implantation bleeding if you’re confused, trust me, I sure as hell was.*
And that test happened to be positive, so were the other two. My plan was to tell Chris when he got home at the end of the week. I could do something cute… like get balloons? Or make a special meal? Or screw it I could just text him right now. So that’s what I did. I immediately sent him two pics of the pregnancy tests and said, “I think you should call me when you land.” Cute, right?
And when he did the first thing he said was, “No way! No way! Are you for real?” And the only other time I’ve heard this exact tone of excitement is when I surprised him with Harlow and he walked in the door and saw a puppy on my lap and said, “No way! No way!” So even though I couldn’t see his face as he sat on the plane in San Fran, I knew exactly what it looked like, anyway.
How did Harlow take it?
He didn’t. He using the avoidance tactic through and through. I try to tell him and he runs the other way… Although he’s been great for the daytime naps. He’s really embraced this new hobby of mine.
What were your first symptoms?
Saying almost every single day, “I think I’m getting the flu.” Of course this was after the test, so I knew I was pregnant. But this is pretty much how I felt for about 8 weeks; like I was on the brink of the flu every single day, all day long. This is not the norm (from what I’ve read/heard) I’m just a lucky one who felt especially sick. I wasn’t necessarily hungry first trimester, but I was sure eating would make me feel better, and it did. But only for about thirty seconds and then I’d feel worse after. Never the less, I persisted and repeated this cycle 5-7 times a day.
Anything help with the nausea?
Sleeping. During the worst of it (I think this was week 9 for me) I’d wake up, check emails, eat bread, go back to sleep until noon. Then wake up again, check emails, eat more bread, sleep til 6… and then I’d lay on the couch and just wait for Unisom hour. (Unisom is a doctor approved pill for nausea, it also happens to knock me out.) This was a hard week, one I’d never like to do again. It was also one of the many weeks where I realized how freaken strong women are and also how lucky I am that I work from home. Going into an office while feeling how I felt would have been absolutely miserable.
I will say the combo that worked a little for me was B6 in the morning, lots and lots of water, small meals, and then half a Unisom at night. A full Unisom if I really wanted to go to crazytown in my dreams that night.
What prenatals do you use?
I use Ritual. I chose this brand because the over-the-counter gummies made me sick (shocker, I know.) And also because I read somewhere you have to fully chew every last piece of a gummy in order to get the full benefits (is this true? I’m not sure but it made sense to me.) And Ritual vitamins are vegan, non GMO, and actually give a nice lemon after taste and don’t make me sick at all.
Are you finding out the sex?
We have known for a while. 🙂 We’ll tell eventually, just not sure when. To be quite honest we couldn’t have cared less about girl or boy, the only thing we both hope for every appointment is a healthy heartbeat.
Any food aversions during first trimester?
I couldn’t drink anything except water. Gatorade, coffee, soda, flavored water, etc, it all tasted awful to me. I basically wanted crackers and peanut butter all day. And chicken tenders. But not grilled chicken. Only fried and breaded and greasy…
We’ll call this part one. I’ll try to finish part two tonight if I make it up past 9!
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