My partner, Shiina, and I have always known we wanted children. It wasn’t until we got engaged that we considered starting a family. The more we spoke about it, the more I thought about it. Is this the right time? Is this what I want? I knew I wanted children, whenever that time was, so I let life take its course. Months later, we were expecting!
The first trimester was filled with surprises. Shiina and I experienced many firsts. It felt so unreal. Not to mention, I felt several pregnancy symptoms in the first trimester, which I wasn’t prepared for. Despite the discomfort of these symptoms, I understood that my body was changing. I allowed my body to do what it needed to do while I tried to find comfort. Read more about it below!
I’m Pregnant?!
On the evening of October 14, we found out we were pregnant! We couldn’t believe it. We were overjoyed! We spent most of the first trimester wrapping our heads around it. We were having a baby!
Before we found out, I had a feeling I was pregnant. I felt sick, but I thought it was due to the fall weather. I had cravings for food that I normally didn’t crave and as bad as I wanted to drink wine, there was something telling me not to. I was always eating too. Additionally, my friends and family had dreams about someone being pregnant or me specifically.
The biggest giveaway was my sore and tender breasts! They weren’t friendly. I typically get this feeling before my menstrual cycle begins, but it felt different this time. I was also expecting for my cycle to begin and that’s when I tested.
How We Told Our Families
We told our loved ones that we were expecting before announcing it to the rest of the world. It was amazing to share this news. We felt so much love and support.
Although Shiina and I wanted to wait to tell our families, I was anxious because I hadn’t been pregnant before. There were so many thoughts running around in my head. Therefore, I needed to talk to someone and who better than my parents? A few days after testing, I called my parents to give them the news. I expected for my parents to be together for the call, but they weren’t so I had to call them separately. My mom knew what I was calling about already. She’s pretty good at knowing what I need to talk about. I called my dad after. They were extremely happy for us and they reassured me that everything would be okay.
There’s nothing I don’t tell my older sister, so I called her next. She was surprised by the announcement and took several minutes to let it sink in.
Speaking to my parents and my older sister really helped me get out of the mindset that I was in. I immediately felt better afterwards.
Firsts
Before our first visit, I had an appointment with the Center to go over what the Center offers, tour and fill out paperwork. The nurse that I spoke with determined our due date for June 15, 2022. This visit was a great experience and I felt very comfortable. It also made the first visit easier because we knew what to expect.
We had our first ultrasound on November 11, 2022. That was the first time we got to see Baby V and hear her heartbeat. It felt unreal! I still couldn’t believe I was growing a baby inside me!
Symptoms
I was very sensitive to smell, which didn’t help my nausea. I found that packing a lemon or orange wherever I went helped! If there was an unpleasant smell, I’d smell my lemon or orange. I enjoyed the oranges because I’d pack a few to eat too!
Oddly enough, I craved anything having to do with tomatoes and potatoes throughout my pregnancy and I didn’t get tired of it! I’m not a picky eater. I love to eat! Therefore, I was frustrated with food aversions. It seemed like the only thing I could eat were tomatoes and potatoes. Although I didn’t mind it, I wanted to eat other food too. Thankfully, it got better in the second trimester.
Sea-band acupressure wristbands helped on the days I felt nausea, which would last an entire day. I would feel so drained that I’d lay on our futon for hours! I’d wear these if I felt nausea kicking in, preventing it from getting worse. Although I’d still feel sick, I felt at ease with the wristbands. Tip: Wear these for labor and delivery! I wore them as soon as I felt contractions and took them off several hours after giving birth. I believe they helped me. I’ll use these again in the future!
I used everyday liners everyday, but it was extremely useful during my pregnancy. I had vaginal discharge at various points of this journey. Everyday liners kept me clean.
I don’t typically nap during the day, but I took many naps in my first trimester! Naps helped keep my energy up, especially since I experienced nausea and food aversions. Luckily, I felt better by the second trimester. However, fatigue returned during my third trimester so I took lots of naps again.
Daily Life
Aside from the all day nausea and naps, I tried my best to get things done. I was still a student, finishing up my last semester of college. My classes weren’t difficult and my relationship with my teachers were great. Schoolwork wasn’t a problem for me. I was an active member of my Sorority as well. It took most of my time since we held meetings and events each week, but I enjoyed it.
At home, my partner took care of almost everything. He’d do our laundry, take out the trash and recycling, cook, and more. These were activities we would do together. Cleaning was the only chore I did. I didn’t do anything that pertained to carrying heavy objects, bending or reaching.
Occasionally, I got frustrated with not being able to get things done or having to wait for Shiina to do things. I had to adjust and learn to be okay with that. I needed to give myself a break and recognize what I could get done. I stopped being hard on myself. I changed my mindset and had a goal to get at least one thing done each day.
I didn’t know anyone else who was also pregnant, so sometimes I felt alone. I didn’t know who to turn to when symptoms got tough and I wanted to talk about it with someone who understood. Nonetheless, I spoke to family and friends! They helped me through it and I appreciated it very much.
First Trimester Pregnancy Recap
Overall, my first trimester of pregnancy was good. Although some symptoms were hard to get through, I was lucky that they weren’t any worse than what they could have been. I felt incredibly blessed to be expecting a baby and I couldn’t wait!
