Continuing after my post on our first pregnancy and the loss we experienced last year, I’m excited to share all about our current pregnancy with Brooks!
Hello September!! It is baby month and we are now officially on baby watch. I am a little over 38 weeks now, so we are getting close and I can hardly believe it! I’ve learned that every woman has her own story to share when it comes to experiencing pregnancy for the first time. However, there is something to be said about having people who have gone through it before you to share their experience, their symptoms, and discover a new sense of community with a support system unlike any other. Luckily, I’m surrounded by so many mamas who have helped prepare me and give me insight on what I might experience through these 9 months and beyond.
The most common questions I’ve gotten were around cravings, symptoms, and pregnancy during COVID, along with a few others. I’ll share what it was like for me and add in some pieces of advice that I think are helpful to know in your first pregnancy.
How far along were you when you found out? Did you use anything to help you track ovulation?
We were in Lake Tahoe on a vacation with Matt’s family in January to ring in the New Year! I knew it would be in the time frame that we could find out so I brought the digital tests with us. I was about 3 1/2 weeks at this point. Very, very early! I bought a Clearblue combo pack that had the digital and rapid tests that say they can tell you 4 days before your cycle should start. I took it the last day of our trip which was 3 days before, early in the morning, and it was positive! I ran back into our room to tell Matt and we were both so excited. Knowing it was still so early, we waited until we got back home and could go see my doctor before telling anyone the news. I also started to use ovulation strips after our loss and I was interested in knowing more about my cycles. I used the Clearblue Advanced Digital Ovulation Strips and found out that mine was actually different than what the apps were telling me just based off of my period alone. So I recommend using this if you are trying to get pregnant! I also started taking the One A Day Prenatal vitamins. They provide women support for before, during, and after pregnancy so if you are trying, start taking them now.
Did you have morning sickness?
Luckily, I didn’t experience any morning sickness throughout my pregnancy. I did have a few days where I woke up and felt a little nauseous but I would keep an almond protein bar next to my bed and if I felt uneasy at all, I would eat it before getting out of bed and it went away. I’m not sure if the gender has any affect on morning sickness or not, but I’ve heard that women are more likely to have it with girls. I feel for the ladies who suffer from this big time in the first trimester, you are so strong!
When did you start to feel kicks?
I started to feel little “flutters” around 16 weeks! They got stronger at about 20 weeks and that’s when Matt first got to feel them from the outside. He’s the most active at night so every time we get in bed we watch my stomach to see what he will do! Now at 38 weeks, the kicks and turns are very strong and have been the coolest thing in the world to feel. I’m getting ready for him to make his way out but I know I will miss the bond of holding him right under my heart at all times.
What did you think of the glucose test?
Leading up to the test I was a little nervous because I was gaining more weight than I was supposed to and I didn’t want to have to deal with gestational diabetes. Luckily, it came back negative so I worried less about the weight and focused on just being healthy. I thought the glucose drink was super sugary though and I did not like it at all. It tasted like a very strong Gatorade syrup. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but I had to force myself to drink the last bit of it because it was just so much sugar all at once.
Where do you shop for maternity clothes?
I actually didn’t buy too many maternity clothes. One of the plus sides of being pregnant during COVID was that I worked from home almost the entire time and didn’t have to purchase a lot of new maternity work clothes. For comfort around the house though, I bought several leggings and pants/shorts that would last me through the third trimester. I mostly shopped maternity at Target or Amazon and had a partnership with PinkBlush Maternity so I got some clothes from there. They have really cute casual and dressy options! I’ll link a few of my favorites that I got the most use out of here.
How did you handle being pregnant during COVID?
What a crazy time to be pregnant am I right?! There have been pros and cons to this. As I mentioned, it’s been so nice working from home for almost my whole pregnancy. I’m able to be more relaxed and comfortable at home, not really having to dress up too much or do my makeup every single day. It has also been a huge blessing to have Matt here this whole time. He usually has to travel quite a bit for work and with the travel restrictions and new company policies, I got to have him home the whole pregnancy as well. For me, that outweighs the cons. I was really disappointed in cancelling our baby shower. We could have done a drive by shower in place of it, but I felt like this was a lot to ask of people who lived out of town and just seemed easier on everyone to send something if they wanted and FaceTime us from their homes. I love a good party and the girls that were throwing it for me had some really cute ideas they were coming up with, I was so excited for it! I’m really looking forward to the day we can get together with friends and family again. The venue that was going to be used for my shower has been rescheduled for next year to do a small “sip-and-see” where everyone can come meet Brooks so that will be a lot of fun!
One other thing that has been a little upsetting is that Matt hasn’t been allowed to come inside for my doctor appointments since about 20 weeks. He was going to every one of them before COVID. What I am most disappointed about is not being able to have my Mom in the hospital with us. I always imagined I would have both Matt and my Mom in the delivery room. I ask her about anything and everything and she always has a calming presence so I’ll just have to have her on FaceTime or something instead. She’s really good about not imposing her opinions on me unless I ask. She never tries to tell me what I should be doing or what’s right, but if I ask, she will tell me what she did or what she thinks might help. I’m so glad my parents will be coming to stay with us soon though to help get things all prepped and they are going to take care of the animals and house while we are at the hospital, and be here when we get home. I am so thankful for that!
What were your cravings/symptoms?
First Trimester (0-13 weeks):
Cravings
- Meat, potatoes, and all the carbs! It was a little strange because I don’t typically eat a lot of meat. I eat a lot of salads, mostly Chipotle, but during this stage salads didn’t sound filling enough to me.
- Pickles/Pickled Okra
- Cheese/Mexican food
- Chocolate
- Oh my gosh ice cream!
- I ate soo many eggs. We usually make breakfast tacos at home or some kind of scramble with bacon and veggies but I was craving eggs more than I usually do.
- PB&J on English muffins. My mom used to have this for breakfast all the time and it sounded really good! I’ve actually craved PB&J through the whole pregnancy.
Symptoms
- How much can you possibly pee?! I felt like I was going alll the time. Just wait until the third trimester though.
- Vivid dreams! Gosh I have never had so many dreams that were so vivid and they felt so real when I woke up. There was one night I was mad at Matt in my dream and I woke up SO mad at him haha, poor guy. I seriously couldn’t help it, they felt real!
- Cramps – some days made me question if my period was going to start or if it was just my body adapting to the new roommate. I learned that cramps are completely normal in the beginning, you just want to tell your doctor if it gets to be really painful or out of the norm.
- The girls were super sore. Some of this might be TMI, but if you’re like me, more info makes you feel more prepared! It would come and go, one week really sensitive, the next week perfectly fine.
- Fatigue – I never took naps during the day and there were some days in the first trimester that I would be knocked out right after I finished work. Your body is working really hard, so let yourself relax when you feel like you’ve hit a wall and take a break!
- Headaches.
- Increase in appetite.
- Emotional – Wow my hormones were just all over the place and I would cry at the most random things. I remember crying during reality tv shows where people would explain their stories and I would just start bawling haha. Matt was so sweet, he would kinda laugh and hold my hand and I would start laughing because I knew it was the hormones.
Second Trimester (13-28 weeks):
Cravings
- Things actually balanced out quite a bit in the second trimester. I still had an increase in my appetite and I still craved cheese, pickles, and chocolate every once in awhile.
- More fruits and veggies and less carbs. I craved Chipotle and Salata again. I could eat one of those two almost everyday for lunch or dinner. (Big salad fan)
- Turkey and cheese sandwiches started to sound really good, mostly because I wasn’t eating them. I cut out cold deli meat and not having sandwiches has been tough but I would eat a lot of rotisserie chicken or tacos. We looove making tacos around here!
Symptoms
- Sensitive and sometimes bleeding gums when I brushed my teeth.
- Heartburn – more so toward the end of this trimester.
- Backache! With the bump growing my lower back started to become more sore and needed all the massages.
- Round ligament pain.
- Congestion.
- Still some headaches occasionally.
- Pregnancy brain!! Big time. I started to really notice in these weeks that I wasn’t able to remember things as well as I used to. For work, I had to write down everything so I wouldn’t forget and I made lists of things for baby that I needed to do because I would get frustrated that I would have a thought and then couldn’t remember it later.
- Innie became an outie!
- It started to become more uncomfortable sleeping. I recommend getting this “c-shaped” pillow to help with sleep.
- Still hormonal and definitely had some mood swings.
Third Trimester (28-40 weeks):
Cravings
- Fruit, fruit, FRUIT! Oh my gosh I’ve never wanted watermelon, cantaloupe, apples, and grapes so much in my life. We go through these so fast right now. I guess it’s not a bad thing but I’m talking like I order it weekly from HEB. Ha
- Still wanting all the eggs.
- Cheese and milk. Dairy cravings have been pretty consistent throughout. More items common on our grocery list are jalapeño pimento cheese and wheat thins or triscuits.
- I switched to getting decaf only when I do get coffee. I know there’s still a little bit of caffeine in decaf but in the lattes I get, there’s not much espresso, it’s mostly milk! So I indulge when I want a PSL.
- Towards the very end, like these last few weeks (35-38 weeks) I haven’t really wanted as much to eat in general because I feel so huge all the time haha. My belly feels firm and kind of like a rock sometimes so eating big meals doesn’t sound appetizing.
- I drink lots and lots of water! I’ve always drank a lot of water though, even before pregnancy. To mix things up sometimes I’ll go for a sprite or I’ll make a virgin Moscow Mule. This is just ginger beer and lime, there’s no alcohol in it obviously. But ginger is helpful for heartburn and just a nice drink to sip on when you miss the occasional cocktail 😉
Symptoms
- Lack of bladder control – I thought I was peeing a lot in the first trimester. Girlfriend, I had no idea! There is no exaggeration in this whatsoever, I probably have to go every 2 or 3 hours. I wake up at least twice in the middle of the night to pee. I go right before I get in bed and first thing when I wake up. Haha, it really is a nonstop thing.
- More congestion.
- Bleeding gums when I brush my teeth. This happens every once in awhile, not every single time.
- Heartburn – I don’t think mine has been absolutely horrible but I have nothing to compare it to. I take TUMS at night if it’s bothering me and that helps. There were a couple weeks around week 36 that I felt like it was bad and I had a hard time sleeping, I had to sleep more upright instead of all the way flat.
- Exhaustion – Feeling this much more now than I did in the first trimester. Naps during the day and I want to sleep more at night but that usually doesn’t happen.
- Constipation – Yep, it isn’t glamorous but something you should know. Several mamas told me to start taking fiber to help with this so I got Metamucil and take 2 pills multiple times a day. I’ve also been told that I need to get Colace. I haven’t yet but will probably order some today. My doctor said they will give me some at the hospital as well because you definitely need it for after delivery.
- Uncomfortable sleeping – One week I was so uncomfortable, Matt asked if I wanted to try sleeping on the couch so that I could be more upright and just cushion myself with a bunch of pillows. It was so sweet of him and he slept down there with me. It helped for that week but then we switched back to the bed because my neck started to get sore from sleeping that way. I mostly take turns going back and forth between my left side to my right side with that C pillow.
- Lightning crotch!! Ok, this is a real thing that I heard absolutely nothing about from anyone until I experienced it and then looked it up to try and figure out what was going on. The first time I felt it I was 32 weeks and it woke me up in the middle of the night. It was a shooting pain that felt like a lightning bolt or a shock of electricity in my right groin area. They say this can sometimes happen when the baby is dropping and their head pushes down putting pressure on your nerves.
- Braxton Hicks Contractions – I don’t think my contractions have been too painful so far other than one night after a doctor appointment at 37 weeks. She did a cervix exam that day and I hadn’t dilated at all but she said baby had for sure dropped and my cervix had softened. That night, I had what I will say was BH contractions for about an hour or so.
- Typical back pain and soreness.
Timeline
Some other random timeline things that I think might be helpful to know about if you are a planner like me. Every woman and every doctor is different so this doesn’t mean this is how it should be for you, just what it was like for me.
- 5 weeks – First time we saw the heartbeat! We had a confirmation appointment with my doctor a little earlier than most people because of my first pregnancy. This was such a great feeling knowing everything looked good and the egg implanted in the correct location this time.
- 9 weeks – Non Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) this tests for chromosomal abnormalities and can tell you the gender as well if you want to find out. Everything came back normal and we did the blood test to tell us the gender but we waited awhile to find out.
- 13 weeks – Huge relief, we made it into the second trimester and could announce the good news! We told our families and a few close friends before this though.
- 15 weeks – Gender Reveal, it’s a BOY!!
- 16 weeks – Felt his first kicks!
- 17 weeks – First time we heard the heartbeat!
- 21 weeks – Anatomy scan
- 25 weeks – Glucose test
- 27 weeks – Created baby registry
- 28/29 weeks – Went on our babymoon to Wyoming and Montana! I still can’t believe we drove there all the way from Texas.
- 29 weeks – Decided on his name, Brooks William Barron!
- 30 weeks – Got the Tdap shot at my doctor appt. You’re supposed to get this every 10 years. Matt and I got ours before we visited my niece when she was born 3 years ago so he didn’t need another one, but they typically have pregnant women get a booster somewhere between 27-36 weeks. I am a major supporter of this because whopping cough is no joke for newborn babies.
- 32 weeks – Took maternity photos
- 33 weeks – When we would have had the baby shower
- 34 weeks – Registered at our hospital and decided on the pediatrician we would like to use for once Brooks is here.
- 35 weeks – Growth ultrasound
- 36 weeks – Hospital bags packed!
- 37 weeks – Nursery done!
- 37/38 weeks – Registered for Cord Blood Banking
- 38 weeks – All I’ve been doing now that I started maternity leave is watching the labor and delivery videos from my hospital and reading the books that I never finished. We went and got our flu shots since flu season has officially started in Houston and we are technically supposed to have it at least 2 weeks before being around a newborn. Trying to do all the last minute laundry and organizing but mostly just taking it easy until Brooks is ready to make his big debut. We cannot wait!
I think that covers all of the questions I’ve received about my experience so I hope it was helpful in some way!! I have loved connecting with new moms and moms-to-be along the way, y’all have shown us so much love and support. I really can’t say thank you enough! Thank you for the prayers and well wishes and the encouragement along the way. I’m so excited to continue sharing our experience and new life with a newborn.
Lots of love,
Maddie
