It is SO exciting to finally share the news that Yale and I are expecting a baby boy in March 2022! Everyone says that hiding their pregnancies is the hardest thing, and I completely agree. There were so many times when I would come on stories and bite my tongue, because I was always so tempted to share or was worried I’d say something about the baby by accident! I am officially 16 weeks, and finally in my second trimester. Honestly, the first trimester felt like it flew by, especially since most of the first month you don’t even know you’re pregnant (//technically aren’t? Pregnancy timing/dating is weird). We feel so beyond grateful to have this baby growing inside me.

I know the topic of pregnancy and fertility is a sensitive one for so many, and my thoughts and prayers are with anyone who are struggling to conceive at the moment. I see you and hold space for you in my heart.

I wanted to do a first trimester recap/Q&A for my own sake, but to also address any questions any of you may have about our experience thus far. Of COURSE, I am by NO means an expert on the topic of pregnancy, so am just sharing how the last 16 weeks have been for me personally.

Figured I should also put it out there to anyone else who may feel similarly that I have never been a baby person. I have always far preferred peoples dogs over their babies, and for awhile had a hard time even visualizing myself as a parent. The idea of parenting seemed so foreign and I wasn’t entirely sure it would be for me. When Yale and I got married nearly 3 years ago, we were immediately bombarded with the question of “WHEN ARE BABIES COMING?”, which I found pretty rude and intrusive. Naturally, we did what any millennial couple does, and got a dog shortly after getting married.

That said, last fall (2020), I started to feel a shift in my thought process regarding becoming a parent. I had been on the Pill for 14 years (learn more about my experience in that department here and here), and started to toy around with the idea of coming off and letting my body get back to a natural cycle. This past spring 2021 we started thinking more about our timeline, and got more into the “if it happens on it’s own, GREAT!” mindset. Basically not NOT trying, you know? But also not actively testing my ovulation, or timing *activities* around it.

In May 2021 I purchased the Clearblue Digital Ovulation tests to try and see if my basal body thermometer and body were actually in line. I liked how easy this test was to use, despite a few friends telling me they never got it to “work”, aka never got a “peak fertility” smiley face alert. Basically, for those who are unaware or curious, this test shows 3 digital displays depicting where you are in your fertile cycle: a blank circle for “low fertility” days, a blinking smiley face for “high fertility” days, and a constant (static) smiley face for “peak fertility”. In May when I tested I got 3 days of the blank circle, and 2 blinking smiley faces, but didn’t consistently track to try and achieve the peak. Needless to say, I did not get pregnant that month.

I continued tracking my ovulation in June based off my Natural Cycles app/thermometer and with the Clearblue tests. I was more diligent with it this time, not because I was expecting to get pregnant, but was curious to see how accurate both options were. One afternoon (after a couple cocktails by the pool lol), Yale and I both turned to one another and said “should we give it a whirl?”, which was the first time we both actively agreed that we were ready to start trying. It was a total shock when we got pregnant right away! Actually, the first person I told when I thought I saw a very faint double line on the pregnancy test was my dietitian Carli, because I wasn’t sure I could trust my eyes, and didn’t want to get Yale all excited if it was just my eyes playing tricks on me. Both she and my friend Madison said they had the most luck with First Response pregnancy tests, which I immediately took, only to discover two light, but definitive pink lines.

I wished I had thought about how I’d tell Yale we were pregnant prior to actually getting pregnant, but I was just SO excited I had to tell him right away. I’ll never forget, he was working in the basement at his desk and I awkwardly stood behind him, breathing heavily. He asked me what was wrong, when I whispered “I think I’m pregnant” behind him. I’ve never seen Yale turn around so quickly, he might’ve gotten whiplash! “WAIT ARE YOU SERIOUS?!”, he responded, to which I replied by handing him my pregnancy test. I managed to get a very faint positive 8 or 9 days after ovulating, so I told him that a lot could happen before we could see my OB, but we were so happy.

The first few weeks are all kind of a blur now, but I will say the things that stand out for me were my anxiety and fatigue. I was (and still am, if I’m being honest) so afraid of something going wrong, that it almost took away from me enjoying the first trimester. Thankfully, I was not sick and my symptoms were all really manageable, but dealing with a huge increase of “what if” anxiety has been really difficult. Thankfully, so far all of my scans, ultrasounds and bloodwork has all come back normal and healthy, which has eased some anxiety. I am definitely nervous for the 20 week anatomy scan, but for now I am just taking each day as it comes.

I want to move into the Q&A section, but send me a DM or email if you have any additional questions!

Q&A

How long were you trying to conceive?

I think I answered this above, but we are very grateful to have gotten pregnant on our first “real” try. Truly, not a day goes by when I don’t think about how lucky we are in that regard. I do not take that for granted.

When did your symptoms start/what were your earliest symptoms?

I should preface this by saying I am VERY in tune with my body. Any new change or symptom is easily recognizable to me. So I’d say within a matter of days of getting pregnant, I started noticing small shifts. The first few days I had headaches (before I knew I was pregnant), and worsening insomnia. I also had cramping, which made me think I was about to get my period. 2 days later I got my first very faint positive. I was also peeing a lot, my eyes were twitching like crazy (saw somewhere online that said this is an early symptom for some people). As my pregnancy continued my breasts got extremely tender (and gotten larger), which continued my entire first trimester. That symptom has since subsided in the second trimester. I also dealt with crazy fatigue, and napped basically every afternoon. Crazy how quickly your body changes!

When did you find out you were pregnant? Did you miss your period first?

Piggybacking on the question above, I had a feeling I might’ve been pregnant, so started testing at 7/8 days past ovulation (DPO). I got my first very faint positive on 8/9 DPO and a strong positive at like 10 DPO. I also of course missed my period and had several HCG blood tests run by my doctor to monitor my hormone levels.

Are you vaccinated for Covid?

Yes, I got the vaccine exactly 1 month prior to getting pregnant.

What did you use to track your cycle and ovulation?

Natural Cycles (use code ALLIE for a 20% off your annual subscription and a free thermometer)

How has your anxiety been?

Honestly, not great. There is so much unknown with pregnancy which really scares me, and that has been so hard on my anxiety. I am just trying to take each day as it comes, quiet the noise, and stay in the present as much as I can. Here for anyone else who is struggling with pregnancy anxiety.

What prenatal are you taking?

This is the prenatal I am taking per the recommendation of my Naturopath. I really like it but I suggest getting a recommendation from your doctor to see what specific needs your body has!

How did you hide the news from friends and family?

I will say, the timing of this pregnancy was definitely on our side. I don’t know how I could’ve hidden it if my first trimester fell over the holidays (when I spend more time with my family/more time drinking). I was pretty reclusive the first 2 months and we told my family at 10 weeks (I knew my mom would have a hard time keeping it a secret!). There are also a lot of non-alcoholic beverage options out there that you can be stealth with. At the pool with friends, I would drink a soda water with grapefruit juice, to mimic my usual tequila soda with grapefruit.

How did you find out his sex so quickly?

We did NIPT testing at 9 weeks, and received results at 10 weeks. We reconfirmed his sex visually at an ultrasound at 12 weeks (this is also done at the 20 week anatomy scan).

When were you able to go to your first OB appointment?

I first saw our baby at our viability scan at 6 weeks 5 days. He literally looked like a blob (was the size of a blueberry I think). The sonographer said you usually get a better image after 8 weeks, but my doctors office lets patients in for scans between 6-8 weeks.

When did you start to show?

My friend Kelly (who has 3 kids) said her pregnancy bumps came in 3 stages: bloat, gut, then bump! I’d say at 14-15 weeks I really hit the gut stage. I have also heard that weeks 14-18 are hardest for clothes because you’re not ready for maternity in most cases, but most of your old clothes are not going to fit the same. I’d say I started to notice a difference in my stomach at 14 weeks, but was bloated from the start.

What items are on your registry?

I haven’t finished our registry yet, but have registered for lots of fun things so far! We’ve already received both of our strollers (the grandmothers gifted them and they were ordered early due to supply issues). Opted for the Uppababy Vista V2 and the Doona. As we get closer I will share other items we receive/are excited about, but the strollers are super exciting to me at the moment!