Not going to lie, I’ve been pretty excited to write this post. I’ve done so much internet-ing along with other mamas to be and I always love reading about their journeys. Whether it’s book recommendations (give me!), foods that helped quell the nausea, or workouts that still worked for them, the blogosphere is definitely an invaluable resource when it comes to women who have been there before. I definitely subscribe to the “don’t google too much” theory because any tiny ache or twinge could send you down a WebMD rabbit hole, but reading and learning about other pregnant women’s thoughts and feelings during this time has helped me feel less crazy about mine. (Bloggers I’ve liked reading: Ali (whose blogging format for trimester updates I’ve stolen), Janae, Angela, and Caitlin.)

My husband, Jacob, and I have been calling our future baby “Beep,” which is kind of a long and not that funny story. But I like that he already has a name even if that’s not what his real name will be (though I am pushing for it). I have a few other friends who are pregnant and due within a couple of months of me, so it’s been fun to chat with them and compare (and contrast!) what we’ve been feeling so far. I’m extraordinarily jealous of anyone who isn’t hit with the heavy exhaustion and nausea duo!

Baby is the size of a…

In the first trimester we got to “see” (by way of myriad apps that track, update, and monitor your every move) Baby Beep grow from a peppercorn (I LOVED thinking about how tiny that was on week 3 or 4!) to a peach! My pants have definitely felt that growth, as I only have a couple of pairs that are loose enough to still fit comfortably.

How I’m feeling:

I had heard the many warnings and admonitions about the first trimester. (“You’re so tired you don’t know how to function.” “The sickness and nausea are unreal.”) But for some reason I had that strong-independent-woman who has always lived inside of me saying, “You’ll be fine! You’re healthy, fit, and have a high threshold for pain!” While those things may help me down the line, let me just tell you that the first trimester LEVELED me. I’ve never wanted to use the word “shattered” to describe how I felt before, but the exhaustion truly took everything out of me. I accomplished going to work (most days) and absolutely nothing beyond that. It helped that the baseball post-season happened right as I started feeling not great, because that meant a lot of horizontal nights on the couch!

Beyond being so tired I couldn’t do any of my normal activities (yoga, running, hiking, etc on the workout front, but also cooking dinner, doing laundry, and putting my shoes away all took more energy than I had to give!), I also was hit with quite a bit of nausea throughout the trimester, and vomiting in the first 4-7 weeks. This was just not fun. I was tired enough as it was, but couple that with not ingesting calories and it was a whopper of a duo. The nausea started to wean away around 11-12 weeks, and at 13 (seems like no one has officially defined if the first trimester ends at 12 or 13 weeks??) I am starting to get at least a little bit of energy back. I went to my first yoga class in months a few days ago! I felt like I deserved a medal.

What I’m eating:

So. Little. My “safe” foods that didn’t make me want to hurl at the mere sight of them were: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, orange juice, early grey tea, green apples, annnnd that’s pretty much it. On good days I also wanted pizza and Thai curry. I absolutely couldn’t stand some of my previously favorite foods like eggs, Chinese, stir frys, any and all vegetables, and grapefruit juice. My midwife told me that in the first trimester it’s purely about survival, “so if all you want is cotton candy and ginger ale… you should eat as much cotton candy and ginger ale as you can!” So, I think there were at least two weeks straight where I had PB&J for breakfast and lunch. By dinner I could usually handle a light soup or noodles with butter. Needless to say the caliber of cooking in our house has truly plummeted in the last few weeks. I’m hoping that trimester two curbs my nausea and brings with it the desire to cook and eat again!

On the “things you’re not supposed to eat” front, very luckily I have been pretty averse to most of the things you’re supposed to avoid anyway. Coffee, a thing I used to not go a day without, immediately started making me nauseated so I cut it out completely. I had a caffeine headache for two or three days when I first stopped drinking it, and now I don’t even notice that our coffee maker hasn’t been used since August. I also haven’t even really wanted to smell/be around wine and beer. I’m not a huge sushi fan to begin with so avoiding that hasn’t been hard. The one “no” food that I have really wanted is turkey deli meat… sigh. I’ll just have to settle for some extra portions of the bird at Thanksgiving!

What I’m doing:

As mentioned, I’ve been more tired in the last ~3 months than ever before in my life. So “doing” in my life dropped to a bare minimum (have you noticed that, ahem, our blog hasn’t been updated quite as much?). I accomplished getting myself to work (mostly on time…) and beyond that I had no priorities. I took lots of naps. I really need to do laundry. I did make it to two baseball games of the World Series (duh. not going to miss that opportunity, even for Beep!), but beyond that my calendar has been reaaaaaalll empty.

What I’m reading:

Ohmygosh, books! I love reading, and I especially love reading about something that’s directly affecting me or that I’m very interested in… pregnancy is both of those things plus more and there are so many great books out there that I’ve already found! My favorite thus far has been ‘Expecting Better‘ by Emily Oster, an economist, who tackles the “conventional wisdom” and old wives tales surrounding pregnancy. She uses science and actual data to back up what’s real, and to dispel what doesn’t have a whole lot of truth around it. This book made me so much less nervous and apprehensive about being pregnant and gave me a really great starting point on lots of questions I had going into it. I also really loved Angela Garbes’ ‘Like A Mother,’ which takes a similar tone. I’m partway through both ‘Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn‘ and ‘Nurture‘, and have a handful of others on my to-read list (‘Mindful Birthing,’ ‘Strong As a Mother,’ and ‘Pregnancy, OMG!‘; also some parenting books like ‘Baby Meets World‘ and ‘Parentonomics‘). More suggestions to add to that list are very welcome!

What I’m wearing:

I’ve been lucky that pretty much everything I own has still fit throughout the first trimester. In the last week or two a lot of my pants have started to feel a bit tight, so probably a much bigger update in this section next time!

How I’m sleeping:

Great! And lots! Almost immediately upon finding out that I was pregnant I started having to pee A LOT more (who knew just a little bit of growth can put that much pressure on your bladder?!), especially during the night. So I’m used to getting up at least once or twice every night now. I also pretty immediately started feeling a little uncomfortable in my normal sleeping position (on my stomach), so have adjusted to mostly sleeping on my back and left side. Beyond that, I’m sleeping consistently and taking naps on every weekend day (…and some weekdays when I get home from work ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ).

What I’m wondering!

So many things. When will I really start showing? When will absolutely none of my current clothes fit? When will I feel better, more like a human, and have at least a decent amount of energy left? Very future looking but I’m nervous I won’t know when labor is starting? And have a few nerves/fears around the whole giving birth thing. But I have plenty of time to read, prepare, and worry about that. I’m also supposed to sign up for birthing classes, and the idea of it (and, honestly, just those words “birthing class”) is stressing me out a bit. Adventure awaits!

Do we have any pregnant readers? Anyone a new mama? Who has book recommendations?? Let me know in the comments!