surprise! I'm pregnant! 1st trimester recap

Hello, my lovely friends! It has been awhile since I've shown my face around here... and for good reason, I promise! If you follow me on Instagram, you may already know... but I am PREGNANT! My husband and I are sooo excited to be expecting our first baby, coming July 2022. 🙂 I have been wanting to make this post for a few weeks but, ya know - pregnancy brain. And fatigue. Morning sickness. All the things! So let me catch you up now!

the beginning

I started feeling "off" at the beginning of November - you may know I work in a pediatric urgent care, so to be honest, I thought I had caught a virus from one of the kids (or, worse, COVID!). However, my husband and I had been trying on and off for a baby since February, so I knew pregnancy could be a possibility! I had multiple negative tests in October despite missing my period, so I thought my cycle was just being irregular. Well, I took a test and SURPRISE - it was positive! It turned almost immediately positive and you can see that line is dark. By dates, I thought I was much further along than I was. My OB was able to see me the very next day and by ultrasound we were able to tell that little peanut was 6 weeks along at that point 🙂 

first trimester

I don't know if you can tell in that photo, but the first trimester was really rough for me 🙁 I feel like that is something a lot of people are not prepared for! I've heard of morning sickness and fatigue, but wow you really don't realize how bad it can be until you are going through it! I felt like I had the flu for 3 months. No appetite, major food aversions, horrible nausea, and acid reflux - again, not to mention the extreme fatigue and brain fog. I've never suffered from depression before in my life, but to be honest that is how it felt. I have always been very "Type A" and always on the go, and it was super hard to be basically on self-imposed bed rest from being so tired! That first trimester seemed never-ending, but I am happy to say the fog has cleared now and I feel mostly like a human again.

what did i eat?

As I mentioned, I had a really difficult time with food between the nausea, reflux, and food aversions. I was "off" coffee until early January, I would say. I couldn't stomach any vegetables (especially leafy greens and kale, which are usually my favorite!). And even protein was tough because nothing sounded good. Here is a realistic list of what I was actually able to eat - I feel like so many lists online make you feel bad for not being able to eat anything healthy. Well, I definitely couldn't tolerate anything healthy for a couple months and baby is growing just fine!

first trimester food ideas

• peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread - I like Dave's Killer Bread "White Bread Done Right" for the illusion of health
• bagels, toasted with a thin layer of butter or vegan cream cheese
• fruit smoothies - I would try to add in some vanilla protein powder for some protein and to stay full for longer. I would also sometimes add spinach or black beans for secret added nutrition and fiber.
• ramen noodles
• bananas, berries, mandarin oranges (and really all fruit - thankfully fruit never bothered me even though I had an aversion to vegetables)
• veggie sandwiches - this was weirdly the only application where vegetables did not bother me. I guess because they were raw and fresh/crunchy? I would get a veggie sandwich almost every day at work, either from Panera, Jimmy John's, or Jersey Mike's. Salt & vinegar chips paired very well with this and for some reason also did not bother my stomach.
• oatmeal with peanut butter and berries - I would also add in chia seeds and hemp hearts.
• anything minty - mint tea, peppermint candies, peppermint bark. Mint is supposed to help with nausea and this seemed to help settle my stomach.
• ALL THE TUMS. Don't be scared to take these because they help so much! Of course, check with your OB first - mine told me I could take up to 6 Tums a day safely. For much of the first trimester, I also took Pepcid daily (under my doctor's advice/supervision) to help keep the reflux under control. Now it thankfully has calmed down so I don't need the Pepcid anymore. The Tums however, have stayed. I recommend chewy Tums - they taste like candy and it feels like a treat rather than eating sidewalk chalk.

pregnancy foods that everyone recommends, but actually suck

Hah! Okay, a little sassy, but truly I felt like all of the things I found online were 0% helpful. I was desperate and all of the "first trimester food idea" lists all had the same crap. So, without further ado, here are things that my poor pregnant self couldn't even think to stomach:

• Ginger - maybe this is just a "me" problem, but I think ginger is so gross. Everyone talks about how ginger is great for nausea and upset stomach, but just the thought of it made me feel sicker.
• Soups - warm, thick, chunky stuff? Absolutely not. Absolutely NOT. I didn't particularly love hot food anyway, but again, the idea of soup was absolutely revolting.
• Saltines - I really tried. I bought a huge box of saltine crackers and tell me why I only got through like half of one sleeve. I think I just don't enjoy the flavor of these so they are a no-go.
• Eggs - I mean, I am vegan anyway so I don't eat "real" eggs but I generally enjoy tofu scramble and faux egg products such as Just Egg. Not in the first trimester! The texture and flavor were just too much for me.
• Dairy products - many people recommend dairy products like yogurt, sliced cheese, and cottage cheese for snacks. Again, I don't eat real dairy but even the thought of fake cheese was so gross to me. Yogurt did seem to go down ok, especially if eaten with some sliced fruit, but I was not a fan of cheese

All this to say... if all the lists online seem the same, it's because they are! Don't feel bad if none of these foods sound good or work for you. Who cares! Find what your stomach will tolerate and stick with it. 

Also, a worthy mention:

• Diclegis/Unasom with B6 - my OB suggested taking over the counter Unasom (doxylamine) with B6 for morning sickness. Which, let's be honest, should be called all day sickness. This unfortunately did absolutely nothing for me and it actually made my nausea worse! But many of my friends swear by it. It's always worth asking your doctor, but just know that it may not help 🙁 

how do you feel now?

I am sooooo, so happy to report I mostly feel like myself again. At the time of creating this post, I am about 18 and a half weeks along. My normal food palate is back and I am back to unironically enjoying kale salad and all of the veggies. I do get full super fast so I've just been having to do small, more frequent meals/snacks which is fine - just something to get used to! And I am still definitely tired which I think is just a normal pregnancy thing. But all in all, I feel like a completely different person than I did the first trimester. If you're going through it - hang in there!! It does get better! If you guys have any tips or food ideas for the first trimester, I'd love it if you could leave a comment! Again, I am through that part of my pregnancy but it may help someone else 🙂

Looking onward - we are supposed to have a gender reveal party for baby next week! Weather permitting, that is. We are currently having a snow-storm and I am hoping it will clear up for us by next week! I will post an update here of course, so be on the lookout. As always, I post much more frequently and am more responsive on my Instagram so you can always come chat with me there!