My Pregnancy

       This post is a bit late because baby boy is already 5 weeks old, but I really wanted to share in case it’s helpful! Pregnancy was a wonderful experience, which is ironic because before getting pregnant the thing that I was most anxious about was not actually having a baby but being pregnant. I wasn’t sure that I was ready for the bodily changes not to mention enduring it for 9 whole months. But I was determined to be as healthy as possible beforehand and worked really hard towards that, which I know contributed to having such a smooth ride through all 9 months (not to say that even the healthiest of women can have excruciating symptoms, I was also lucky).

TRIMESTER 1

       I was so blessed and lucky to have a really uneventful and symptom-free pregnancy. I know not every woman can say that so I truly tried to be grateful for it every single day.

       I struggled with a little bit of morning sickness right at 6 weeks until 12 weeks or so. My saving grace was Traditional Medicinals Ginger Lemon Lozenges, they made a huge difference when the nausea came on and were so easy to pop into my mouth and keep in my purse, car, etc.

       I chose to have the genetic screening blood draw with gender reveal around 10 weeks – found out baby was totally normal with no genetic markers, and that he was a boy! (I seriously always thought we’d have a girl because my husband already has a daughter, boy was I wrong – pun intended!)

TRIMESTER 2

       Second trimester I finally felt baby move around 17-18 weeks and was so dang excited! It’s so funny because at first you’re not sure what you’re feeling, it honestly feels a little like gas bubbles and then after a couple times you realize it’s not a gas bubble which is such a fun realization.

       I had my one and only ultra sound at 20 weeks to confirm baby had all it’s anatomy and confirm gender. As fun as it was to see him on the ultrasound monitor I knew that it was only necessary to see him this one time. Additional ultrasounds didn’t resonate with me and my midwife agreed, unless there were risk factors there was no need to have any others.

       I honestly didn’t look pregnant or have a sizable bump until about 24 weeks. It seemed like he had a big growth spurt from 22 to 24 weeks and I had a legit baby bump all of a sudden!

       I did the regular glucose test at 26 weeks – I had to drink about 8oz with 50 grams of sugar. I talked to my midwife about other options however she let me know if for some reason I did not pass the test and we used an alternative method then it can’t be used for diagnostic purposes, so I’d have to retake the test with the regular drink and then move on to the secondary testing. Now the chances of me passing the test were very high, I knew this, but chose to do the regular test/drink to simplify things. And for me it was a very small compromise in the grand scheme of things. The important thing for me was that I was informed and made the choice myself.

TRIMESTER 3

       Third trimester started off with some indigestion and heartburn. Nothing crazy but enough to keep me uncomfortable some nights before bed.

Heartburn remedies that I tried and loved:

• Peppermint tea
• Tummy Drops Peppermint Lozenges (these were the BEST)
• Now Foods Papaya Enzymes Chewable
• Tums (as a last resort)

       I chose not to have any vaginal exams until I was 39 weeks and 3 days at my scheduled appointment (which was also my midwife’s standard procedure anyway), we decided to see if anything was starting to happen. My midwife would check my weight, blood pressure, measure my belly, but mostly just asked how I was feeling and what questions I had. However at that last appointment we got some good news because things were already starting to progress, and the next day I gave birth to baby Grayson. You can read Grayson’s Birth Story here.

COVID

       Obviously the coronavirus threw a whole extra layer onto an already busy time in my life. Luckily there were some positive pieces to staying home all the time and getting to work from home as well.

Pros:

• Didn’t have to deal with being in public and getting unsolicited advice or having random people try to touch my belly. I hold firm boundaries when it comes to my body so it was nice not to even worry about it.
• Working from home was a silver lining since it helped me take it easy, eat better food, stay active, etc.

Cons:

• Didn’t really get to tell any of my clients at work that I was pregnant since we stopped seeing them in person and it wasn’t always appropriate to bring up my personal news during a business call with them. I felt like I had to share via Facebook for most people to find out which took a little bit of the joy out of it.
• Basically little to no in-person baby shopping, which is something I had looked forward to.
• Couldn’t have a traditional baby shower and had to opt for a tiny gathering of just my close family that we had already been exposed to.

SUPPLEMENTS

Supplements I took under the direction of my midwife:

• Pink Stork Liquid Prenatal -OR-
• Seeking Health Prenatal Protein Powder
• Femdophillus Probiotic
• Seeking Health Magnesium Plus
• Pink Stork DHA
• Floradix Iron & Herbs Liquid
• Thorne Vitamin D/K2 Drops

FREE RESOURCES

       #1 resource: your local Buy Nothing Group (or any other Free group you can join on Facebook)

       Some of the things I was able to get from my local group:

• Cloth diapers
• Travel bassinet
• Baby wearing wrap
• Tons of baby clothes
• Wood bassinet
• Boppy
• Pregnancy sleeping pillow
• Lactation tea
• Breast pump (yes seriously! a Medela Pump In Style that was barely used and had tons of extras/accessories)
• Pregnancy and Breastfeeding books
• Children’s books
• Chicco Caddy Stroller
• Breast feeding cover up
• Car seat covers

DO’s & DON’Ts

       I am a coffee lover so it was not something I wanted to give up, however I did cut back by drinking decaf most of the time, and only indulging in regular coffee on the weekends, 1 cup each day. I know there’s a whole list of other things you’re supposed to avoid, like raw eggs, cold deli meats, raw fish, etc. I trusted my own instructs and body to know what I should and shouldn’t have. I avoided raw fish. But I had cold sandwiches a few times, and ate raw cookie dough a few times. For me that was comfortable and didn’t cause me any anxiety, but I know for some women they’d rather not worry at all in which case I’d encourage you to avoid eating anything that gives you stress, and talk it over with your midwife or doctor to get their opinion as well.

CHIROPRACTIC

       I visited my chiropractor once a week for my entire pregnancy. Dr. Amy at Oly Family Chiro is ICPA certified which means she had the additional training needed to safely treat patients who are pregnant as well as postpartum and on babies. I truly think my care from her helped me be completely ache and pain free. I had a couple days of round ligament pain (super common during pregnancy for most) and that was it.

SLEEP

       I never had any trouble sleeping while pregnant, which was a huge blessing. If I had I would’ve used a small dose of melatonin to help fall asleep as needed, that’s what felt most comfortable to me and I had it on hand just in case. The research I did made me feel totally safe using a small dose if I ever needed it. But again, consult your midwife or doctor to get their opinion for you personally. Speaking of which, I never did use that giant pregnancy C pillow that you see all over, I’m so glad I got it for free because it would’ve been a waste of money for me. I preferred a regular pillow that I used in between my knees earlier on and then as I got bigger I used it to cuddle and cradle my bump..