My First Trimester Update

First of all, I have to say THANK YOU all so much for all of your messages and excitement about Baby Malone. Ryan and I have gotten nothing but love, support, and well-wishes since announcing the new addition to our family and we are still on cloud 9. We are both super excited to share this experience with all of you! So, I am kicking things off today with an update on how my first trimester has gone.

Being a pregnant mama these days can be super overwhelming with the endless amounts of information out there. There are countless books, articles, and internet forums out there that you could create a whole career out of researching pregnancy. What I found to be really helpful was reading about other women’s experiences first-hand. Therefore, I want to return the favor and hopefully be a helpful resource for someone else out there! So, let’s dive in!

How We Found Out

Okay, let’s jump into how I found out I was pregnant. Surprisingly enough, when Ryan and I moved into our new home here in Lübeck, I was already pregnant and just didn’t know it yet! Thank goodness we opted for a place with a spare bedroom (haha). The first two weeks in our new home were spent unpacking, organizing, cleaning, and just trying to get back into a somewhat “normal” routine. During this time, I was feeling a bit more sleepy than usual, a lot more hungry, and I also caught a cold. If you talk to Ryan, he might also tell you that I was being a little extra moody and definitely more snippy towards him (haha). But other than that, I had no other symptoms, felt completely normal, and never even suspected I was pregnant. I honestly had chalked everything up to the stress of the move and settling into a new city. After all, who wouldn’t be tired, hungry, and cranky after completing a large move?!

It wasn’t until a couple of weeks later that both Ryan and I started to look at each other and suspect something was going on! A few days had passed and anytime I mentioned how starving I was or anytime I would snap at Ryan for wearing his shoes in the house, he would just laugh and me and say, “Yup, you’re definitely pregnant!” It became a sort of a running joke for a few days in our house…even though deep down I think both of us knew it was (kind of) serious!

For a few days, Ryan kept nudging me to take a trip to the drug store and buy a pregnancy test. However, I think I was so terrified of the result that I wasn’t ready to take one yet. There came a point where Ryan couldn’t take the suspense anymore, so on one Tuesday night around 8:00 pm, he dragged me off the couch, drove us to the drug store, and we bought one, single pregnancy test. I have to admit, I started to freak out during the drive to the store. I think by this point I knew that the test would be positive, and this would all be real! Ryan and I have talked about starting a family for a while now, but does anyone actually feel ready to become a parent?!

When we got home, we both ran to the bathroom, I took the test, and the rest is history! Although the instructions on the box tell you to wait 3-5 minutes for the results to show up, mine turned positive within about 2 seconds. We had absolutely no doubt in our minds that this was correct! Yup, it’s all really happening now…we’re having a baby! I have to say, I really admire women who take pregnancy tests alone and then surprise their husbands in some cute way that there is a baby on the way. I mean, I don’t know how I could ever have ever hid this from Ryan!

I have to admit, I must have gone through every single emotion that night when the test showed up positive. I was obviously so ecstatic that we would have a new addition to our family in less than a year, but I was also extremely nervous, anxious, and completely terrified. Would I be a good mom? What is our life going to look like? How will I be able to carry, birth, and raise this baby while we are living alone here in Germany? Are we really cut out for this? These thoughts totally consumed me for the first few weeks of my pregnancy. However, I have to say that as soon as we shared the news with our families, somehow all of my fears and doubts disappeared. From that point on, I have been nothing but crazy excited for this new baby! I know that we have the absolute best support systems behind us and that this little baby will be deeply loved by so many!

What I Did

The very first thing I did after the pregnancy test turned positive (besides freak out and cry haha) was schedule my first prenatal doctor’s appointment. Because we had only been living here for about 2 weeks, I personally did not even have an OBGYN yet! As I’m sure you can imagine, I was totally freaking out at the time (haha). So, I jumped onto Google, looked up doctors that were in our town and called the very first one that popped up. Luckily, they were able to schedule me an appointment just one week later so…crisis averted! If you have a doctor already that you love, I would recommend scheduling an appointment as quickly as possible. If you don’t love your existing doctor, don’t be afraid to shop around until you find one you are happy with. You’re going to be seeing a lot of each other over the next few months so make sure you are completely satisfied and comfortable!
I started taking a prenatal vitamin. Your doctor might prescribe you one or even give you samples at your first prenatal appointment. This is another thing that you might want to shop around for. Don’t be afraid to try a few brands until you find one that you like. I have been taking these vitamins for a little while now and I really like them! These prenatal vitamins are an organic, comprehensive, whole-food multi-nutrient formula blended in a base of 23 fruits and vegetables. They are also a RAW supplement, meaning they contain no high heat, synthetic binders, fillers, artificial flavors, sweeteners, colors or additives commonly used in tablets.
One of my favorite things throughout this entire pregnancy has been tracking everything in a pregnancy app. There are a few great ones out there, but I have personally loved the Ovia app. It gives you daily updates, tells you what is going on with you and your baby each week, and even has fun tools like a Kick counter, contraction timer, and hospital bag checklist. It’s awesome and has been so fun to see what Baby is developing each week!
I also started documenting my pregnancy in a journal! I thought it would be really fun to keep track of how I was feeling each week, document any symptoms I was experiencing, and record any major milestones like when I feel the first kick. My mom also gave me the suggestion of writing letters to the Baby, which is think is the sweetest idea! Pregnancy is such an emotional time for many women and I think journaling can be a great way to get a good therapy session in!
I cut out certain foods and beverages from my diet. Definitely talk to your doctor about this one, as many doctors have different opinions on what is deemed “safe” or “unsafe” for pregnancy.
I drank lots of water! Pregnant mamas are encouraged to drinks lots and lots of water. This probably won’t be too difficult for you, considering most expecting moms turn into camels during their pregnancy!
We shared the news with our immediate family members when I was around 7 weeks!
Ryan and I bought our first official baby item…the crib! Nope, we don’t have a single outfit or anything overly “cute” (haha) but hey, we do have the crib set up!
We then took our Pregnancy Announcement photo and shared the news publically when I was 12 weeks!

How I Felt

I feel almost guilty for admitting this, but I have been SUPER lucky throughout my pregnancy so far and have experienced very mild “pregnancy symptoms”. I have been fortunate enough to not have any morning sickness or complications throughout my first trimester. This is definitely a luxury that I do not take for granted whatsoever!

The biggest symptom that I faced throughout the entire first trimester was complete and utter exhaustion. I felt like no matter how many hours of sleep I got, it was never enough. I was super tired every single day and would find myself plopping onto the couch around 3:00 every afternoon. And let me tell you, as soon as my butt was parked on that couch, there was no getting up after that (haha).

As far as food goes, I haven’t really experienced any weird cravings. However, I did find myself not wanting to eat anything overly sweet or chocolatey early on in my pregnancy. And if you know me in real life, you know that this is totally abnormal for me! I typically have the biggest sweet tooth and am always craving something sweet for dessert. I just haven’t really had much of a taste for it lately!

While we’re on the topic of food…another huge symptom I have had is uncontrollable hunger (haha). I am legitimately hungry 24/7. I am eating more than I’m used to eating, and I am also eating more frequently throughout the day. I find that I get hungry every couple of hours and I need to make sure that I am eating little snacks throughout the day. If I become hungry and I wait too long to eat, I get pretty nauseated until I get a little something in my stomach.

In terms of my skin, I felt like pregnancy was actually doing my skin a huge favor during those first few weeks. I had the most clear and radiant skin I have probably ever had in my entire life and I was beyond thrilled! However, around Week 9 I started to get breakouts and I am currently still riding the acne struggle bus. Oh well!

If you talk to Ryan, he would probably tell you that I have been a little more emotional than I usually am. He might even say I’ve been a tad cranky and irritable but hey, these things are totally normal, right?!

Gender

The topic everyone is most interested in…what is the gender of this baby?! I hate to be the bearer of bad news but we don’t even know what we are going to have. And we are going to try and keep it that way until I deliver. Ryan and I thought it would be so special to have this be a surprise and go to the hospital without knowing what we were coming home with. We are well aware that technology has gotten unbelievably good and with all of the ultrasounds we have been having, we might be able to tell if its a girl or boy without actually trying to. So, if that happens…oh well! But for now, we’re going gender-neutral all the way!

Favorite Products

San Pellegrino Water: For when plain water was boring the heck out of me.
Saltine Crackers: To have on my nightstand for when I woke up.
Get Maternal Tea: Caffeine-free tea made specifically for pregnant mamas.
Maternity Dress: This has been the one item of clothing I have been living in! It’s super comfortable, insanely flattering, and has room to grow with your bump.

Again, we are both feeling so grateful for the little miracle that is growing inside of me! Getting past the first trimester was such a relieving feeling for me, as I know miscarriages are unfortunately so common and the anxiety behind that can be so large. Know that we are praying for any couple that is suffering from the loss of a miscarriage or currently struggling with fertility issues. You are in our prayers!