Go Embryo Go [Part II]: First and Second Trimester

At my 6-week appointment, I was waiting way too long allowing my mind to race. Once I finally got back to hear the results of the ultrasound, I was relieved to hear all was good. I was asked several times throughout the visit about how I felt mainly because of the weight drop which is not too alarming according to the Doctor. I wasn’t sick, I wasn’t nauseated, I was feeling great and exercising like normal and even eating well. At least until 8 weeks rolled around. I remember the doc saying I could take a prescription for nausea thinking, “oh, it’s not bad enough for that.” I called within days after she offered the magic pill and took it for some relief so I could eat. Suddenly, I wasn’t eating well at all and couldn’t get back into the small frequent meal cycle. Nothing made the nausea worse or better, but the pill may have given me enough relief to eat some. The good news in the beginning of the first trimester was that with IVF babies, women are monitored closely for the first trimester so I had appointments and ultrasounds often. I graduated from the fertility clinic at 10 weeks and headed off to one of the best (and my favorite) OB docs! 

We graduated! 

It took a while for me to gain weight. I was worried about our baby’s nutrition; however, my new OB doctor assured me that the baby is getting everything it needs and I’m the one suffering. As a new mom-to-be, there is SO much to learn and the new adventurous journey certainly comes with continuous education. My fear of ectopic pregnancy went away after passing the first trimester. I’m not even sure if most women even know this, but I had no idea that 2^nd trimester actually starts around week 14. Around 16-17 weeks, I still wasn’t showing and I didn’t mind for I’m not much of an attention seeker. Besides, being pregnant was not something I expected to really enjoy.  This nausea made me very uncomfortable and I was afraid it would last throughout the entire pregnancy like some of the stories I’ve heard. We were also taking it just one day at a time therefore, I held back any exciting emotions. To be honest, being pregnant has actually turned my anxious mind into a calm one and has me more laid back than I’ve ever been in my life! Now that is what I did not expect. I didn’t spend a lot of time dreaming about this baby, planning it’s life out, or even thinking about names. We still were cautious enough to avoid getting too attached, so we didn’t speak much about the future. It was this time around week 16 where I started to feel less nauseous and started to wean off the anti-nausea med. I never liked taking medications, so it made me happy to finally get off of them. 

While the nausea was getting better, I was still feeling super full all the time which hindered me from eating well. The one thing I could eat lots of was fruit…especially strawberries which ironically is my favorite food. Luckily, I didn’t experience food cravings or food aversions. I was just FULL! It was around 21-22 weeks I started to show a small bump (or what I called a "pudge" and noticed it more when we were vacationing for a long weekend in NYC. My husband noticed it while in a store and he said, “look at your bump! Stand sideways so I can take a photo.” I was wearing a very comfy fitted, black dress so it seemed to be more prominent from the profile view. Needless to say, we went outside to capture this growing baby in the middle of the street downtown NYC. I wasn’t crazy about showing off this bump, but since my husband was excited about it…I thought, “why not.” 

First official baby bump shot...in the streets of NYC @ 21 weeks. 

We traveled quite a bit during our 2^nd trimester and enjoyed every minute together. One of the special things we enjoy doing while traveling is collecting the “Good Night [city]” books to read to our baby so he/she will know where it traveled while staying cozy in my womb for 9 months. We had always collected ornaments to remember our trips and my husband had enjoyed getting me a piece of jewelry, but the book was a nice addition. We enjoyed hunting for the books each place we went and wrote to our baby on each trip so they would know what we did as a family. The baby even went on runs with us for that’s the one thing that I knew made me feel better and helped any of my fullness and nausea symptoms. I’d run up to 5 miles during the 2^ndtrimester at least once a week and 4 miles the remainder of the week with lots of walking in between. I loved my walking days. It would be long 2-mile walks with my husband and our dog, Lincoln. These walks were relaxing and great bonding time without distractions. 

We ended the 2^nd trimester (around 27 weeks) baby mooning in Santa Barbara, CA where we enjoyed the coastal breeze, exploring by foot and by biking, and lots of walking, shopping and relaxing. It was low key and simply a breath of fresh air. We love the west coast for the weather, the majestic landscape, and the ocean all in one place. It was the perfect babymoon and the best way to celebrate surviving two trimesters. I was even able to eat Mexican a couple days and had some fresh coastal seafood! The one thing I did miss was raw sushi! 

While I may not have felt well all the time, I still pushed through with my typical cheap medicine of running and staying active. Needless to say, 27 weeks pregnant was my last time biking because of the growing baby bump. I have thanked God each day for giving me the energy and ability throughout my trimesters to find relief in exercise and adventures. We took advantage of lots of traveling especially on long weekends we were off. In fact, we had a theme…“oh the places this baby goes.”

                

Spring Training: 5 weeks

Alabama: 25 Weeks

         

Santa Barbara: 27 Weeks

First + Second Trimester Adventures with Baby Dill:

Bahamas @ 4 weeks

Cardinals Spring Training, West Palm Beach, Florida @ 5 weeks

High Point Market, North Carolina @ 9 weeks
Easter in Illinois with family @ 10.5 weeks

Cookeville, Tennessee @ 13 weeks

Women’s World Cup Soccer match @ 15 weeks

Blues Stanley Cup Championship Game Watch Party @ 19 weeks

NYC @ 21 weeks

Orange Beach, Alabama @ 25 weeks

Santa Barbara, California @ 27 weeks

My favorite things as a mommy-to-be:

Book: What to Expect when Expecting – given by my sister-n-law and super easy to follow. Where I found out things that were happening and made so much sense! Kept me from googling and off-line looking up things I shouldn’t. And, found out about this so-called “lightning crotch” right before it was happening…feels like electrical shocks or impulses in the groin – yikes!

Leggings: Align, by lululemon – I always said I never want to get sucked into the lululemon mama crowd…well, that changed once I got pregnant (never say never!). These leggings are AMAZINGLY soft, super comfortable, and stretch throughout the growth of your baby bump and they can be worn after pregnancy! The staff advised getting a size up to wear during and after. They come in various lengths and styles and while I had a hard time with the sticker price, I didn’t want to take them off when I tried them on. Needless to say, I made every penny worth it because I wore them at least 3x/week and they were perfect for all my oversized shirts for summer and fall! I didn’t purchase many maternity clothes and borrowed a few from my sister-n-law and saved by purchasing clearance 2 pair of jeans for less than $15 one at H&M and the other at Motherhood. I already wore and owned SO many oversized shirts, so I didn’t need many maternity shirts. It’s the fitted Tees or tanks that would require a little extra room. 

 Journal: One of my mother-n-law’s got me a calendar book and it was perfect to write brief journal entries on any day I took the time to write a little memory, prayer, or whatever I wanted to say about that day or to Baby Dill. Or, simply use a small journal book and write one-pagers so it’s not so overwhelming to think about writing a long journal. I also took time to type journals to the baby especially as we traveled. 

Protein Shakes: Evolve – when I had a hard time getting in all my nutrients, I found this lactose-free protein shake that doesn’t have loads of sugar and it was a nice, cold treat to grab in the mornings and drink on the way to work. Eggs were my next go-to for any time of the day.  I made eggs on the mornings I didn’t work or would often make it for lunch because it wasn’t so hard on my stomach. Cheerios with lactose-free milk would be my go-to for dinner at times so I could at least get some calcium.

Belly Support: Belly Bandit – I purchased this at Motherhood but Buy Buy Baby and Amazon carries them as well. This is a must especially for running. I started wearing during my runs around 25+ weeks. I also wore during hikes and some long walks. This is also helpful for low back aches/pains and sciatic nerve issues. I was able to try this on in the store to determine if it was enough for me. There are various brands and various support bands…don’t be afraid to try on or order several (that can be returned) and return any that don’t work. Some women actually wear these to work especially if their jobs require lots of standing and walking. 

Pre-natal Yoga: I started prenatal yoga pretty early into 2^nd trimester and kept it up throughout the remainder of the pregnancy. While I don’t do well sitting still and dreaded some nights going because it was 75 minutes long, I’m always walking out feeling rejuvenated. Even though it’s only once/week, I felt it kept me well balanced and strong. The best part is learning so much from other mommy-to-bes in the class and hearing about all kinds of resources and/or tips! Breathing is also a good practice and the instructors are certified in prenatal yoga so they know a lot about pregnant bodies and how to modify based on your symptoms and also provide tips on pregnancy and labor. Classes are provided by hospitals and yoga studios.