Expecting | My Pregnancy Journal + Guide
I can’t believe that I’m 39 weeks pregnant as I begin writing this — the past nine months have truly flown by & to be honest, as EXCITED + ready as I am to meet our baby, I’ll miss this phase — the little kicks inside my belly, this baby bump that I’ve always dreamed of having, all of the preparation + excitement that’s gone into readying our hearts + home. It’s just such a sweet time & I’ve loved almost every second. Here’s a little peek at what I experienced:
First Trimester:
We found out we were expecting pretty early & we found out together — right at around 4 weeks, so we had lots of time to enjoy baby E before we let anyone else in on the news!
(Note: This is how far I got into writing this blog before I went into labor. LOL. I’m now one week postpartum, sitting in bed while Patton naps beside me. Can now confirm that pregnancy is wonderful, but having him here is better than we could have ever imagined. We’re so in love.)
Symptoms + How I Felt: Once you start trying to have a baby, you’re constantly looking for tell-tale symptoms that might give you a clue before a missed period — extra sleepy, sore boobs, nausea, etc. but the only thing that kind of tipped me off that I may be pregnant is that I started waking up in the middle of the night to pee. (Turns out I was right!) But other than that, I had none of the other early pregnancy symptoms at all.
After seeing “Positive” on our test, I woke up every day expecting to not feel well…..but morning sickness never came (thank goodness!). I had small aversions to smells (cooking ground turkey….no thank you) & really became relatively uninterested in meat all together for a while. I couldn’t get enough COLD fruit & this continued throughout my entire pregnancy. Our fridge was consistently stocked with watermelon, bananas, kiwis, apples, clementines, strawberries & grapes. I also couldn’t get enough iced tea & sweets were suddenly much more appealing that ever before.
Physically, I felt no different really — I continued going to Sculpthouse 1-2x/week (although I had to modify some of the movements) & consistently went on our evening family walks. The only big change is that I would be in bed, lights out, dead asleep by 9p.m. most nights. I never felt tired during the days, but after dinner I was out like a light.
Mentally, I was EXCITED & so thankful but it was a lot to process that this was real. For some reason I struggled with the idea that it wasn’t going to just be Nathan & I anymore and this made me really emotional. I loved our life together & all the time we got to spend together & I knew this baby was about to change everything. The joy exceeded the fear, but it’s definitely something I dealt with.
Who We Told:
Family: We knew we wanted to share the news with our families in-person & together if possible, so we called them and invited them both to come to town to visit the new house that we’re renovating & show them the plans. Both sets of parents were in (!) but last minute, Nathan’s parents couldn’t come for the weekend but said they’d come the weekend after (when I’d be 10 weeks), so we pushed to the next weekend & the same thing! Sigh. Nathan finally convinced them to come anyway (yay!) so the plans were on! We all met at our townhouse & soon after we drove over to the new house. We unlocked the door & gave them a tour, room by room, explaining what would be there when we were done renovating. We got to the back bedroom & were all huddled inside — Nathan explained the plans for the “future nursery”& I closed the door to reveal a sonogram taped on the back. The room erupted with screams and tears — my mom was physically bouncing off the walls & everyone was hugging & celebrating. It was such a special moment — one I’ll never, ever forget. <3 After the house tour, we celebrated at Arnette’s Chop Shop & it was so much fun telling them all about the last ten weeks + our future plans. Best night with baby E’s grandparents.
Friends: We wanted to share the news in-person as much as possible, so after telling our families, we took the next month or so to begin sharing with friends. Whether it was over dinner, via cards (from baby to our out-of-town friends) or via fun videos, it was so much fun to see everyone’s reaction & start the celebrations! You can find some reaction videos here!
Coworkers: I brought doughnuts in for everyone & on the inside of the box I had an announcement! It was so much fun seeing everyone’s shock + reactions all morning.
Finally, at 15 weeks we shared the news with the world on my 30th birthday (Nov. 7), exactly four years after Nathan proposed. <3
Milestones:
Finding out we were expecting & that it was a boy! It will forever be one of the happiest moments of my life. It felt like the Earth was standing still. This baby was so very wanted & prayed for & dreamed about. Finding out he was growing in my belly was followed by an overwhelming amount of thankfulness + joy.
Seeing him on an ultrasound for the first time & hearing his little heart beat.
The first time I had to “fake” drink with friends or at events. Baby came with us to lots of dinners, breweries, football games, etc. without anyone knowing!
Sharing the news with family, friends, co-workers, etc.
Taking our announcement photos — definitely a surreal moment.
Second Trimester:
A lot of people will say that the second trimester is the best trimester — you have energy again and you aren’t hugeee yet. I don’t disagree! This was a fun few months filled with lots of milestones ( like BABY KICKS).
Symptoms + How I Felt: For the most part, I felt great!
I could stay awake past 9 p.m. again (praise!)
Around 20 weeks it became uncomfortable to sleep without my pregnancy pillow (highly recommend! will likely still sleep with it after baby.). But then some nights it was uncomfortable to sleep with it. Sigh. Sleeping on your sides-only was tough on this belly-back sleeper.
Around 24 weeks I had some small issues with back + hip pain, but a couple of prenatal massages definitely helped.
I began having some issues with acid reflux around 25 weeks. Some days / weeks were worse than others, but Tums quickly became my bff.
Milestones:
At 18 weeks on Thanksgiving morning, Nathan & I were laying in bed when I felt some fluttering. I grabbed Nathan’s hand & put it on my belly & right when I did, baby boy kicked HARD. It was undeniably exactly what we thought it was. Talk about something to be thankful for! We couldn’t stop smiling the rest of the day.
Getting to see every single part of him during my 20-week appointment + anatomy scan. Seeing his little brain, kidneys, heart…it all made it so real.
When I actually started showing (to the point where it was noticeable to others) around 23 weeks — it was fun to finally look pregnant!
Going on our babymoon to the Bahamas at 25 weeks — it was the perfect getaway for us to spend some real, quality time together before the baby came (or so I thought before I knew Covid was coming!). It was so great to just relax and be together, dreaming about our future & what this baby was going to be like.
Third Trimester:
With a few small exceptions, I loved the third trimester. I finally looked pregnant (loved having a bump!), felt baby boy move all the time, felt READY + prepared to bring him home & we were so close to actually meeting this new little life we created. There was so much excitement + anticipation
Symptoms + How I Felt: Honestly, I can’t complain. I had a few minor annoyances, but nothing major! I know by this point so many women are at the “GET THIS BABY OUT OF ME” mindset, but I truly never felt that way until I was in active labor. I had such an easy pregnancy that I was sad about it ending & wanted Patton to come whenever he was ready. Alas, here are a few things I experienced:
I began experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions almost daily beginning at around 28 weeks. My belly would suddenly get rock-hard for about a minute & then relax. It wasn’t painful or scary & doesn’t mean you’re going into labor — it’s just your body practicing for the big show.
I started having to pee 2-3 times per night, every single night. Thankfully my side of the bed is about 8 feet from the potty.
I continued to experience some pretty bad acid reflux on and off — sometimes I would be AWFUL and I was miserable & sometimes it wouldn’t show up for weeks. Not fun, but considering this is probably my least favorite part about pregnancy I’ll take it.
Beginning around 35 weeks I would wake up every morning & couldn’t bend my fingers — they were extremely stiff and sore for about 20 minutes. Google tells me this is pregnancy carpal tunnel. (Outside of my missing bump, this is the FIRST thing I noticed on the morning after delivering Patton — I could wiggle my fingers and they didn’t hurt!)
Around 36 weeks I had the occasional really sharp, quick pain in my lower belly which the internet lovingly refers to as “lightening crotch”. (The name is accurate.). Apparently it means nothing except that your body is gearing up for delivery — but it could still be days / weeks away.
I began having contractions at 38 weeks + 6 days and went into labor at either 39+1 or 39+2, delivering on 39+2. (I think I’ll write a separate post on labor + birth.)
Emotionally I was all over the place. Some days I was READY and wanted him here immediately. Some days I was terrified that we had no idea what we were doing. Some days I was sad about the life we were giving up & how everything was going to change. Some days I literally couldn’t think about anything but how much I loved this baby boy. It’s a tough season & there is no right or wrong way to feel, but I promise that once you’re holding that baby in your arms, nothing else matters.
Milestones:
LOTS going on during these few months:
Our families hosted the sweetest baby shower for us.
After 10 weeks of living in a construction zone, we finished renovating our townhome (!!!) & finally got to set-up + decorate the nursery (along with the rest of the house).
I packed our hospital bags & brought way, way too much! (Might do a separate post on this!)
Covid-19 hit! What a time to be alive. At 33 weeks suddenly everything hit the fan — we couldn’t leave our home & one-by-one important events began getting cancelled — the baby shower our friends were hosting for us, our hospital tour, our in-person labor + delivery class, our breastfeeding class. EVERYTHING. Suddenly there were new rules at the hospital the no visitors would be allowed (no families) & rumors were swirling that partners may not even be allowed in the delivery room. It was a lot to handle. For two days I cried almost non-stop. I didn’t get out of bed. Everything I had pictured about the weeks leading up to our birth would be different & I was dealing with some major disappointment + anxiety. BUT on the third day I woke up….and I was fine. I prayed for peace around the situation & that’s exactly what God gave me. Sure I was still disappointed, but it was up to me whether or not I was going to let this situation steal the joy from such a beautiful, exciting time in our lives.
No, we couldn’t have a shower, but our friends offered to post-pone until after the baby & turn it into a “Sip & See”.
No, we wouldn’t be able to go on a tour of the hospital beforehand, but there are signs and people directly you exactly where you need to go. You’re never just going to be walking around aimlessly. Not a big deal!
No, we wouldn’t be able to attend our labor & delivery + breastfeeding classes in-person, but the teachers offered the classes via Zoom AND YouTube is full of some really great resources!
No, our families wouldn’t be allowed at the hospital, but we could Facetime them right after!
Now that I’ve delivered in the middle of a pandemic, I can promise you that you’ll be ok. We wouldn’t have even known anything was going on while we were at the hospital if it weren’t for everyone wearing masks. As for family not being allowed at the hospital — it’s not ideal but Nathan & I got to spend the first days of Patton’s life without sharing him with anyone. It was a quiet, intimate few days getting to know our baby & I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
We got to take maternity photos with Jessica Jane Photography! As a maternity, newborn + family photographer I’ve always dreamed about being on the other side of these sessions & Jessica made all of my dreams come true.
Went into Labor! What a wild few days of knowing baby was coming….but when?! (Will write separate post.)
I spent the most wonderful 39.5 weeks growing our sweet baby boy & I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Think we’ll wait a minute though! Until then we’ll be snuggling sweet Patton Robert — born on April 26, 2020 at 7:36 p.m. He’s the most perfect addition to our family & we’re all completely smitten by this gift we’ve been given.
If you have any questions, let me know!
xo-
Heather