Thank you to everyone for your sweet messages regarding our baby announcement from last week! The love and supportive responses has been overwhelmingly wonderful. Pat and I truly appreciate all the well wishes and positive vibes you’ve all been sending us. Now that I’ve safely made it into my second trimester, I wanted to go back and answer some questions I’ve been asked regarding my, first three months, a.k.a the first trimester.
First Trimester Q&A
WHEN ARE YOU DUE?
July 4, 2022
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE SEX OF THE BABY IS?
I have no clue lol. I alternate calling Nugget ‘he’ and ‘she’ but I haven’t had any inklings yet. People keep telling me their superstitions but they all contradict each other, haha!
DO YOU WANT IT TO BE A BOY OR GIRL? WHAT ABOUT PAT?
I have no preference. It would be lovely to have a mini-me, but the thought of having a teen version of myself truly scares me. I also used to nanny for several baby boys, so I am used to baby boys already. I think Pat is hoping for a boy, deep down.
WILL YOU FIND OUT THE SEX?
Yes! We are going to do a low key gender reveal with close friends and family. As soon as we know, we are going to share it on Instagram!
WILL THIS BE THE FIRST GRANDCHILD ON YOUR SIDE OF THE FAMILY?
Yes! Pat’s family already have close to 20 grandkids but this will be the first on my family’s side. My parents have been itching to have a little baby around to spoil.
WHAT WERE YOUR INITIAL SYMPTOMS?
Exhaustion, crankiness, and an aversion to mint flavored anything. I knew when I went to chew my favorite gum and couldn’t stomach the taste. Then, I found myself getting wiped out easily and taking small naps throughout the day. This is all before even getting a positive pregnancy test. After the positive test, I started having serious food aversions to pretty much everything – I could barely eat anything.
HOW DID YOU FEEL DURING THE FIRST TRIMESTER? DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? IF SO, ANY REMEDIES?
I had really bad morning sickness that lasted all through my first trimester and into the second. I felt hungry and sick all day every day. I would try to eat small meals throughout the day, basically snacking as much as I could, but everything would make me vomit. I did find out that tomatoes and garlic were big triggers for me though! The second it hits my stomach, off to the bathroom I go.
My doctor suggested taking vitamin B6 + unisom every night as a remedy for nausea. It definitely helped, but didn’t stop me from having to vomit on occasion. After taking it for a few months, I tried to stop taking it for a day and I regretted it.
WHAT WAS SOMETHING YOU DIDN’T EXPECT WITH PREGNANCY?
I wasn’t expecting to be so hungry and unable to eat…that’s been the most miserable part. I am always hungry and almost everything makes me sick (and yes, I still have morning sickness and I’m four months already.)
HOW DID YOU HIDE THE BUMP?
I didn’t, I hate lying and I’m also terrible at it. I just figured if someone asked me or Pat outright, we’d tell the truth. But in blog photos, it was surprisingly easy to unintentionally “hide” my bump. I typically wear oversized sweaters in the winter and my dresses are never form hugging either.
HAVE YOU HAD ANY CRAVINGS OR AVERSIONS?
I love sour candy. Give me everything sour, the more sour the better. I recently saw that Skittles did right by me and brought back Lime, so I’ve been on that Sour Skittles kick. I’m really into the powder that is left in the bag after the candy is gone, too. Oh an beef jerky! I can eat a whole bag of beef jerky by myself.
HOW MUCH WEIGHT DID YOU GAIN IN THE FIRST TRIMESTER?
I actually lost a lot of weight due to a smaller appetite and morning sickness. I think I lost a little over 10 pounds – but don’t worry, the doctor said that’s completely normal and totally fine. You aren’t actually eating for two, so it’s okay if you lose some weight in the first trimester.
HOW LONG DID YOU WAIT TO TELL FAMILY AND FRIENDS?
I told my family right away, just like my first pregnancy. Having my parents and my sister by my side when I miscarried was exactly what I needed. I knew I would want them there for me, if this were to happen again. We told Pat’s family a couple weeks later. There’s just so many of them and it’s hard to gather everyone in one place.
WERE YOU NERVOUS TO SHARE YOUR NEWS?
Yes, because we were afraid of jinxing our luck. We also wanted to be respectful to those struggling with miscarriage and infertility, and we were worried an announcement might trigger someone. This is why we decided to talk about our own personal struggles with this pregnancy within our announcement and end it on well wishes for those we wanted to be respectful towards.
ARE YOU GOING ON A BABYMOON?
We planned a ‘mini moon’ in California since we won’t be able to go on our Honeymoon in Scotland for a while. The mini moon is going to be our babymoon, I think. Although, I won’t turn down a weekend beach trip if Pat offers.
WHAT VITAMINS ARE YOU TAKING?
I have been taking Ritual Prenatals and extra vitamin C. The prenatals have 12-key nutrients for pregnancy, they’re easy on the stomach, and are even lemon flavored. If you want to give Ritual a try, I have a discount code that offers $15 off your first order, here.
HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING OUT?
Yes, I’ve been doing daily workouts using this amazing app, Every Mother. These workouts focus on strengthening your core and back muscles, to help support your baby bump. It also helps solve diastasis recti, a insanely common condition where the abdominal muscles separate. These workouts have been exactly what I needed and I often find myself challenged (in a good way) with some workouts.
ARE YOU AFRAID OF LABOR AND DELIVERY?
Absolutely. I am terrified of perineal laceration, or tearing, and even more afraid of episiotomy because of all the risks involved in the surgical cutting and stitching process. In an effort to strengthen my pelvic floor, I’ve been doing daily workouts using the Every Mother workout app. I will do everything I can to make sure my body is in the best shape for labor.
HOW MANY KIDS DO Y’ALL WANT?
Fair question – Right now, we are just focused on successfully bringing this little nugget into the world.
HAVE YOU STARTED PLANNING THE NURSERY?
Oh yeah! My sister’s old room is going to be converted into the nursery and I’ve already picked out furniture, paint samples, and artwork. I just need to get started on it soon.
HAS YOUR SKIN ROUTINE CHANGED?
For the last few months, I have been battling with more dry skin than usual and a lot of deep pimples. I’ve been adding in daily facial oil and spot treatments before applying my moisturizer. I’ve also started using a Ferulic Brew twice daily, and it’s been keeping my breakouts minimal and my skin hydrated.
DO YOU HAVE ANY NAMES PICKED OUT?
We have a working list of names for boys and girls but we’ve got our 2 favorites picked out for each already. You’ll just have to wait and see what the name will be!
HAVE YOU STARTED BUYING ANYTHING YET?
Not yet, although I already started building my baby shower registry. I did all the research on the best car seats, strollers, baby monitors, etc. Once we know what the gender is, I can start looking for the appropriate clothes. So far, I have us registered for a lot of gender-neutral (but very cute!) clothes and hats.
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Seriously, thank you all for all the love you’ve been sending our. way. I’m excited to continue sharing this journey with you all. And thank you to those of you who submitted questions on Instagram last week. It was great seeing that engagement and seeing all the things you guys are curious about. Stay tuned for future pregnancy updates and a second trimester Q&A in a few more months.
xo,
