I am so glad to be out of the first trimester. For most people, the first 12 weeks aren't fun and while mine could have been much worse; I am glad its behind me. I never vomited thankfully however, everything I ate or drank (including water) made me feel nauseous with heartburn/indigestion feeling. I tried all the tricks I could think of that weren't medicine but nothing worked. At my first appointment, I was offered Zofran or the like but declined because I felt the "ickies" as something more of a nuisance than worth the medication. And boy was I tired 24/7. Working night shift probably made it 100 times worse even though I got plenty of sleep day and nights I was off. While some caffeine is encouraged, the thought of coffee or soda was unappealing. The first 5-10 weeks were the worst for all the symptoms and looking back, feels like a blur. I am so fortunate for my husband who has (and continues to) step up with taking care of Jordan and the household.
We decided not to tell many people including Jordan until closer to the end of the first trimester with the exception of our besties. And well, the majority of my coworkers found out pretty early. Kinda hard to hide looking like death for weeks on end without some sort of explanation. Besides, in our line of work, I feel like we can sniff out these kinds of things ;) (not to mention my poker face sucks). We told Jordan the week before Easter by reading him the shirt we got him to announce the pregnancy. He was a little surprised at first (we've been talking about the hypothetical sibling for a while) but then was excited once it hit him. He's been asking for a baby brother or sister for 2 years now. We told our families on Easter and everyone seems very excited. After hearing the heartbeat at our 12 week appointment, the facebook official announcement on mother's day seemed like the appropriate time. The first two appointments revealed nothing out of the ordinary with the heartbeat in the 160s. :)
In summary, I thought I'd add some Q&A that a lot of people have asked since we've announced our new addition. :)
1) Are you going to find out the gender beforehand?
Never in a million years would I have said this with my first pregnancy but no, we're waiting for the birth. Having experienced with patients that moment at birth when they find out, I can't imagine doing it differently. Its such a special moment. I am a planner through and through but I feel like especially the second time around there isn't much to plan and waiting will be worth it :)
2) Birth plan etc:
I had a C-section with my Jordan due to decels in the heart rate during labor. (man would I have liked to see that strip now in hindsight haha) I am hoping to VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I meet all the criteria so far. I am fortunate to go to a midwife/OB-GYN group that are supportive of VBACs and a hospital (the one that I work at) that allows patients to do so. An epidural at some point because contractions suck and I am a wimp. Plus having an epidural in place will be easier if a C-section is necessary.
3) You got names picked out?:
For the most part yes, but we aren't sharing those either. In the words of my bestie, "your pregnancy is no fun"
Hello second trimester! :) 1/3 down, 2/3's to go :)
