First Trimester Recap — Coffee With Keri

Before you read any further, I want to first acknowledge that these posts can be triggering and may not be something you want to read. They were for me for a long time. And I completely, 100% understand if you want to skip reading these posts altogether. Trust me, I did.

As happy as I was for whoever was experiencing what I desperately wanted to, I also needed to protect my mental health and outlook. So, I understand. I will always try to make it obvious when a blog post is going to talk about pregnancy or baby things, whether that’s in the title or stating it in the email subscribers receive every Friday morning.

To the woman who wants to desperately be a mom, I see you. I am praying for you, and I want you to know you’re not alone and not forgotten. ❤️

HOW I FOUND OUT:

I found out on a grey, rainy Thursday in early April. I was by myself and took a test “just in case” because I was feeling more tired than usual that week. I happened to record my reaction “just in case” for my one-second video, and I’m so glad I did! Luke was working late (past midnight) so I sat on the couch most of the evening watching Friends and trying not to freak out or accidentally spill the beans over text to Luke!

HOW I TOLD LUKE:

I wish I had a cute story to tell, but I stayed up until Luke got home the night I found out. He walked in the door and I said “I have some good news, but I can wait until the morning if you want,” since he was physically tired. Of course, he wanted to hear the news, so I told him! I didn’t record it or have some fancy way of telling him, but it was still so special. I took another test the next morning to confirm it wasn’t a false positive before calling my doctor and scheduling my first ultrasound!

HOW WE TOLD FAMILY:

We wanted to wait until we hit a certain point in the first trimester to tell family, even though it was technically before “you’re supposed to” (which is anytime after 12 weeks). We told our families during Mother’s Day weekend. I gave my parents a baby onesie that said “You can stop asking now!” with the ultrasound picture. For Luke’s parents, we put the ultrasound picture in a bun inside a dutch oven (bun in the oven!) and gave our nieces shirts that said “Big Cousin.” We told our grandparents over FaceTime and phone calls that they were going to be great-grandparents once again. For every reveal, I recorded the reaction for my one-second video, which is another perk to doing it!! The commitment pays off!

WHAT I CRAVED:

SOUR PATCH KIDS! Pretzel sticks and mustard, Cheez its, Caprese salad, and various smoothies. (To clarify, I did not eat these together.) This entire pregnancy, I haven’t really craved sugar or chocolate, just sour and salty snacks.

WHAT I COULDN’T STAND:

COFFEE! I mentioned this in a previous blog post, but I had the strongest aversion to coffee for pretty much the entire first trimester. (I can drink it now, thank goodness.) Other aversions included grilled chicken (or any type of chicken), scrambled eggs, and most meats (ground beef, steak, etc).

HOW I FELT:

I can’t really complain; Baby Girl has been treating me very nicely so far! My main symptom during the first trimester was exhaustion (I was tired by 10 a.m. even though I slept through the night just fine!). Thankfully, I didn’t really have any morning sickness at all, although there were some evenings where I would get kind of nauseous and dizzy at night, then I’d just lay down and be fine.

I had a lack of motivation to do things I usually loved, like writing, reading, and running. My workouts shifted from mostly running and HIIT workouts to walking, weight training, and lower-impact routines.

NOTABLE BABY MILESTONES & MOMENTS:

For me, the first trimester was pretty quiet in terms of milestones, but hearing the heartbeat for the first time was one of the most surreal moments that I won’t forget. It made it all feel real because I wasn’t showing yet and looked the same physically. Seeing this squirmy little baby on the ultrasound screen was insane. You see ultrasound pics all of the time, but it’s one thing to see it, and another to realize that the picture is of YOUR child in your own body. It makes all the weird aversions, symptoms, and changes mean something knowing it’s all worth it!