I can hardly believe I just entered my third trimester of pregnancy! I want to remember each part of this journey, so I’ve decided to recap each trimester along the way. Here I will do just that for…
my first trimester of pregnancy
My first trimester of pregnancy was a whirlwind, that’s for sure! We found out we were pregnant again the week we moved into our new house. After having just gone through a miscarriage, it was truly “all the feels.”
We were overjoyed to be pregnant again, but understandably a bit hesitant to “get our hopes up.” I really struggled to embrace this little life growing inside of me for fear that I would lose her. (Of course I didn’t know it was a “her” at the time!)
It was quite a road of ups and downs, laughter and tears, great joy and real fears. But God really met me on the journey, giving me much-needed reassurance and constant reminders of His truth. And boy, would I need it.
the unexpected…
On Christmas Day something unexpected happened. I’ve written about it already, but to recap: I completely thought I was miscarrying again. It was the exact day I had miscarried out last pregnancy–6.5 weeks–and needless to say I was grieved.
We went to the ER the following day (since we were in Texas) and learned it was an “SCH” or “sub-chorionic hematoma.” Mine was on the larger side–the largest, in fact, that the ER doctor had seen. I was put on bed rest immediately, and really struggled to hope during this time.
It felt like a cruel joke after all we’d been through. And yet, again, God consistently met me in all of my real and raw emotions. And by His grace, 4.5 weeks later, the hematoma had disappeared.
all day sickness
I was so, so sick. Starting at 5 weeks and one day, the nausea hit. It was truly unlike anything I have ever experienced. If I had to encapsulate it into two words it would be: “survival mode.”
I was in full-on survival mode, truly just trying to make it through the day. For someone who enjoys eating healthy, it was quite a shift when carbs and fried foods were virtually the only thing I could stomach! There were days I simply couldn’t get out of bed until 4pm!
I ended up gaining at least ten pounds my first trimester–way above the recommended 1-3. I look back on this photo above that was taken towards the end of my first trimester, and I laugh because I felt huge! When in reality, I can clearly see that I wasn’t!
I would say one of the biggest struggles was feeling as if I had no control over my body. Not only could I not eat the healthy diet I once could, I wasn’t able to exercise at all while we were waiting for the hematoma to heal.
My “morning sickness” was really all day sickness and was in full swing throughout my entire first trimester. I was so sensitive to smells. And I had major fatigue–I would sleep 10-12 hours a night and take naps most days.
It was truly not an easy few months. But oh, was there great joy!
our gender reveal
The highlight of my first trimester of pregnancy was by far our gender reveal party. We gathered in our new backyard with friends and family and broke open a piñata to find pink confetti and candy. I truly cannot express the joy of that moment. For God had once given me a vision of our future family, and in it we had an older daughter. And well, it just felt like confirmation that I was hearing from Him correctly. And it made me feel closer to Him than ever.
It was such a joyful time to celebrate with loved ones this new loved one of ours. And in our new home–the home we had originally moved forward with purchasing when I had first found out I was pregnant. I’ve also written about this part of our journey–but opening escrow the day after we miscarried was truly one of the most difficult seasons of my life. But here on this day of our gender reveal, it truly felt like a little piece of redemption and a little taste of God’s great goodness.
other memorable moments
Hearing the heartbeat on January 2 for the very first time was incredible. Words cannot express that moment.
And finding out on January 21 that the hematoma had disappeared was such a wonderful relief. I was truly in shock. And so very grateful.
While it was not an easy first trimester, it was so beautiful–mess and all. And isn’t that life? All the good things in life have their hard parts. Life is full of both sorrow and joy, pain and healing. And as I look back on my first trimester of pregnancy, it really was full of so many of these realities of life!
I thank God for the immense blessing of this life of our baby girl. I thank Him for meeting me in that crazy first trimester. And I thank Him for continuing to carry me through each step of this unpaved journey.
Here are a few verses that come to mind when I think of my first trimester:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.” – Isaiah 43:1
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” – Jeremiah 1:5
“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” – Isaiah 63:3
For a list of my 10 first trimester to dos, click here!
photo: Apple Rose Photography
