I’m Pregnant! First Trimester Recap

I’m sharing a recap of my first trimester including how I found out, how I told Aaron (and our families), and all the fun details like my symptoms, cravings, workout routine and more! I’m so excited for this next chapter of our lives and can’t wait to share everything with you!

I’m currently 20 weeks pregnant as I’m writing this, and still can’t believe that we’re having a baby!

Being a parent is something that has always been very important to me. In my preschool yearbook, I even wrote that I wanted to be a mommy when I grew up!

If you’re new around here, I have background in caring for children of all ages. I’m the oldest of three. I graduated college with dual degrees in Elementary Education and Psychology. I also have been a full-time nanny since 2012.

I know having this experience is extremely helpful, but I also realize how different being a parent will be. I know the transition to motherhood will be so rewarding and full of learning curves.

Before we got pregnant, I loved reading these types of posts and learning from other women. It honestly amazes me how unique pregnancies can be from one person to the next and realized I wanted to share my own personal journey too.

I also want to send a virtual hug to anyone struggling with fertility. I recognize that not everyone is a place where they can or want to read about someone else’s pregnancy experience, so if this is you, feel free to close out of this tab.

 

First Trimester Recap

Were we trying?

Yes! We started trying in May 2021. I realize we were extremely lucky to get pregnant so fast – it took us 4 cycles.

I had been the Flo app since 2019 when I went off birth control to track my period and other symptoms. So, when we decided to start trying to have a baby instead of avoiding a pregnancy, it was easy to look back at my patterns.

After the first month of trying, I also started using cheap ovulation test strips (OPKs) to help track when I was ovulating.

How I found out

After three cycles of trying and getting negative pregnancy tests, I told myself I wouldn’t test again until a missed period.

On August 28, we went to the Dodger’s game for Aaron’s birthday. I remember having painful gas cramps that night and felt so uncomfortable. I was supposed to get my period the next day and thought it was just an early symptom.

When my period never showed up, I drove to the drugstore and bought a test.

On August 31, after Aaron had left for work (and before I had to go into work), I finally took the test.

It said pregnant!

How I told Aaron

I always envisioned surprising Aaron with the news in a cute way!

I stopped by a baby store in Santa Monica and bought a neutral onesie and wooden teething ring. After I brought the gift home, I added my positive test inside and *patiently* waited for him to get home from work that night.

Aaron was so happy!

How we told our parents

Since we live so far away from our families, there was a very short window to get pregnant before a planned flight home. I had always loved the idea of telling our parents in person, but was starting to realize after a few months of trying that it might not be possible.

Thankfully, we found out that we were pregnant 4 weeks before our trip home and quickly came up with a way to surprise them! I ordered the same gift for each set of parents. They each opened a box, inside was a pregnancy announcement onesie that said “Baby Lamoureux, May 2022”. (See the photo below for the exact onesie!)

My dad’s birthday was the day we flew in, but since we didn’t see them until a few days later – they thought nothing of the gift box. My mom actually thought that we had surprised them with some treats from Los Angeles!

Everyone was definitely excited! We were so happy to finally share the news with them. It was so hard to keep the pregnancy a secret for 7 weeks, especially because I talk to my family so often.

When are we due?

May 11, 2022.

 

Do we know the sex? 

Yes, Baby Lamoureux is going to be a girl!

We found out our baby’s sex pretty early at week 11 because we did non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT).

I had a strong feeling we were having a boy. I had a vidid dream that Aaron and I were at an ultrasound and I saw a penis on the screen! That seemed to confirm my prediction. Whenever I asked Aaron what his thoughts were, he always told me he thought our baby would be a girl!

We honestly knew that we would be happy with either sex! We just wanted a healthy baby.

 

NIPT

I had bloodwork done at my OB’s office at week 9 for NIPT. If you’re not familiar, this test analyzes the tiny amount of baby’s DNA in my bloodstream to determine the risk of certain chromosomal disorders and is also an early detecter of baby’s sex.

The results actually took a little longer than expected because my first test came back inconclusive. So I had to get bloodwork down again and we waited another extra week to get the results back.

We decided to skip a gender reveal party. Instead, we sat down one night together and opened the results on my laptop.

Honestly, I really enjoyed how we found out because it was special and intimate.

 

First trimester symptoms

Weeks 1-4:

• gas
• bloating
• mild to severe cramps (I was in bed for one whole weekend because I could barely move)

Weeks 5-8:

• gas
• bloating
• insomnia (I woke up at 3:30am every few days)
• mild cramps
• very mild nausea (around week 7-9, I think from traveling and eating out more)

Weeks 9-13:

• bloating
• fatigue in the evenings (I would fall asleep on the couch after dinner and be in bed by 8:30)
• mild nausea in the evenings
• dry skin
• visible veins on breasts
• hair loss (I have fine hair to begin with, so unfortunately, I don’t think I will be blessed with thick hair during pregnancy)

 

Food cravings and aversions

I consider myself extremely lucky because I didn’t experience the “typical” first trimester symptoms like heightened sense of smell and morning sickness. I was still able to enjoy all the healthy, whole foods I eat on a normal basis.

Some of the meals I ate included: banana bread, hippie cereal, arugula salads, lentils, veggie sandwiches, daal, chickpea salad in pita pockets, roasted veggies, energy bites, tofu, vegan sushi and all the fruits + vegetables!

I really craved savory foods like bagels with vegan cream cheese, sourdough baguettes, Double Zero pizza and Cava bowls.

The only aversions I had were to processed vegan burgers (I had too many when we traveled home), protein powder, sparkling beverages (I couldn’t handle more bloating) and desserts. This was so unusual for me because I typically have something sweet after dinner every single night!

 

Movement during the first trimester

I had been following a strength training program on the Sweat app when I found out that I was pregnant and still continued doing  that same program with a few slight modifications. One of those modifications was keeping a closer eye on my heart rate.

Before pregnancy, I would try to push myself and lift as heavy as possible. I would reach my max heart rate quite a few times throughout my workout and would be breathless and exhausted.

After getting pregnant, I shifted my perspective. Instead of pushing myself for a PR, I moved by body daily because of the amazing benefits for both baby and I.

I personally tried to stay at or below 160 bpm and gave myself plenty of time to rest and recover in between exercises. I also noticed that I would feel out of breath much faster than before getting pregnant.

My typical workout routine during my first trimester was strength training 3-4 times per week. On the other days, I added in some light cardio. I loved going on long walks while listening to a podcast or doing a 20-30 minute Peloton ride!

 

Bumpdate

No bump yet! Just a whole lot of bloat going on!

 

Stay tuned for a second trimester recap! And while you’re waiting, don’t forget to read all about my 12 first trimester favorites!