HOW I SURVIVED TRIMESTER I + II

WE MADE A BABY!!! NOW WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!

Joel and I hadn't been trying but we knew it could happen since I wasn't on any birth control. We found out on December 16th and we were so excited to tell our families over Christmas. We wrapped a little box with baby shoes, a stuffed animal and a frame announcing our little August baby. After all the excitement had settled (it never did) we had nine months to prepare, learn and go through each stage of pregnancy. And by we, I really mean WE. Joel was a saint helping me through it all. I was also looking forward to a smooth and easy pregnancy, since, you know, everyone tells you that pregnancy is perfect with little to no morning sickenss and filled with facials, prenatal massages, a gorgeous pregnancy glow, showers and baby moons. I applaud those women...if their telling the truth.

I LOVE MY BABY BUT HATE MY PREGNANCY

I was nauseous, sick, dizzy, couldn't eat or drink, barely left my bed or couch, was losing weight instead of gaining and hated what was happening to my body. I struggled in so many ways during my first and second trimester and the truth is that is was really hard.....I mean REALLY HARD. My confidence was truly tested. There was so many sad and negative emotions. I cried a lot. I hated these feelings, these changes, my body, the sickness but I was so happy to become a mom.

That's my truth and as "not pretty" as my first 18 weeks were, it made me realize that woman are STRONG AF. Our bodies go through some crazy changes over the nine months of carrying a child. We learn to no longer be selfish but selfless, have compassion for ourselves and somehow know what are body needs; like that cup of nighty-time tea, the extra helping of dinner or a long nap :)

MY TRICKS FOR TRI I:

Let me start by saying what worked for me during my pregnancy will not necessarily work for everyone but it’s good to have options! People will give you countless remedies and tell you to "do this and that" and "buy this, buy that". So to keep yourself sane, say “thanks so much, I’ll have to try that” and leave it at that. If their advice sounds interesting, try it. If not, let it go and don’t look back! Trial and error is key to finding out what is best for you.

My first 18 weeks were tough but I can definitely narrow down what worked for me; salt, compression socks and a pregnancy safe sleep aid.

Since I have very LOW blood pressure, salty foods were my best friend. Salt helps retain all that fluid that you’ll be drinking which is important during pregnancy. It kept my dizzy spells at bay and was a cure for my fainting (I fainted 3 times during my first and second trimester). My diet quickly changed from salads and smoothies to burgers, pasta, salted nuts, crackers and gatorade. Another thing that helped me was wearing compression socks. Compression socks help circulate blood throughout your body. FYI; you have double the blood volume when pregnant, which goes straight to the bottom (hence why pregnant mommas should keep their feet elevated often!). Lastly, Unisom (pregnancy safe sleep aid) helped me sleep through the nights. I actually took it throughout my whole pregnancy! LIFE SAVOR.

MY TRICKS FOR TRI II:

Trimester II was a breeze compared to Trimester I. I used my tricks above plus added a few! I gained my energy back, was able to go on walks and also started working out again with modifications....which made me hungry all the time!!

Tricks that helped me in trimester II; snacks, walking/activity and incorporating healthier foods back into my diet.

Having snacks such as bars, crackers and sport drinks with me was super helpful. Going on walks, lightly working out and staying active was also very important to me since I was practically immobile the first 18 weeks. Creating time for a little activity in trimester two also really helped me feel more like myself. With pregnancy comes back pain which I didn't experience until week 24/25. I think staying active and moving my body helped it stay away as long as it did. My healthy diet went out the window when I was so sick but I still made sure to take my prenatal, drink lots of water and sneak in a few vegetables every now and then. There was a lot of cheese pasta in trimester I! In trimester II, I actually started craving foods like salads, smoothies, and healthy fats, with a side of pizza of course 😋 DO YOU, no one else.

SKIN CHANGES:

I have struggled with skin issues since high school so when I found out we were expecting, I was excited to get that pregnancy glow that everyone raved about. Well....that didn't happen. My issues went into overdrive during my first two trimesters. All those hormonal changes really took a toll on my skin, especially my face and back. For my face, I decided to try some samples of a product that I had been wanting to try for a couple months and slowly, my face started to clear up. It turns out that my skin, on top of the hormonal changes, was confused with all the different brands I was using. When I realized that my back was breaking out, on top of my face, I felt like I had lost all hope. WTF, I thought. I've never had back acne issues so why now?! I tried every remedy, mask, cleanser, oil and brand I could think of and it would not go away. After finding MY BRAND, my skin and back started to clear up immediately.

I ended up creating my own body wash with Dr. Bronners unscented soap, raw honey, jojoba oil and tea tree essential oil. This combo was PERFECT for me. The soap was toxin free, kept me clean and helped get the dirt off my skin. The raw honey and jojoba oil helped smooth and sooth my skin and the tea tree essential oil helped get rid of unwanted bacteria.

Tata Harper Skin Care is what I am currently using and I LOVE IT. Toxin free, good for the environment and is tailored to my skin issues unlike a generic "fit for all" remedy.

BODY WASH:

1/3 c. Dr. Bronners Unscented soap

1/3 c. Raw Honey

1/3 c. Jojoba Oil

60 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

Mix and pour into a dark colored glass pump bottle.

Keep in your shower.

Shake before using.

Morning Routine: Tata Harper Skin care

Regenerating Cleanser on dry face (e/o day)

**add the resurficing mask on top and let sit for 20 minutes for an refreshing and cooling face mask option

DIY roller bottle serum (jojoba oil, 6 lemon EO, 3 Tea tree EO, 6 Lavendar EO, 6 Frankinscence EO)

Vitamin C powder

Clarifying Moisturizer

Eir NYC Surf Mud Waterproof SPF (when I leave my house;))

Night Routine: Tata Harper Skin Care

Refreshing Cleanser using a little water

DIY Serum

Rahda Rose Hip Oil (amazon purchase)

Clarifying Spot Solution

Face Mask Options: On Clean Face

Cocokind Turmeric Stick

Cocokind Chlorella Powder

Water or Jojoba or Rose Hip Oil (If the mask it too dry; cracking, use a little oil along with water)

Mix together and let sit on your face for as long as you want!

NURTURE - A MODERN GUIDE TO PREGNANCY:

This book is a goddscent. It not only taught me what goes on during each trimester but it went through the mental and emotional side of pregnancy as well. It taught me how to reflect on emotions that would arise, how to mentally prepare for my body to change and what my baby was going through. This book encourages self-care and mindful exercises (which were non existent in trimester I for me) along with more than 40 charming and helpful illustrations that a modern mama would want to know: fetal development, nutrition support for every month of pregnancy, making birth choices, medications for you and baby pre and post birth, the basics of breastfeeding, exercises and more.

I read this book cover to cover and re-visit it often as I start to guide myself through Trimester III.

REALNESS:

As I write this, currently starting my third trimester, I want to share the realness of my pregnancy; ITS HARD and I'm not that fond of it. It's emotional. It's mentally draining. It's too long. I don't feel confident or good in my body. I feel guilty for not loving this journey day in and day out and I'm scared as hell to go through labor.

BUT

I cannot wait to be a mom. I cannot wait to start a new chapter with Joel and to navigate through every stage of parenthood together (the GOOD AND BAD). I cannot wait to finally hold her in my arms. I cannot wait to watch her grow, learn her personalities, and see her smile and laugh. I cannot wait to be a family of 3.

XX,

GL