My 1st Trimester and How We Told My Family We’re Pregnant

 

Happy New Year Y’all! I know it has been a long while since posting on here, but I decided that I needed to focus on my baby and health and get much needed rest. Now that I’ve entered my second trimester, I have energy and more motivated to catch you up on the past couple of months! It really was a blur and it went by so fast, lol! 

 My 1st Trimester 

Michael and I after much prayer and discussion decided to try. Let me just say that this moment can be so nerve wrecking and exciting at the same time. You start thinking about so many “what if’s and negative outcomes” and this is simply the devil trying to steal your joy on what should be one of the most exciting phases of your lives. With that said, with the grace of God we found out that we were expecting!! 

     The week before my big 30th Birthday, I started to feel stomach aches and heartburn, especially at night. I had trouble sleeping and starting to feel like I was coming down with something. Finally, on Thursday October 10, I decided to take a test. I thought I had negative reading, but something in my gut said, no, check again. So I decided to research online what it meant if you had one strong line and one second faint line. Most women said that a line is a line and that it was very much a positive. I even found one that looked similar to mine on a mommy blog. After that I decided to call my best friend and ask for her feedback. She recommended that I take the one that said pregnant, or not pregnant. Duh Robin! Lol. So later after work, I took another test and it came out Pregnant. I was so excited that I couldn’t wait to tell my husband. Originally, I wanted to go all out and do something cute to surprise my husband, but who I was kidding. I couldn’t hold my happiness and my birthday party was around the corner. Therefore, I ran to HEB really quick to get a few items to at least surprise him when he got home from work. When he arrived he wasn’t in a great mood lol, football season. But I was able to convince him to open the box and we both celebrated and cried together. I prayed so hard that night thanking God for allowing me to carry this precious baby. My husband and I decided to wait till after our first appointment to inform our family and let me tell you this was so hard to keep from them. 

The following week I went into the doctor, specifically because I was concerned with the cramps and uncomfortable pain by ovaries. A quick review on my past history. I have had major menstrual cramps and low blood pressure that has caused me to faint, blackout while driving (crash) and even hospitalized.  Ugh, such terrifying moments. After several testing, doctors couldn’t conclude what was wrong. So of course, I started thinking the worst of the symptoms I had and let fear steal my joy. Therefore I went to my first appointment were they did an ultrasound, which they usually don’t, but because of my concern they conducted one and it turned out that everything  looked great and I was six weeks!! Praise God! That same week, my body took a big hit! I was super sleepy which is unusual for me, but after work I would just go home and crash.I also started with nausea that week and major stomach aches. I literally felt like I had eaten a bottle of salsa and my stomach was burning. 

Week Seven was an even harder week for me. Every morning , afternoon and night I felt nauseated and anxious. I couldn’t find the energy to get out of bed and I just felt sick to my stomach. During this time I felt it was best to inform my boss, because I had already called in twice that week and it was also a busy week for a grant I oversee at work. I’m so thankful for the support I got from colleagues during this time, because it allowed me to rest and heal in peace without worrying about additional things. I started researching about morning sickness and things that can ease it. My husband was such a great sport. He got me tums, soups, caldo, crackers and took care of me. I was literally in bed all that week and had a low appetite. But I made sure to snack throughout the days as the doctor suggested and eat something for the baby’s sake. 

Week Eight through Ten I had NO appetite. I was so scared to eat anything, afraid that it would make the nausea and my stomach worse. I had to find it in me to eat a little something here and there. I had no energy to do anything at all. I just wanted to curl up in bed and cry. I spent many nights sleeping or sitting by the toilet. I would unexpectedly cry and feel so sad. My hormones were everywhere. I prayed every day and asked my family members to keep me in their prayers. Some days I felt so horrible for crying that I felt horrible and I had to remind myself that carrying baby H was a blessing. Then, I would start crying for crying, because how could I feel that way when there is a beautiful baby growing inside me. Talk about my emotions being high and low. 

Week Eleven-Fourteen were kinder to me, but still tough. After losing about 8 pounds I was starting to get my appetite back slowly. I wasn’t able to eat full meals, but I was starting to eat and get some energy back. I basically ate fish and chicken. I wanted nothing to do with beef, and still sorta do. Oh Fries, fries were my happy place during this time. I haven’t gotten any crazy cravings, but my stomach can’t stand milk, so I’ll have it every so often. Anyone close enough knows I’m a sweets and chocolate kind of person and that is currently gone. Although my husband has acquired the sweet tooth. This was a surprise to us both, lol. He is not sweet person. He occasionally has it, but since my pregnancy he’s had his fun with sweets and he is still skinny! Lol! Anyway, these weeks were kinder to my stomach. I dealt with occasional nausea and every chance I got, I slept. I tried B6 and dopamine, but they didn’t really help with nasuasa, at least for me.I did get some nausea cream prescribed for my wrist and it calm my anxiety at night. 

Morning sickness got me unexpectedly and I wasn’t mentally  prepared for this. No one in my family has experienced this, so I wasn’t thinking it would happen. I thought I was going to have a happy and glowing pregnancy, but I’m so thankful for the highs and ends. It really makes you appreciate your baby and the pregnancy process. It is true that after every storm comes a rainbow. I can’t wait for my baby boy to make his appearance, it will make all this struggle much more appreciated.

Although, 1st trimester was tough, I’m so happy that baby H is doing great! Baby H is thriving, so far all tests results show a healthy baby boy, Thank God. Michael and I teared up when we first heard his heartbeat. It’s so strong. We are truly amazed and blessed with how much he is growing by the day. God has led me this far and I trust in him and his plan.We have a ways to go, but I know any worry or concern I have, I can turn to him and he will provide peace and comfort. 

                                           How We Told My Family We Are Pregnant 

A week after my first doctor appointment we decided to inform our intermediate family only. I wanted to do something memorable and cute for my family, especially since my in-laws will be first time grandparents. Since it was October, I wanted something with pumpkins. I found a baby shower slogan on pinterest, “ A little Pumpkin is on the way,” so I decided to put this slogan on a cookie, because I mean who doesn’t like cookies? I found the cutest teal truck full of pumpkins on pinterest therefore I decided that I would get a truck delivering a pumpkin and a pumpkin cookie that said, ‘ A little pumpkin is on the way!” My husband and I decided to keep the photos we captured amongst us and have them for our personal memory. 

We went over to my in-laws during the week to visit and we walked in with our box of cookies. It’s not unusual for us to bring over sweets to them, because they enjoy sweets here and there so they didn’t think anything of it. After talking for awhile, my father-in-law walks into the kitchen and opens the box briefly and says, “Oh what is this?” and my husband quickly gets up and says, “ oh some sweets, but don’t get it yet!” Luckily, he didn’t pay too much attention to what it said.  After, we somehow got them to sit together and tell them look at these cute cookies we brought. So they open the box together and my mother-in-law was speechless. She teared up and could barely get any words out. My father-in-law starts smiling and says you’re pregnant?!! Michael and I are started laughing nodding yes and tearing up! My mother-in-law says, “I’m gonna be a grandma!!” It all happened so fast, but we were all hugging, smiling and crying! 

That same weekend we decided to stop by my parents house to surprise them and my sisters. Now, let me tell you it is hard to get everyone together on the weekends, especially during football season. Nonetheless, thank God they were all there. My sister Debbie stepped out for a run and my parents were getting ready to leave to have lunch, so we decided to just surprise them and than we would surprise my sister when she got done with her run. We told my family that we brought them some cookies from the bakery and handed them their specific cookies and before my parents could say anything my older sister Erica says, ‘What? You’re Pregnant!!” Lol, she knows me well. My family looks at their cookies and we laugh and say, ‘YES, We’re Pregnant!” We all go for hugs and smiles! My parents were thrilled and excited that our family was expanding!! Soon after that my sister Debbie walks in and we hand her, her cookies and she was like I knew it!! “I saw you at work this week and you hair looked like shit and you looked like shit and you never got to work like that.” Lol! Yup that’s Debbie! Finally we were relieved that our families knew and we can finally celebrate the knews the together!! 

God Bless You Always!

♥ Robin

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.

1 Samuel 1:27–28