I am SO excited to get to write this post! Personally, the 1st trimester took 5ever due in part to how early we found out that we were pregnant. But still, the longest 13 weeks of my life! Anyways, I love writing posts like this because not only is it a way to update you all in a more detailed way, but it is something I can look back on years to come! I am trying to remind myself that in the grand scheme of things, these 40 weeks are going to go by so quickly and that I need to cherish every day of it now. We worked hard to get here and I intend on fully embracing every part of it! What a special time in our lives! We are still having a baby!

Emotions were high

Emotionally this pregnancy has been a lot to swallow. Nothing has gone wrong, literally, everything has gone right so far. We always hoped and prayed that IVF would work on our first round but we knew the odds and never really expected it to all work out so smoothly. I know of so many couples who have struggled for years and still don’t have their sweet babes yet. So trust me when I say I am not taking any minute of this pregnancy for granted. It truly is the greatest blessing and I thank God every day for it!

But in the beginning, there are SO many appointments. You just stay anxious basically. Reaching for a new milestone each week or even every couple of days. My doctor literally told us at one of our early appointments that we were not out of the woods yet. So weeks 4-10 were very stressful for many reasons; shots, back to back appointments, general worry. Not to mention we were in the middle of a pandemic.

On the flip side, every time we got to see or hear that sweet heartbeat was pure bliss! I was speechless the first time the doctor played the heartbeat. We were not expecting it at all and it blew us away! I can’t even describe the pure joy and awe I felt at that moment! Every day when something didn’t go wrong was a complete blessing. I became more and more confident in this pregnancy as the weeks went on. Around week 11, I finally allowed myself to believe this pregnancy was going to stick around. Obviously, I know anything can happen at any time but there was just a sense of peace and calm that washed over me that week. Thank goodness!

Symtoms

I can’t believe it myself, but I had zero morning sickness! Maybe that was straight from God since I had to get a terrible shot in my bum every day for 8 weeks. Haha. But everything has been pretty normal so far. My symptoms have been right on track week by week according to all my pregnancy apps except for one. I have not been very emotional. No random tears or sudden outbreaks so far. Maybe a few mood swings but if anything they were mild and didn’t last long. Let me tell ya the biggest symptoms.

1. Shortness of breath. Woah stairs seem like a mountain these days.
2. Pee……so much pee.
3. The girls got suppppper sore!
4. Constipation is so real. TMI, I know.
5. Fatigue!!!!

Cravings

I keep waiting for super-strong cravings to hit. So far I tend to start craving something if I see it or hear about it. But there have been a few things that I have wanted that I usually don’t eat. It is still early so this list may grow!

1. Early on I just wanted all the carbs!
2. Berries were a big one in the beginning too!
3. Strawberry Limeades from Sonic has been a consistent one.
4. Lifesaver Gummies and sugary candy in general. Which is odd for me because I mainly am a chocolate kinda girl.
5. Cheese in any form: queso, grilled cheese, mac & cheese.

Baby Gender & Names

These are the number one questions that I get when people find out I am pregnant. Josh and I have decided to keep both a secret until the baby arrives! We have both names picked out and ready to go. We decided to not find out the gender for a couple of reasons. One is because there are not any surprises when you go through IVF. We have a photo of the embryo the day it was transferred to my uterus so we thought we would save just one surprise for ourselves and our family!

Another reason to wait to find out is that it is just plain fun! I anticipate that moment when the baby finally arrives and we get to celebrate our brand new child! All we pray for is a healthy baby! It truly does not matter to either of us what it ends up being. I can honestly say I am not hoping or wishing for a certain gender. Although, I do have a feeling it is a boy.

Health

By the grace of God, I have been able to workout during this entire pregnancy. Through shots, extreme fatigue, and travel! It has been vital honestly. Some days I would get home from work, do my workout, and go right to bed. But I felt good because I had at least moved my body for this sweet baby! Now things are a lot easier! I am getting my energy back and no longer have to do shots anymore! Now, I walk everyday and workout 5-6 days a week! I have done some of my normal programs and done a few prenatal specific workouts and man do those kick my butt! I have been so kind to my body by modifying any time I have felt uncomfortable or that it is too straining for this busy at work body. My main focus is to keep my body strong and limber so that it can focus on its main job of growing our baby!

Thank you from Josh, Baby G and I

Josh and I have felt so loved through this whole process and that support didn’t stop pouring in once we got that positive test! We have the best support system and don’t take any of you for granted! This baby is so loved already and I can’t wait to meet it! I will say things have been kind of hard because of this pandemic but how many babies can say they were grown and born during worldwide pandemic?! So crazy! Thank you all for your love! We love you all right back! Until next time!

In case you missed the 10-week update, here ya go!