My First Trimester Experience

Kevin and I couldn’t be more ecstatic to share our wonderful news with you! We’ve been holding onto this big secret since before the holidays and it feels great to finally talk about it openly. To catch you up, today I’m sharing my first trimester experience, week by week. Everyone’s experience will be different, but here’s what I felt and how I navigated these brand new waters.

Baby Burk due August 2021!

My First Trimester Experience Week-By-Week

Every day of every week can bring something totally new. Here’s what I’ve experience so far broken down by week.

Week 3: From Hypochondriac to Pregnant

Around 3.5 weeks I took the test and found out the great news! Before knowing that, I was nervous I’d pulled a pectoral muscle or something because my chest felt very sore. A soreness I’ve never experienced before, so it was a little concerning. Turns out, that was just one of the many joys of early pregnancy and the first trimester experience: sore boobs.

Did Kevin know? How did you tell him?

Yes, we were actively trying and tracking for this so he knew I was taking a test and knew right after I did that it was positive!

Week 4: Different Kind of Cramps

This week, I had cramps and soreness at least every other day. I ordered this heat pad for back cramps and it’s been wonderful. It also detaches from the cord and holds heat for a decent amount afterwards if you aren’t near an outlet.

The Christmas holiday fell in the middle of week 4, so we took this picture in our Christmas Eve best knowing we’d want a nice photo to share with family eventually.

Week 5: Cramping without Style

Cramps worsened this week and were happening just about every day. My heat pad arrived though, and it was a big relief. This week, I specifically remember having some chicken tenders and potato wedges that the baby didn’t seem to like. It’s funny how your tastes fluctuate because in a few weeks, I was right back on a chicken kick.

This was also the week I noticed the steady weight gain begin in small half pound increments. Expected weight gain is different for everyone so be sure to consult your physician for more specifics during your own pregnancy.

Week 6: Heading to the Barre

During week six, I started the Pre Natal Barre Blend program from Beachbody. I was working out in a pre natal certified safe program four days a week. Symptoms-wise, I had a sore back (cramps), my boobs were super tender and some days I was just INCREDIBLY tired. Sometimes for days at a time. I remember a few times I was playing video games and had to turn them off because I was too tired to even want to hold the controller. It was wild!

Bickell has been exceedingly cute about being by my side. He started sitting by me when I watch TV at night (he’s usually just a lay wherever kind of pup), and hangs in my office with me during the day (he’s literally sitting here as I write this post, my heart could just explode!). They say dogs can sense pregnancy, and I believe it. He’s always sitting on my lap in the car when Kevin drives, which the doctor said is perfectly fine. That wouldn’t be that noteworthy except he doesn’t even try to sit on Kevin’s lap when I’m driving, ha!

Week 7: Chicken and Fries, Please

As of week seven, I had a chicken sandwich from every area eatery I can imagine. From Chick-fil-A to Portillos to Popeyes to local restaurants, I’ve tried them all. I also started noticing more nausea between meals. Turns out though, it was actually hunger. I was trying to balance needing to eat when hungry without overdoing it just because ‘I can’ but it turns out, I’ve been needing to eat just a bit more.

To combat the extra hunger I stocked up on smaller, between-meal savory snacks like Hot Pockets and Pop Tarts. I’m really not craving sweets (except for cookies and cream ice cream), which is fine by me since they’re not that great for you, but have really been wanting savory, hot foods. I’m truly striving to eat the healthiest meals I can because there are some days where all I can think about are fries or Bosco Sticks or Hot Pockets, but it’s a balancing act, and it’s important to not beat yourself up over your meals. Sometimes you just need to be sure you’re nourished by any means possible.

To supplement, I’ve been having my Teami Superfood Greens (in addition to my daily prenatal vitamin) which has helped me get more nutrients to baby. I have an ongoing partnership with Teami, so code TFFH20 will save you 20% off your order!

Additionally, this week was my very first doctor’s appointment. We heard the heartbeat (which the doctor said was perfect!), got ultrasound print outs and a big packet of information for new moms. It’s feeling more and more real!

Week 8: Telling the Parents

We told both of our parents the good news via these goodie bags ahead of Valentine’s Day (will be sharing more on these in a future post). Telling our parents made the pregnancy that much more real feeling for us. It was really exciting to see how happy they are for our new addition, especially since it’s the first grandchild on either side of the family!

Aside from sharing the big news, I wasn’t feeling as many ailments this week, which I attribute to consistency with my pre natal barre blend program. Still a little more tired than normal, but otherwise not too many complaints. So far I’ve kept up with the program 100% every day!

Week 9: Poultry Aversion?

This was a weird food week. I started being turned off by the idea of eating chicken, which is a huge bummer since it’s so lean and good for you. Most of what I ate was made of bread and cheese because that was appealing and I could stomach it. Luckily, I’ve not really been sick from anything I eat so far, but that’s because I’m listening to my gut up front and not pushing the envelope on food that doesn’t seem appealing.

Also, Twizzlers. For a snack, for breakfast, for all the time. All of a sudden now I have a sweet tooth but only for a few certain things like Twizzlers and chocolate shakes. Basically, this week was my toddler food phase.

Week 10: Pregnancy Announcement Photoshoot

If you follow me on Instagram you may recall me talking about a big content shoot in early February. I even timed my manicure and hair appointment to be fresh for this big shoot, because it was our pregnancy announcement mini photoshoot!

Pregnancy Photoshoot First Trimester Experience

This week, I introduced Kevin to a childhood favorite of mine that I started craving: cheese, Frito and mustard sandwiches. Yes, you read that right.

I’m staying away from cold cuts so I have to be a bit creative with my lunches, and for some reason, this craving came to me while laying in bed one night. The next day I had two of these sandwiches for lunch!

Week 11: Eating Better/Like a Child

This was a big week. I still wasn’t back to eating like normal, and probably won’t be until I’m postpartum, but I did feel more like myself. The most delicious craving so far arrived, and that’s for chocolate milk. I drank a decent amount of chocolate milk, and still am, and I ain’t even mad! My go-to has been Dean’s TruMoo which is 1% milk with less sugar than other brands at my store. Not only does it taste amazing but it’s a better option for me and baby.

While at Kroger this week, I also found a fully cooked pre-made sushi lunch and savored every moment of it. It featured fully cooked shrimp and crab, plus other sushi regulars like cucumber, avocado, rice, spicy mayo, seaweed and more. I realized sushi might not be 100% off limits when I looked into my ability to enjoy the shrimp cocktail we had on Christmas. That turned out to be just fine, so I thought, why can’t I eat fully cooked sushi wrapped in seaweed?

First Trimester Ultrasound Pregnancy Announcement

In addition to new food developments, I also had my latest doctor appointment and ultrasound this week. The baby looks SO real in this one! In our first ones the baby looked just like a little circle on the screen, but in these you can really see him/her taking shape. How exciting!

Week 12: I’ll Have the Quesadilla

Still having trouble eating chicken, and have been generally eating more vegetarian options lately, but just taking it day by day. My biggest craving this week has been jalapeno quesadillas. Since I don’t want any meat, I fill the quesadillas with some jalapenos (both pickled and fresh for some extra heat) to give them some volume. I’ve always loved spicy foods but I really craved the heat this week. I actually have this delicious, simple homemade quesadilla post you can follow if you’re craving one of your own!

Fatigue-wise, I haven’t been as tired but do still have off days. Just before I wrote this entry I took a few hours off on the couch because I didn’t have the energy to focus. Pregnancy fatigue is no joke!

Week 13: Present Day

The first trimester is coming to a close and I sure hope that means it’s taking the whole first trimester experience, fatigue and nausea with it! Not much to report this week as it just really started a few days ago, so I’ll share a bit more in a future Second Trimester post.

I have a bunch of pregnancy and parenting content planned already, so be sure you’re subscribed for new post notifications. Both Kevin and I are looking very forward to sharing our progress and perspectives as we prepare for the arrival of our first child!

To be fully transparent, I’ll still be sharing all my usual home, food and lifestyle content, but now pregnancy and parenting will be sprinkled into the mix. The blog isn’t changing much aside from gaining a new and exciting content category.