The First Trimester: A recap

Soon after learning we were pregnant we traveled to Washington D.C. for a family vacation. With us was Paul's Mom, Tuck, Aunt Jane, Alz, Matty, Aunt Patty and Uncle Jack. It was a busy and fun-filled trip. We saw all the sights and did a lot of walking but I think I fared pretty well other than my erratic eating needs.

I had my first doctors appointment on 4/27/10. I was surprised to learn that they wouldn't do any confirmation of the pregnancy at this visit. I had some routine blood work and an exam but that was about it. It seemed odd to me that they would just "take my word for it." To make up for the lack of confirmation at the appointment I took a few repeat home pregnancy tests....just to make sure.

Finally on 5/11/10 I went in for my first ultrasound at 8 weeks 6 days. The weeks leading up to this day were long and somewhat torturous but in my heart I knew everything was ok. Paul came to the appointment with me and we waited in anticipation together. Soon enough our little miracle was up on the screen with a steady and strong heartbeat at 169bpm. The baby was measuring at 9 weeks so right on target. The tech pointed out the head, arms and legs. She changed the view a little and all of the sudden we could she the little arms and legs moving around like crazy. I was absolutely unbelievable. We both welled up with joy and pride, it was a truly beautiful moment. The doctor confirmed my due date as 12/15/2010. After the appointment I couldn't remove the smile from my face. I felt so much love for our little baby it was overwhelming. I called my mother who was anxiously waiting by the phone and surprised her with a visit to the house to show off our ultrasound picture. Of course, the mass texts of the pic went out and everybody was surprised at how much could be seen on such an early picture.

I had all the usual symptoms of early pregnancy. The morning aka "all day" sickness was the worst but for the most part I learned how to manage it. I found that not letting myself get hungry was key, unfortunately this meant eating every few hours. I also had the usual fatigue, frequent trips to the bathroom and labile emotions (cue me crying at the end of "Julie and Julia" even though there was really nothing sad or emotional about the ending). Again, Paul was wonderful during this time. We laughed a lot. At one point I was afflicted with severe sciatica-like pain for about 2 weeks. The pain was the worst when I would try to stand up. One night he was trying to lift me off the couch but I just couldn't stand up. It struck us both so funny that we just laughed and laughed.

I had my third doctor's appointment on 6/1/2010 at 11 weeks 6 days. At this appointment I hoped to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. Technically we just saw it the first time. My doctor warned me that there was a 50/50 chance of hearing it. After some readjusting of the doppler probe I finally heard the beautiful sound, strong and clear. What a great way to finish out my first trimester!