Nov 2

Nov 2 Pregnant With Baby #4! | First Trimester Update

Surprise, friends! :-)

I can’t explain how excited I am to be sharing this pregnancy announcement with you all! As a child of four, myself, the idea of having four children has always held a special place in my heart!

In today’s blog post, I want to share my first trimester pregnancy update, which includes my early symptoms, some unfortunate issues, and how I found out I was pregnant! I even answered some of your juiciest pregnancy questions, and included *raw footage* from when I found out I was pregnant, in my latest YouTube video below for your viewing pleasure!* Enjoy!

STATS:

I am currently 16 weeks pregnant, and in my second trimester, YAY!

My due date is April 19th!

SYMPTOMS:

Unfortunately, this pregnancy has held the most intense feelings of nausea for me which has caused me to spend most of my days napping whenever possible! (And I’m normally an anti-napper!) Sleeping seemed to be the only way I could escape feeling ridiculously sick throughout the day, afternoon, and you guessed it…night!

“Onion B.O.,” as I like to call it, has been a very real thing for me in my past first trimesters, and unfortunately, this pregnancy proved to be no different, haha! Just imagine the smell of fresh cut onions lingering all over your upper body. (Nothing a little deodorant can’t fix…but at times…it really couldn’t!) DISCLAIMER: This smelly issue has resolved in my second trimester so social activities may re-commence! ;-)

Bloating was also a symptom that has increased with each and every pregnancy! The day I found out I was pregnant (at around four weeks), my grandfather was visiting, and actually ASKED ME if he saw a BABY BELLY!? Was I impressed at his accuracy and attention to detail?! YES! Did I deny it with every fiber of my being!? YES!

It appears that hormonal, cystic acne has also paid a one way ticket to the right side of my face with no immediate plans on leaving. (Nothing like painful acne memories from college invading life in your 30’s, am I right?!)

HOW I FOUND OUT:

This time around, finding out I was pregnant held a little bit of torture for me as my husband was already away on a work trip for 2 weeks! Not only could I not tell my family who I was visiting at the time, (We always like to wait until the three month mark to tell others), but I couldn’t even tell my husband!

A good friend of mine had surprised me with her pregnancy, and told me she had imagined how cool it would be if I had been pregnant as well. The crazy thing was, it was then I realized that I had not gotten my period in over a week!

She encouraged me to get a pregnancy test, and find out if I was pregnant! So, the next day, I secretly bought a pregnancy test, retreated to the bathroom alone, and took the test. As the test delivered it’s first line, and I nervously waited for the second line to confirm if I was pregnant, it wasn’t until months later I realized that the instant line I saw WAS the line telling me I was pregnant! (You’d think you’d know how to read a pregnancy test after multiple pregnancies, haha!)

Telling my husband once he arrived home was special and intimate as always!♡

ISSUES:

Now, aren’t these issues a headache to address!? Sadly, my teeth have been one of the main culprits of my stresses during this pregnancy. I recently learned that I have a cavity, and TWO infections with a need for TWO root canals, (one being a “re-treat”—meaning, one of my teeth already HAD a root canal previously, and needed ANOTHER!) These three teeth are all next two each other which means…*insert drama,* MY MOUTH IS FALLING APART!!! :-( Well, not yet at least, but it sure feels like we are headed in that direction!

At my most recent urine culture, I discovered that I had Group B strep bacteria present in my urine, accompanied by a UTI, (which thankfully, I had no symptoms for).

In short terms, Group B Strep is a common bacteria that can potentially be present in all women at any given time. Just because you have it one day doesn’t mean you will have it the next day, or that you will even have it during labor.

However, as a precaution, healthcare providers usually try to push you in the direction of using antibiotics during labor, or when your water breaks to ensure that the potential for infection won’t reach the baby. (For any mothers in this situation, I encourage you to do your research on the risks of both infection, and on the risks of using antibiotics while pregnant, as they too can have a negative effect on baby!)

Although I have had GBS present with all three previous pregnancies, I refused antibiotics at the start of each labor, and since my water did not break until I was pushing my children out, I didn’t need the antibiotics! *Of course, keep in mind I’m not a health care professional, and every person’s health and experience is different! However, I am confident that upon doing our own research, and speaking with our health care providers, we alone can make the best educated and informed decision for ourselves and our children!*

In this pregnancy, I denied antibiotics for the presence of the UTI, but one month later, after multiple holistic regimens, I retested, and am waiting on results to see if the infection is still present before re-considering my options! I love to educate and advocate for myself alongside my healthcare providers. I do my homework, and then make the best informed decision for myself!

UPDATE: My re-tested urine came back with NO UTI! Thankful for the power of prayer, and the wisdom the Father gave in order for me to holisticly and naturally rid my body of the UTI!

I hope you enjoyed my first trimester pregnancy update, and that you’ll stick around here on my blog, Instagram, and my Youtube channel to follow along for more life updates! I want to thank you all for being such a source of support and encouragement in each of these new stages of my life!