I’ve been wanting to share information about my first pregnancy for awhile now, and I am finally getting around to doing it! I really enjoyed my journey through pregnancy and entering motherhood, and I learned so much along the way. I have compiled my thoughts and advice from each trimester in the hopes that this will help other mothers-to-be. Pregnancy is such a unique, powerful, transformational, and magical time in a woman’s life. I’m so appreciative of all the women who stood by my side during my pregnancy, and this is my way of sharing the love to hopefully help others.

First Trimester 

Weeks 1-12

This is where the story begins! My husband and I were married in June 2019 and went on a beautiful honeymoon through France and Italy (which I still need to share on this blog). A few months after returning, we were met with a sweet surprise… I was pregnant! We hadn’t planned to start trying this soon, but the universe has a way of making plans for you, doesn’t it? And once we found out, we were both just over the moon. 

I took a pregnancy test and couldn’t believe it came back positive. Ryan and I both sat on the floor crying and laughing and were pretty much in shock. Shortly after taking the test, we went over to my mother-in-law’s house so I could lead an outdoor yoga class for her and a few friends. It was so hard to keep the secret that we had just found out I was pregnant, but we wanted to confirm with the doctor first. 

The first 12 weeks of pregnancy were exciting, surreal, uncertain, and most of all, nauseating. I won’t sugarcoat it, my first trimester was not very pleasant. We didn’t share the news about our pregnancy until I hit 12 weeks, since that’s when risk of miscarriage drops significantly, so most people outside our close friends and family didn’t know yet. I had pretty bad morning sickness (which lasts all day) and felt really tired. The day before I learned I was pregnant, I had been hired by a yoga studio to start teaching. I was so excited, but it was a little surprising to add a pregnancy on top of my first real teaching job. But I got through it all! I didn’t skip a single yoga class or event, and the magic of being pregnant carried me through the rough days – along with naps and the love from my family and my husband. I loved tracking the growth of my baby each week through the BabyCenter app (linked below) so I could really connect with what was happening inside me. I remember everything felt so surreal, and it was wild to imagine I was actually growing a baby.

At the end of the first trimester we were so excited to finally announce that we were having our baby! And I was very relieved I had made it through what, in my opinion, is the roughest part of the pregnancy. (So if you’re pregnant and reading this, hang in there!)

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4x3pkZnwJT/

My Tips for the First Trimester:

Apps:

• Expectful – This app was an incredible resource for me. It has short guided meditations for each week of pregnancy, and you can set how long you want to meditate for. It really helped me connect with my baby every day, and made me feel so grounded each morning. Self care is so important during this time.
• BabyCenter – A great app to track baby’s growth week by week!

Morning Sickness: 

• Eat small portions frequently, carbs help. Fruit shouldn’t be eaten alone, especially if it’s in the morning. Coat your stomach with crackers or toast.
• Lemon and honey in hot water helped soothe my stomach. Ginger tea is also good.
• Fresh air can help, especially if it’s on the cooler side. Step outside and take deep breaths.
• REST. I learned to give in to the exhaustion and let my body rest when it needed to and accept what was happening. Just know it’s only temporary and it will pass! Your body is doing something so incredible, give it grace.

Exercise:

• Stay active but take it easy since your body is going through some intense changes in the first trimester. I practiced yoga, of course, and it helped so much throughout my entire pregnancy. It always made me feel better when I was teaching it or practicing it. For the first 12 weeks you can pretty much continue doing any type of exercise that you were doing before becoming pregnant, but confirm with your doctor first.

Vitamins I took:

• Prenatal pill
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B12
• Iron supplement – I learned that you can’t take iron with your prenatal vitamin or anything with calcium in it since your body won’t absorb it. So space it out at least two hours before or after prenatal.
• I also added a collagen supplement. My skin and hair really saw improvement (and still are) during this pregnancy, and I didn’t have any stretch marks, even after giving birth. While I attribute some of this to genes, I really believe the collagen helped!

Second Trimester

Weeks 13-27

Most women say the second trimester is their favorite one, and I would definitely echo that statement. The people around you know you’re pregnant which is fun, the first trimester symptoms have eased, and you are starting to feel your baby move and really grow. I felt strong the remainder of my pregnancy thanks to all the yoga I had continued teaching and practicing, and I had a lot of energy. We planned a babymoon when I was 24 weeks pregnant and jetted off to Santa Barbara, California. Gratefully, we were able to take this trip just before COVID-19 was really being talked about in the U.S. Less than a month after returning, the lockdown took place.

The most exciting part of the second trimester was learning the gender of the baby. We had a blood test done to reveal the gender, and one morning I woke up while Ryan was still sleeping and saw results had been added to my health portal. And that’s when I saw we were having a girl. I took a moment to myself and processed this unbelievably exciting news, and even teared up for a few minutes of pure joy. Then I decided to quietly make some coffee and fruit for Ryan and decorated the tray with a flower, a pink candle, and dried rosebuds that spelled out “it’s a girl.” I will always remember that special morning we shared.

We decided to host a gender reveal party for our immediate family a few weeks later. Our sisters used the confetti poppers we ordered to reveal the gender. When the confetti went off, everyone cheered!

In February Ryan and I took our babymoon to Santa Barbara. (More on that trip in my next post!) It was such a beautiful, peaceful and smooth trip. We slept in, ate good food, explored the beaches and adorable streets. I am so grateful we made time to get away just the two of us before we became a family of three.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7_TycOnT41/

My Tips for the Second Trimester:

Belly salve:

• Lauren’s All Purpose Salve – This is a splurge, but I loved using this salve on my belly and all over! I still use it as a moisturizer for my face and body today.

Maternity Clothes:

• This is the trimester where you will begin growing out of your pre-pregnancy wardrobe, if you haven’t already. I actually didn’t buy too many maternity clothes. I was able to make some of my pre-pregnancy wardrobe work since I had a lot of loose tops, dresses and leggings. But I had a few favorite shops:
• Pink Blush Maternity – great for photoshoot and baby shower dresses
• Roolee – had some really cute dresses and tops for maternity and nursing that I bought
• Kindred Bravely – this shop is simple and high quality. I bought a few things from here including my own hospital gown, and a few lounge pieces that work for pregnancy, maternity and beyond.

Baby Registry:

• This is also a great time to start putting together your baby registry if you plan on having one. I registered at Target, Amazon and Babylist.

Third Trimester 

Weeks 28-40

It’s such an exciting time when you enter your third trimester, since you know you’ve made it to the final stretch – literally! I actually continued to feel really good until the very end of my third trimester. I was blessed with a healthy pregnancy and, outside of the first trimester symptoms I experienced, I felt very little discomfort the remainder of the pregnancy. I continued to teach yoga until I was 35 weeks pregnant, and staying active helped keep my body flexible and strong.

Right as I entered the third trimester, COVID-19 was hitting the U.S. hard. It was early March and we were just beginning to go on lockdown. It was a confusing time, since hospital policies were changing. Ryan could no longer attend appointments with me, but luckily he was still able to be present for the birth. I was sad to hear that visitors were no longer allowed, but it all worked out okay in the end! I also had to cancel my baby shower, which was sad, but everyone made it so special by putting together the most loving video for us. We were completely surprised and overwhelmed by all the love! I was in tears this entire video.

Overall, it was really nice to be home during these last few months of pregnancy. My work and yoga studio all moved to virtual platforms, so I was able to spend my final weeks really resting and being home with Ryan. We had time to prepare the nursery and get our house (and minds) completely ready for our baby girl. While this time was really uncertain for everyone, especially being pregnant, I will never forget it. I loved living slower, taking long walks, breathing, meditating, and connecting with nature during this time.

My Tips for the Third Trimester:

Birthing Classes:

• My friend and fellow yoga teacher, Stephanie, was also pregnant and due just one month after me! She recommended an online course called Hypnobabies to me. I really loved this course, especially if you are planning for a natural childbirth like I was. It had daily meditations and affirmation tracks, lots of online materials for pregnancy, the birthing process, and also information on breastfeeding. And it was pretty affordable. It allowed me to deliver Sophie naturally, and I am forever grateful for this course.
• We had also signed up for in person classes at our hospital, but those were all cancelled due to COVID. So check those out for yourself as they might be a great resource once classes start taking place again.

Document and Savor:

This is a really special time. It will be the last few months/weeks of experiencing life as you know it. While we were SO excited to meet our little baby, we also took the time to enjoy our life as it was right in that moment. We watched movies, went for walks, and reminisced a lot in those final days. We also decided to book a maternity shoot, which I highly recommend, to professionally capture this special time. We did ours at 31 weeks.

Pack your hospital bag!

You don’t need much. Here’s what I brought:

• My own delivery gown
• Pajamas and an outfit to go home in for me and Ryan
• Knotted gown for baby and outfit to go home in
• Peri bottle (better than the one hospital provides)
• Crystals (I know, I couldn’t help myself)
• Our own pillows
• Nursing tank
• Bluetooth speaker – so I could listen to my hypnobabies recordings
• Long phone charger
• My own toiletrees – shampoo, face wash, hair brush, hair tie, deodorant, chapstick
• Snacks
• The hospital provides everything else you need!

Preparing for Postpartum Recovery :

I really wanted to focus not only on my baby, but also on my self care after giving birth. I knew in order to be the best mom I could be, I needed to also take care of myself. I spent a lot of time organizing the house, our baby things, and also my things to make life as easy as possible that first month. We stocked up on household items (as best we could during COVID). My cousin set up a meal train for us and it was the best gift ever to have meals made for us by friends and family those first two weeks. I made a shelf in my bathroom of all the goodies I needed for recovery including:

• A heating pad
• Pads – lots of them, you will bleed for a few weeks after birth whether you delivered vaginally or via c-section
• Peri bottle
• Nipple cream
• Belly bandit
• And the hospital provided some other goodies like perineal healing foam and cooling pad liners. I bought my own but didn’t end up using them since the hospital sent me home with so many, so save your money!
• I will share more on postpartum in an upcoming post

The final weeks:

The last three weeks or so leading up to your due date are a unique time and deserve their own attention. It’s a mix of so many emotions. You are at your biggest and probably most uncomfortable, and you are feeling so ready to meet your little one. I remember staying awake at night, feeling her movements and just wondering what she looked like. I dreamed of gazing into her eyes. In those final days you start getting a little anxious about the birth, but my best advice is to stay in the present moment and do nice things for yourself. Savor these final days as you transition to motherhood.

The Birth 

And we’ve finally made it to the birth. Thanks for sticking with me! I went into labor the day before Sophie’s due date and I was SO excited to feel those first pressure waves! I just remember thinking – this is it, I am so close to meeting my baby.

We delivered Sophie at Stone Springs Hospital Center and loved our experience there. I chose to deliver through a Midwife Practice at a hospital. I wanted to deliver through a midwife, but also have the resources of a hospital. And it was the perfect decision for our family. The midwife assigned to me was a true angel on earth. Throughout my labor, she comforted me gently and encouraged me. She was totally on board with my natural birth using hypnobabies method. We had the meditations playing the entire day of my labor, and when things started getting really tough for me she would repeat affirmations like: You are so strong; Trust your body, You were made for this; You’re so close. I truly believe without her, I would have chosen to get an epirdural (I was in labor for 21 hours). But my baby and I did it. At 5:34 PM Sophie was born. That last hour was really tough, but it felt almost out of body. I remember laboring in the tub for awhile and I was holding Ryan’s hand but had my eyes closed the entire time. I met each pressure wave with deep breaths and just remained totally focused. The birth experience is one that really can’t be explained, only felt. All I know is that my baby knew exactly what to do, and we worked together to bring her into this world. I will never forget this experience.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA53WvAnYVP/

Our family met us outside the hospital two days later as we left. What a beautiful thing for them to do! It felt like we had just traveled back from another world as we walked into the sun for the first time in two days, carrying our new baby.

The journey through pregnancy and into motherhood is one of the most beautiful, natural, and emotional things a woman can go through. I hope this post reaches some of you at a time when you need it. Just know that this journey is not meant to be done alone. Women all over the world and through thousands of years have gone through this process, and we are meant to tap into that wisdom.

Also, you will receive a lot of solicited, and unsolicited, advice. Remember that each pregnancy, and each birth, is new and unique. Your experience will ultimately be your own, and you do have control over how you want to feel. Remember to TRUST your body and your baby. You were made for this and your baby chose you to be his or her momma.

If you have any questions at all, I am here to help. Becoming a mom is the best thing that’s happened to me, and I can’t wait to continue sharing this journey with you. I know Sophie will shape me into the next version of who I’m meant to be.