8 Things You Might Not Know About Early Pregnancy

We just spilled the beans on Sunday - we're expecting!
We are so excited to meet our little baby in November, but as I'm getting out of my first trimester, I wanted to do a post on some things that came as a bit of surprise to me both times I went through those early pregnancy stages.

1) Your boobs grow. A lot. 

Maybe even before you get those two little lines on that pregnancy test, you'll notice some extra padding going on. You don't have milk yet, but your breasts are getting ready by making lots of room. You will most likely have to get a new bra size before you get too far along!

2) Your cravings might not be consistent.

In my experience, if something becomes revolting, it will pretty much stay that way. But if one day the only thing that sounds good is tortilla chips and spinach artichoke dip, don't stock up just yet. Finding something that sounds good will always be a struggle, but odds are that when you do find something, it will not hold that spot for every day of your first trimester.

3) You'll have to pee. All the time.

No, you don't have a big ole baby pressing down on your bladder yet, but you can thank those hormones for your regular trips to the bathroom. I once peed every hour for 4 hours. Count on making several bathroom trips during your first trimester!

4) Morning sickness may or may not be morning sickness.

I personally always had morning sickness hit worst the minute I woke up, but there are many others whose "morning sickness" doesn't kick in until later in the day. Also morning sickness can mean throwing up, but it is often just feeling nauseous. So nauseous. If you're throwing up 3+ times a day and/or can't seem to keep anything down, contact your doctor! You could be suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, and there are medications you can get on to help ease your nausea. You don't want to get dehydrated!

5) Hello temperature swings.

You will go from freezing to sweltering and back before you can bat an eye. All I can say is layers, sweetheart, layers.

6) Baby bump? Already?

No, your apple seed/blueberry/raspberry sized baby is not big enough to give you a bump. But one very common symptom of early pregnancy is lots of bloating and gas. So yes, you might already feel pressure on your tummy when trying to squeeze into your favorite dress, but that's not because of baby yet. Stay patient - you'll get an actual baby bump before too long! 

7) Exhaustion.

While it might not look like it on the outside, your body is doing a lot of work growing a baby! That takes a lot of energy. Think about it - you are literally creating a human being. Of course you're tired all the time! Feel free to go to bed early like a grandma or sleep in late on the weekends. 

8) Your baby is already more of a baby than you might think.

It's sometimes hard to truly grasp what is happening during these early stages of pregnancy, but as soon as you go to that first doctor's appointment and hear that heartbeat and see that little peanut wiggling, you'll be reminded that you have a real live baby in there!! By 10 weeks, your little bean already has functioning kidneys, heart, brain, intestines, and liver, along with tiny eyes and eyelids, itty bitty arms and legs, and even fingernails and toenails!!

Going through all of this may seem really difficult at first, especially if it's early enough that you haven't told many people. It's totally up to you who to tell and when, but at the very least, you should have one person you can rely on to understand what you're going through and that you may need a bit of extra help during this time. If that person needs to be me, I am happy to oblige! If that person is your mom, spouse, sister, or whoever - it's nice to have at least one or two people who are keeping tabs on you.

You can do this mama!!


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