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Well, surprise! I’m pregnant again!
As excited as we are to welcome our second edition, it’s still a surreal feeling for Stephen and I.
We had a plan this time, and well, things worked out just a bit sooner than we were expecting. But we feel happy and beyond blessed nonetheless for this new journey that we’re about to embark on.
Our excitement for this child however, does NOT change the fact that the first trimester is notoriously hard on a lot of women. My first trimester with Edison was relatively easy. I barely even realized I was pregnant.
With this child however, oh boy do I know! With morning sickness, problematic skin and energy drain already, I just feel over it some days.
It can be really hard to feel excited about your pregnancy when you’re feeling sick and just not all the way there. Fortunately enough, I have five great ways to boost your moral and bring some excitement to your first trimester.
Get a pregnancy planner/ memory book
I’m a planner girl, so of course when I was pregnant with Edison, I searched up and down for the prefect planner to keep track of my appointment. And it was one of the best decisions I’ve made!
Most pregnancy planner double as memory keepers, and suddenly, the mundane task of keeping up with all your appointments, becomes a fun scrapbooking project.
There were many days with Edison, and with this baby too, that I was NOT excited about. But getting the chance to play around with stickers and washi tape was a much needed relaxing activity for me.
Get started with some fun ones here.
Sex prediction kits
Not everyone wants to know the sex of their child, but for those of us who don’t mind, sex prediction kits can be really fun and something exciting to look forward to during your 1st trimester.
There are two types of sex prediction kits out there: one type is purely for enjoyment and the kits should clearly mark so. These kits generally take a urine or saliva sample from you and a chemical indicator will change color based on what sex your baby will be. These test only have an accuracy of 50% thought because it’s not actually testing for sex. Again, these are just for kicks and giggles. Check some of these out here.
The other type of kit you can get is one where you give a small sample of blood and a professional lab gives you your results, with about 99.5% accuracy. These kits are more expensive, starting out at about $80 if you order one from Amazon (this is the one I used), to about $200-$1100 if you get the kit from your provider.
I have done both options with both pregnancy’s and have gotten matching results both times, so in my option, If you just want to know the sex, and not any other genetic information, the Amazon kit is just prefect!
Establishing a good self care routine
Self care only gets harder the farther into motherhood you get. So establishing a solid self care routine for yourself before the baby get’s here is a good idea.
For me, I like to do my Teami facials and a nice warm bath or shower once a week. But self care can be many different things too.
Some moms to be turn to the gym. Others pick up a hobby. Others still find a great therapist that they can chit with. The most important thing is that you find what’s going to work best for you.
If you need some ideas on ways to take care of yourself, check out this blog post
Plan a fun pregnancy announcement
While some mothers like to share their news of being with child right away, many choose to conceal their pregnancies until the end of the 1st trimester. This leaves many moms going through the drags of this trimester in silences (boo!).
So why not break your silence and announce your pregnancy in a fun way your friend and family are sure to remember?
For both Edison and our new little one, we set up family dinners to let everyone in on the secret. Go watch them here.
Take bump shots
In the beginning, you may feel pregnant, but you may not look pregnant. So taking photos and documenting how your body is changing might slip your mind is early on.
With Edison, I only took a handful of bump shots during my 1st trimester and I seriously wished that I had taken more. Looking back at the photos now, I realized that even thought I wasn’t showing, my body changed A LOT more than what I thought it had!
Plus, these photos make awesome editions to your pregnancy planner/memory keeper (and they’re super easy to add in if you have a portable printer like a sproket)
Of course, you don’t have to do ANY of these things. These we’re just some of the fun things I did to ease my mind as I transitioned into motherhood with both my children.
Especially since pregnancy can be such a nerve racking time for many, and the first trimester can be hard, I wanted to find some joy and excitement that I could look back on.
Have you tied any of these tips above during your first trimester? Let us know what you did to ease your mind during pregnancy below!