I'm Pregnant! My First Trimester Recap | Ep 28: Bridget's Pregnancy Journey

Bridget: Hey mama, welcome back to the Built to Birth podcast. Today I'm doing a solo episode and sharing something a little bit different. That's not a birth story, but it's pregnancy related. I am pregnant. I don't know if you know that, but I am pregnant with our fourth baby, and I'm very excited. And I'm now 14 weeks, and so I wanted to give you guys a recap on my first trimester. And the reason why I'm doing that is because Obviously, this pregnancy, if everything stays healthy and good, is going to end in a birth story. So I thought it would be fun to kind of take you along the journey and give you trimester by trimester updates. I'm doing a lot more updates on Instagram and on YouTube. So if you want to follow along there and watch some vlogs and see some pictures, definitely follow Built to Birth on Instagram or check out my YouTube channel. That's under Bridget Tyler. But we're gonna do a first trimester recap right now. We're gonna breeze through it. I'm gonna tell you about the ups and the many, many, many downs of the first trimester. And we're gonna have some fun along the way and hopefully learn something too. So let's jump in to today's episode. So we decided for baby number four several months ago, probably gosh, half a year ago now, where I was sitting on the couch with my husband and I was like, So I think we should have a fourth baby. And I was expecting him to be like, No. Because when we got pregnant with our third, he was like, enjoy this pregnancy because it's gonna be your last. And I remember being like, okay, I better enjoy it, but also I'm pretty sure I can convince him to have a fourth. And lo and behold, here we are. I'm pregnant with our fourth baby. And I'm so grateful, so thankful. I'm fourteen weeks, like I said in the intro, and I'm feeling a lot better now. but before I give you the rundown of the first trimester, I thought I would talk about getting pregnant. So I was very on it and intentional and purposeful about my preconception period. And I think that's something that a lot of women overlook is that preconception period. One, because a lot of times pregnancy is a surprise. And so not a lot of thought and effort goes into the season beforehand, but a lot of times too, it's like the work goes into a healthy birth, a healthy pregnancy once you get that positive pregnancy test. And so for a lot of women, it's like, okay, I'm not gonna maybe drink as much. If you're smoking, you should definitely stop smoking. And that's, a pretty logical, common sense thing to do. And then like taking a prenatal. And so that's I think what a lot of women do. But I went into this deep down rabbit hole of optimizing women's health probably in the last like two to three years. And I created a program called Holistic Womanhood that just gives the foundations of what a healthy life should look like for women. Looking at our hormones, looking at our circadian rhythm, looking at our metabolism, looking at our nervous system, looking at our gut and how all of that works together in order to create a healthy body that feels good and thrives, but is also ready to have a baby and fall pregnant when you want to. Because really pregnancy is a sign that your body is healthy and that it's able to hold and nourish life within it. And so as I was doing my integrative practitioner program and I was creating this course, I really started implementing a lot of things into my life that I think really helped create a good, healthy, fertile ground for my body to become pregnant. Because I have dealt in the past with my first daughter, it took us over a year to get pregnant. I had a miscarriage, and looking back now, I'm like, of course, just because the state of my body was totally wrecked. And I didn't want to go into this pregnancy being depleted, especially after having three babies and breastfeeding for so long. I was like, my nutrients are depleted. So I did an HTMA hair tissue mineral analysis that I recommend for every single woman because it gives you really actionable and clear understanding about what your body is depleted in. what is out of balance, how you can replete those nutrients and also reflects the systems that might be struggling or the ones that might be thriving. You definitely want to work with a health practitioner on that. And so if that's something you're interested in, you can contact me and that is something that I can help you guys do. But so much you can learn through holistic womanhood. And so I was taking lots of supplements to help replenish my body because I knew my diet just wasn't cutting it because I am a busy mom and we do eat very, very healthy. I was eating beef liver. I was, doing the organs, doing all the targeted supplements that like my hair tissue mineral analysis gave me. I did, you know, a thyroid panel to make sure that my thyroid was looking good. And so I was supporting it with iodine and selenium and making sure my electrolytes were adequate. Because electrolytes are so critical for cellular function. Anyways, I was doing so much. I was also doing this because I was like, I think I have been having morning sickness because I get morning sickness worse and worse with each pregnancy. And I was like, I think it's because I've been so depleted in nutrients. And so I was like, I'm going to do all the things to make sure that I don't have morning sickness. So I was really working on bile flow and making sure that that was adequate enough because sometimes if bile is stagnant, it makes it hard to process and digest your foods and absorb your nutrients. And so I was doing that. I was taking magnesium, I was again replenishing my body. And I was really tracking my cycle. And something that I noticed as I was starting to think about a baby was that I was having weird periods. And nothing like that was like shocking. And I know that if I went to an OB and was like, hey, I'm having this really, really light spotting before my period and my period is a little bit longer than normal, my OB GYN would have been like, that's normal. Like you you're you're fine. Do you want birth control? And so a lot of things that women experience in their cycle is passed off as normal when it's actually very, very common, but common does not equate to normal. And so I started really paying attention to my blood sugar regulation, making sure that I had steady energy throughout the day and that it wasn't dipping too low at night. That's again something that I cover really in depth in holistic womanhood because it's so important. And then I started using wild yam cream and I was really skeptical about it. My best friend had like told me about it for years. And I was like, cool. Like, I'm glad that works for you and like awesome. I love that for you. But I kind of it feels hocus pocus to me. But I was like, well, I might as well try it. And really what tipped the scale for me was that her best friend had had PCOS diagnosed like very, very early in life. She had never had a period, but has had five. Pregnancies and birds, just absolutely crazy. But after her fifth baby, she was like, I really just need a period. And so she started using w wild yam cream, and she got her first period in her entire life. And I was like, that's nuts. Now I have to go try this wild yam cream. So I started using that for a a couple of months. And my period whipped up into shape and I was not spotting my period returned to five to seven days. My cramping was minimized. And so I I believe in it. I believe in this stuff. And the science behind it is that it helps trigger a response in your body to make more progesterone and to balance out the estrogen as well. So if you're having estrogen issues or progesterone issues, wild yam cream can help with both of those things. And so I believe my progesterone was low. That was reflected in my HTMA. And I was having I have excess estrogen circulating in my body. And so it really helped with that. And I could see that show up in my cycle. And that's what I love about the menstrual cycle is that, you know, so many women dread having their period, but really it's a monthly report card and it tells you how your body is functioning and the stress that it might be under and the way it's depleted and the hormones that might be out of whack. And so I really enjoy my period and my cycle in general because it reads to me like a report card and tells me how healthy and and optimally functioning my body is. So my husband and I decide to start trying and we get pregnant on our first try, which was honestly not a big surprise to me. I was really tracking my ovulation. And so I knew we had timed it perfectly. But there's still so much more that goes into falling pregnant than just timing. You know, it's the health of the embryo, the state of mama's body, it's you know, just sometimes it's life, you know, it's just we don't have control over life and death. And so there's a lot that you can do and help in your body to create an environment for a healthy pregnancy. And you know, I was doing all those things. We timed it well, but there's still things we can't control. But such a blessing and I'm so grateful that we did get pregnant on our first time. And it was around day five post ovulation that I started having pregnancy symptoms that are not common, I don't think, for a lot of women, but are really common and like unique for each of my pregnancies. And it's like this little popping feeling that I have in my lower abdomen that I only get. In early pregnancy, and it almost feels like little kicks in my belly, like legit. I I'm I'm sure it's gas bubbles popping. But what it feels like are little tiny kicks in my belly, which obviously that can't be because the baby is only like a few cells at that point, but still those cells contain all the genetic information that is going to be your child, which is just so amazing, so fascinating. But I started having symptoms like that and I was like, I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant. Day nine, I was like I feel pregnant, I think I'm pregnant. And so when day 14 rolled around post ovulation, when I should have started my period, I didn't start it and I took a pregnancy test and I wanted it to be like, my gosh, I'm pregnant. I had no idea. I'm so surprised. But I literally took in and was like, I I know, like, you're finding out after me. I already knew it. But we were so excited. And so I found out, you know, early, That was w week four of pregnancy based off my last period, even though it really was only two weeks pregnant because I know when I ovulated. The whole timeline of pregnancy is like so weird. And that's why I always say it's an estimated due date, it's a due window, it's not a an eviction notice because just pregnancy timeline is wacky. So I was four weeks pregnant and I was like, I have about a week until I start feeling bad. And I was really hopeful I wasn't gonna have morning sickness, but I was like, I'm not gonna bank on not feeling sick. And so I was really intentional about preparing for the first trimester. I made a ton of freezer meals because I was like, we just need to get through the first few weeks. I stocked up on lots of meat that my husband could cook easily, some things that we could put in the oven really quick for the kids. And so I really tried to prepare for the first trimester, like a lot of women are encouraged to prepare for their postpartum period. that is definitely something I recommend for moms who are thinking about supporting themselves during pregnancy is plan for your first trimester. thinking it's your postpartum where you're like, I'm gonna be in bed a lot. I'm not gonna be feeling like myself. I might be feeling sick. And you're kind of recovering from your pregnancy a little bit. And so do a lot of planning, you know, prepare your your family, ask your friends for support and meal prep. Those are like my big encouragements. And I'm glad that I did that. But week five hits and I'm sick. But it's still early enough that the sickness was manageable. And it was also at week five towards the end where I was having a lot of intense cramping on one side in my low hip area, like groin area. And I had convinced myself that it was an ectopic pregnancy. and I didn't have any of the risk factors. I haven't had a previous ectopic pregnancy. I don't have a high BMI. I'm not a geriatric pregnant woman. I don't have endometriosis. And so I don't have any of those risk factors. But in my brain, I was like, something's wrong. And the pain was like increasing. And so I was like, I'm just gonna go make an appointment. I go to the clinic at the end of five weeks. She does an ultrasound, which if you are a new mom, a first-time mom, you probably don't know that the first ultrasound you get. Is going to be a transvaginal ultrasound. So that's when they put a probe into your vagina to be able to pick up the very, very small egg that's going to be implanted in your uterus. And so that was something that caught me off guard for my first baby. And so I'm telling you now, if you are a first time mom going in for an early ultrasound, it's going to be a transvaginal probe ultrasound that goes into your vagina. But I go in that we're able to see the little heartbeat and not an ectopic pregnancy, so I have a lot of peace there. And honestly, that's where I'm really glad that we have access to the medical model of care and the midwifery model of care because I am seeing a midwife planning a home birth, but I'm also so grateful that I can go to a hospital when I feel worried or if there are warning signs and red flags that I can go in and get the support that I need. And I think that's a really beautiful relationship that we can have between midwifery and medical care. And so I was really grateful that I was able to go in. And so if you are a mom who is concerned or worried, like it's always worth, I think for peace of mind, going in, talking to a provider that you trust and getting the answers that you need. So that's what I did. And everything looked good. so fast forward through the next couple weeks of my pregnancy, I am just getting sicker and sicker. And it was probably around seven or eight weeks. I was in the bathtub and I was like, I cannot keep doing this. I was throwing up more than I've ever thrown up in any of my pregnancies. I was nauseous all the time. Nothing I did was helping. And I did a lot of things. I was trying to make sure my blood sugar was balanced because a lot of times when Especially moms who are like, I need to eat crackers and bread to soothe my stomach. What that does is spike your blood sugar and then it crashes back down. And that crash makes you feel really, really, really cruddy. And so that's something I caution moms against is like, I know that those things can be soothing on your belly, but if you can pair it with something that's going to help stabilize your blood sugar, it can help keep the nausea at bay a lot better. And so I was balancing my blood sugar. I was, you know, trying to eat foods that weren't going to upset my stomach. I was doing the magnesium. I was doing the B6, which B6 is a really important one to be taking if you're having nausea. It's like the first line of defense against morning sickness. I was doing the ginger tea and the ginger chews. I was still trying to do the bitters to help with bioflow and digestion. I was staying hydrated with electrolytes to make sure that they weren't out of balance and creating more nausea. And none of it helped. And I was just so desperate. I texted my midwife and I was like, I can't keep doing this. And so she was like, try doing the B6 and Unisom combo. and unisom is actually a sleep aid, but its active ingredient, which is doxilamine, I believe, is really good at helping manage morning sickness specific nausea. And so I started taking that at around week eight and it changed my life. Like after trying all of these things and being like, I'm never going to be able to live my life again. It helped me have a little bit more of capacity to just feel like I could get out of bed or off the couch. And so it wasn't completely resolved. I just took half a dose of it and it would make me sleep better at night. And then it helped me manage my nausea. And so for moms who are like, What do I do? I'm so desperate. Unisom is an option. And I was really hesitant to take it because I don't like pharmaceuticals. I really try to be as holistic as I can. I had even tried homeopathic the pellets and it just it wasn't nothing was doing the job. And so I needed to be able to function. And if you are hesitant and you're just like, no, I'm gonna like suffer through this. And if you want to do that and you can do that, by all means. But Unisom literally changed my life for this pregnancy and I don't know what I would have done without it. So Unisom, if you find this, you can sponsor me. Ha ha So yeah, I started doing Unisom and that helped me function a little bit better, but I still had stopped taking all of my supplements. I was not working out or moving my body like at all. And that pretty much continued all the way through my first trimester. And I really disliked that I wasn't able to take a prenatal. So I started out taking a protein multivitamin and then folic and then folate and omega 3s on top of that. That protein powder is from a company called Equalife and I love it. I'm starting to drink it now again. I my kids drink it. I drink it pre pregnancy. It's great. I absolutely love it. But I just couldn't do that much liquid in the day and it just felt it made me feel like too. full. And so that wasn't working for me. I tried the needed gummy and that was making me sick, unfortunately, because I love needed. Their prenatals are so they're just elite. the nutrient profile is so comprehensive. I love needed. And I'm actually starting to take them now, now that I'm feeling better. So definitely recommend needed. But really during the first trimester, it's about survival and finding what works for you. And so I was like, you know what? I had done so much work. during that preconception period that I felt a lot better about not being able to do all the things that I would generally want to do during that first trimester because I was like, I just I have to survive this right now. And I feel like I built up my body enough to be able to sustain the nourishment that I needed, that my baby needed during those weeks that I couldn't tolerate a lot of foods and none of my supplements. By around week 10, I really started feeling better. I had tried cutting out my unisom a couple of times. And every time I cut it out, I was like throwing up again. So I was like, okay, I still need to take it. By week 11, I was like really crawling out of the hole and I like blinking in the sunlight, starting to feel a lot better. And then weeks 12, 13, and now 14, I am like a new person. Like literally 14 weeks hit. which is the first week of the second trimester, and I was like, We have such a beautiful world we live in. I'm pregnant. life is so good. My family's amazing. I can tolerate my husband again. And life was just so much better. And it's just so crazy that you can go from being like, I'm never gonna be myself again to like being like, like I love life. in such a short span of time. But it just is like in that season, Just allow yourself to do whatever it takes to survive it. So there were a lot of days on the couch and at home and just being like, we have to watch a show because I have to take a nap and I can't watch my kids right now. So just having a lot of grace for yourself in that season of the first trimester is really, really important. But now that I'm in my second trimester, I'm so looking forward to helping my body get nourished again to get strong again. I've lost so much strength because I've been so inactive and I can feel it in my body. Like I'm starting to have sciatic pain already. And so I did my first workout like a couple days ago, and I was so sore. It was like a 20 minute workout body weight, so slow and gentle. And I was sore for like three days after. But those are my goals. For the second trimester is to start working out again, start eating better, to take my supplements consistently again, and to really start getting into like my mindset of, I'm gonna have a baby. Because I think again, the more you can prepare, the earlier the better, because it allows you to step into that space a lot easier when you're in labor, when it's become something that's familiar to you in pregnancy. And yes, this is my fourth time doing it, but I feel like I still approach birth with this expectancy of it being challenging and something that I have to overcome, but is something so beautiful and transformative that I get to do. So I'm really excited and I can't and can wait for the birth of this fourth baby. And sometime this second trimester, I'm going to. Find out the gender and you guys will be able to be along with me for that journey as well. But that wraps up this first trimester update. If you want to start preparing for birth with me, whether you're a pregnant mom in your first, second, or third trimester, keep listening to this podcast. It's full of so many amazing birth stories. but I really highly encourage you to check out the built to birth. program. You can find it at builttobirth.com and you'll find all of these different programs that you have access There's the premium membership that you can join that gives you access to all of those programs. Then there's a free mini birth class if that's where you want to get started. But thanks for being with me in this episode and this first trimester update. And I will see you in the next Built Birth podcast episode. Bye.