Wow wow wow, I am SO happy to be finally writing this post. First of all, thank you all so much for your loving support and congratulations on the news about our pregnancy. What a blessing!

What you probably don’t know is that Arthur and I had somewhat of a bumpy road to conceiving. If you’re interested, I’ll share more about our journey in a future post, but for now, let me just say, trying to conceive was not the effortless activity I had always imagined! We tried for about 10 months before it finally happened. I know in the grand scheme of things, it really wasn’t that long. Many couples spend years trying.

If you are waiting to conceive, struggling with something that impacts your fertility, or grieving a loss right now, please know I’m sending you hope, courage, and all my love.

Many women with Hashimoto’s (or any thyroid condition) have difficulty getting pregnant and carrying a pregnancy to term. While my doctor prepared me for the potential challenges, I really believed it wouldn’t affect me! Ha! Hashimoto’s can interfere with the menstrual cycle, causing irregular cycles (and therefore less opportunities to conceive). It can also result in early pregnancy loss if the condition is not closely managed.

Needless to say, when I saw that little positive line on a pregnancy test, I was over the moon! While the first trimester wasn’t without its struggles, I felt so much joy and gratitude the whole time. Now that I’m in my second trimester, it just keeps getting better!

Here’s how the first trimester went!

How did you find out you were pregnant?

Here’s a recap of the days right before I found out.

Monday 12/21: I started to feel a little suspicious that I might be pregnant. I had been closely tracking my BBT for months, and I had noticed it had stayed really high after ovulation. That wasn’t normal for me. I also noticed some curious breast pain unlike anything I had experienced before. It wasn’t too painful, but definitely weird. It felt like a sharp, intermittent pain near my nipples. Around the same time (about 6 days post ovulation), I had some very light spotting. The moment I saw it, my intuition told me it was implantation bleeding, but my ego said: “NO WAY! Don’t get too excited, it’s probably nothing.” For those of you who have tried for months, you know the struggle.

Tuesday 12/22: Spotting and breast pain continue

Wednesday 12/23: That morning, the spotting continued, and I told myself it must just be my period coming a little early. I put a tampon in and just went on with my day. A few hours later, the most intense wave of nausea came over me. I had to stand very still and hold on to the counter until it passed. That made me think something might be up, but I was so scared to get excited. At the end of the day, I took my tampon out and saw that I had not actually started my period like I thought! So I decided to go ahead and take a test. It was negative. I felt a little sad, and went to bed expecting to wake up to my period.

Thursday 12/24 (Christmas Eve): This is the day my period was due to start. I woke up and saw that I had not started my period. Thank God I had the presence of mind to grab my pee cup (I used these pregnancy tests that you dip in a cup of urine). You see, a pregnant person will have higher HcG levels first thing in the morning, so you don’t want to miss out on that first pee! I took a test and left it on the counter while I made Arthur’s breakfast. Again, I was so scared to get my hopes up that I tried to put the test out of my mind. Something told me to go look at the test. I did, and I saw the faintest little pink line! I was so overwhelmed I actually started shaking. Since I hadn’t dumped my pee yet, I decided to take another test, just to be sure. That one was positive too!

I was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t even think of what to say to Arthur. I was almost having an out of body experience. I remember handing him his lunchbox and thinking, “how am I handing you your lunchbox right now?” So weird!

How did you tell Arthur?

Since Arthur worked a half day on Christmas Eve, I had some time to pull myself together! I excitedly told the kitties the good news (lol), and called my mom. She told me she KNEW I was pregnant and had just been counting the months trying to discover when I would be due. Moms have the most amazing intuition. I also texted my dear friend Gaby, who also happens to be my doctor’s nurse, because I knew Dr. Dunlap was taking Christmas break off and wouldn’t get my message herself. Gaby kindly let her know for me. Then I called my sweet friend Desiree, who helped me plan how to tell Arthur!

Since it was Christmas Eve, I wanted to give Arthur a present that he could open to discover the good news. I really wanted some baby shoes, but couldn’t bear the thought of going to Target on Christmas Eve. Desiree kindly offered to pick them up for me and drop them at the house! She got to my house just in the nick of time, and I hurriedly wrote Arthur a note “from” the baby, tucked it inside a box with the shoes, and wrapped it up!

Once he got home, I told him I had a present for him to open. He protested a little because we don’t usually do Christmas Eve presents and he hadn’t gotten me anything. I insisted, and he sat down on the couch to open it. As I watched him, I thought my heart was going to explode! He clearly was as shocked as I had been, because he just held the note and the shoes and sat very still. Finally he looked at me and said, “are you sure?” I told him I was! I had taken two pregnancy tests and they were both positive! We would have a baby in September! We hugged and cried a little.

It’s such an interesting experience. So full of happiness and hope, yet everything is so precarious. Knowing that I’m pregnant with Hashimoto’s (and the reality that around 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage), we both felt so vulnerable. I was so scared of losing the pregnancy and “disappointing” my loved ones. Again, if you’ve had a long journey to conceiving or have ever lost a pregnancy, I’m sure you know what I mean.

Thankfully, something very special happened later that day that gave me hope and reassurance.

Arthur and I needed to pick something up at On the Vine in Scarborough later that afternoon. On the way there, I sat in the passenger’s seat and looked out the window. I was thinking about how worried I felt about losing the pregnancy. Suddenly, I noticed a road sign that I had never noticed before. The name of the road was “September Way.” Wow! My heart leapt when I saw it, because I knew God (the Universe/Source/my guides) had sent me a sign (literally and figuratively!). After that moment, any time I started to feel afraid, I reminded myself of the sign I had received, and felt hope and reassurance.

How did you tell your families?

We Facetimed Arthur’s mom and stepdad, and my mom and stepdad and my siblings on Christmas! The day after Christmas, my dad and stepmom came over for pancakes, and we gave them a box that had the baby shoes and a note to them “from” the baby! They loved it!

Finding out on Christmas Eve and being able to tell our families on Christmas was the most magical thing ever! What a gift!

We also got to tell Arthur’s Nana on her birthday that she is going to be a great-grandmother! That was such a special moment.

How has the Pandemic impacted your pregnancy?

It has been a little sad that I’m not able to easily see friends and family in person. My mom and siblings live in North Carolina, and it’s really hard knowing we can’t easily be together.

In terms of prenatal appointments, Arthur has been able to come with me for every one (except for the ultrasound) so far! I am really bummed that he can’t come with me to the big 20 week scan.

What symptoms have you had?

Oh boy! Being pregnant is TOUGH! Nausea hit me right away, and so did extreme fatigue. Previously, I’ve never been one to vomit. Really, pre-pregnancy, I think I’ve thrown up only 3 times that I can remember, and two of them were from laughing too hard! But pregnant Sara is a puker. I also had an aversion to basically all food. Everything sounded disgusting. I hated being in the kitchen. The hardest part for me was the fatigue. As someone with an autoimmune disease, I’m no stranger to fatigue. This was so intense though! It felt more intense than when I had mono in high school. I kept telling Arthur that I felt as though someone had drugged me! My boobs hurt all the time too.

Although it was uncomfortable, I felt so grateful and happy the whole time! I knew my symptoms meant my baby was growing and healthy, and that made it feel totally worth it!

How has the pregnancy impacted you emotionally and spiritually?

The pregnancy emotions are REAL friends! I am really sensitive and weepy. I actually love it! I feel as though I’m “overflowing.” Previously, I was one to keep my emotions bottled up. Although I’ve always been deeply sensitive, I would hardly ever cry in front of others. It felt like I had a huge dam installed somewhere around my throat. The feelings would well up and just get stuck there and never come out. I guess the flood of pregnancy hormones totally destroyed that dam! Now everything flows out when it needs to. It has been such a welcome release.

Arthur has been so supportive when I need to cry. I realized I had always held back my tears out of fear of seeming like a burden. Being able to be tenderly cared for by him while I cry has been a tremendous gift!

Spiritually, pregnancy has connected me even more to the Divine Feminine. I feel so creative and powerful. One really neat thing about pregnancy is that it actually changes your brain! The right side of your brain gets lit up, and the left side goes a little quieter, which may explain the “pregnancy brain” many describe. The right side of your brain governs all things related to Feminine Energy, and the left governs things related to Masculine Energy. Read more about that here and here. For me, this has given me a renewed sense of fluidity, emotion, creativity, and a willingness and ability to rest and receive. It’s great! (And to be perfectly honest, it has also made me a forgetful space cadet at times - oh well!)

How has the pregnancy impacted you physically?

Thanks to the extreme fatigue, I barely exercised at all in the first trimester. I pretty much lived on the couch. I did have a few moments of struggle when I fell into the comparison trap. I read of so many women who said they maintained their usual fitness routine throughout their first trimester. I felt like I was falling short and that sucked.

Since exercise wasn’t really an option for me, I did lose some muscle tone during the first few months. Now that I’m going to Pilates, I’m starting to gain it back! Overall, I tried not to worry much about it and just honor my body’s unique needs. After all, baby grows 10,000 times in size during your first trimester! You might not have a bump yet, but there is so much going on inside.

In addition to losing some muscle, my body experienced a few other changes in the first trimester. My boobs grew quite a bit! I think most women gain a cup size or two during pregnancy. In my first trimester, I probably gained about a cup size, and my ribs expanded too! I’ve always had a TINY rib cage, so this feels like uncharted territory for me. My belly grew a bit too, although I was still able to wear my regular jeans during the first trimester.

Another change was crazy itchy skin! Since my ribs have been expanding, the skin around my rib cage in the back has been so itchy. It’s actually really obnoxious. Most women seem to complain about their boobs being itchy, but for me it’s the ribs!

Lastly, as anyone who is pregnant with a thyroid condition like Hashimoto’s knows, pregnancy means A LOT of blood draws! I get my blood drawn at least every 4-5 weeks to make sure baby has enough thyroid hormone. Babes can’t make their own until much later in pregnancy, so it’s important that the pregnant person has enough to share!

What resources have you used during the first trimester?

Books:

I loved reaching Nurture - it’s a great guide to pregnancy, birth, and postpartum written by an experienced Doula. (By the way - I’ll be a certified Doula myself very soon!)

I also loved Real Food For Pregnancy by Lily Nichols. Her perspective seems very aligned with what I’ve learned about diet and nutrition from my Naturopath! I will say I’m not sure how practical her advice is for the average woman. I personally haven’t pressured myself to stick to her guide 100% (I’m not sure who could!). The book is packed full of evidence-based information and I highly recommend checking it out if you are pregnant or thinking about conceiving!

Apps:

I love The Bump app! It gives you an update each day telling you how big the baby is. Each week, you get a summary of what is going on with the baby’s growth and development. I love when I “flip” to a new week each Thursday! Arthur and I go through the summaries together and that’s been a lot of fun.

Expectful has been a life saver for me! It’s a mindfulness app designed for people who are pregnant, postpartum, healing from a loss, or trying to conceive. Each week of pregnancy, Expectful shares a guided meditation that covers the baby’s growth and development and helps you connect to your growing baby. There are also tons of guided meditations designed for dealing with fatigue, morning sickness, uncertain moments, and more. I use the app almost every day! If you’d like to try Expectful for yourself, click here for a free 21 day trial!

People:

Besides my loved ones, I have really appreciated my midwives Mel and Hannah. It’s been great getting to know them during our prenatal visits! One thing I really appreciate about midwives is the comprehensive care they provide. They take time to just talk and check in. Mel and Hannah’s office is also the cutest space! I hate clinical doctor’s offices, so this has been a treat!

I’ve also really appreciated my Naturopath, Dr. Dunlap. She helped me so much preconception, and throughout my pregnancy she has continued to monitor my thyroid.

Finally, I have to mention my acupuncturist, Naomi, and chiropractor, Dr. Emlet! Both of them have provided the most loving care to me before I conceived and during the first trimester. I really believe that seeing them both regularly helped me get pregnant and carry this baby so far!

Best moment so far?

Hearing baby’s heartbeat for the first time! What a special moment! I was so, so scared that we wouldn’t be able to hear it, and Mel was able to pick it up on the doppler right away! I had imagined that it would make me cry, but instead I couldn’t stop laughing! Arthur thought I was ridiculous! But really, that first prenatal appointment is just so special!

What are you looking forward to the most?

Honestly? Styling my bump this summer! Ha! One of the very first things I did after discovering I was pregnant was creating a Pinterest board with all the bump styles I want to recreate this summer!

I started buying dresses in a size or two bigger than my normal size for this summer. I just try them on with my Barre3 ball stuffed inside so I can see if the dress will fit with a bump!

Of course, I’m really looking forward to meeting baby. Now that I’ve seen baby on the ultrasound, I can’t stop imagining kissing that sweet face and belly!

I think that’s everything I wanted to share! Let me know what other pregnancy content you’d like to see from me in the comments below!

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I truly love and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission that helps support the free content on this blog. Thanks!

I'm Pregnant! First Trimester Recap