Baby Medina: First Trimester Update

The news is out!! We are expecting our first child this December! Woot woot! Thank you all for celebrating with us as we shared our secret with y’all this week. It has been truly wonderful to feel our friends and family rally around us. And it has been so hard to keep this a secret the entire quarantine, so I am happy that it’s OUT.

This post serves two purposes. First, you guys have asked me so many questions and want to know all the details of our pregnancy journey so far, so I am going to answer them all here. I have grouped the questions into categories since a lot of people asked similar questions. Second, I want to remember this time because I know I will forget it if I don’t document it. My blog serves as a sort of diary for our family and I want each trimester of this pregnancy to be recorded. So let me get into it…

 

How did you find out you were pregnant? What was the first sign that made you think you were?

We found out pretty early on that I was pregnant, so I didn’t really have any symptoms that made me think I was. The only thing that put the thought in my mind was I randomly got suuuupper bad acne on my chest for a few days! I was so confused about where it came from and thought ‘hmmm I wonder if I’m pregnant…’

Back in March, I happened to have my annual check up with my doctor, where I told her that we were trying to conceive. She asked if I wanted to take a blood test that day to see if I was pregnant and even though I had just taken a home test 4 days earlier that said ‘negative,’ I figured why not?? So I took her up on it and was tested. A few days later, I received a call saying that my test came back as a ‘low positive.’ Basically…the answer was maybe. Daniel and I were like ‘What does this mean??? We might be pregnant??’ I definitely thought it was either a ‘you are’ or ‘you aren’t’ kind of situation 😂 Well the nurse on the phone explained that my hormone levels were low, but they were there. So either I was really early on in my pregnancy, or I wasn’t. I went back to the office the next day and did another test. Then the following day, we got the call…I was pregnant! Cue the happy tears!!

 

How did you tell Daniel?

It actually wasn’t some big ‘reveal’ moment. He was with me through every step of the process and we experienced it together! When I got the call saying I was pregnant, he was right there and we were able to hug and cry together.

 

Are you going to find out the gender? Are you secretly hoping for a certain gender?

Yes we are going to find out! We actually will be able to find out in the next few weeks. Before we were even talking seriously about having kids, Daniel told me that he wanted to know the gender of our babies. He does not like surprises 😂 I would be okay either way I think, but I am soooo excited to find out! And then of course to buy/register for allllll the things!!

We aren’t really rooting for one gender over the other. I am convinced it’s a girl though and Daniel thinks it’s a boy! We both have brothers so we do think it would be awesome for our oldest child to be a boy! I am a total sucker for older brothers since I have an awesome one. I am a little intimated to raise a girl, but I also would lovvvee a little mini me and best friend!

Do you have names picked out?

Nope! We have it narrowed down pretty well for a boy, but we cannot agree on a girl’s name 😅 Rather than keep talking about it right now, we decided to just wait until we find out the gender so we don’t waste time talking about a name that we won’t need!

 

What is it like being pregnant during a pandemic?

Well, I’ve never been pregnant not in a pandemic so I don’t have anything to compare it to! There have been ups and downs. It was easier to keep it a secret because we weren’t seeing our friends and family in person and I have been very grateful for God’s provision in giving me lots of extra time to rest and take care of myself. The hardest part has been Daniel not being able to come to the doctor with me. We both always imagined that he would be at every appointment with me so for that to not happen has been hard for me. And the lack of celebrating our news with people in person! I wish I could hug everyone and show off my little bump!

 

How will this affect your business? Will you still photograph weddings? When will you go on maternity leave?

(I got lottsss of questions like these!)

I will continue to work during pregnancy and after our little babe is here. Since my job is very seasonal, Daniel and I did have a vague ‘plan’ for having a child, but we also knew that there is no rhyme or reason when it comes to babies! I book most of my weddings 12 to 18 months in advance, so starting last year, I did not accept any weddings from December 2020 – March 2021. God is good and His timing is perfect, so He knew what He was doing when He gave us this little blessing that is due December 7th! I don’t have any weddings after October 24th of this year (and honestly with coronavirus, who knows what this wedding year will look like), which means I won’t be photographing any weddings after I hit 34 weeks. For my third trimester weddings, I will most likely be bringing an assistant with me to help carry things since I know I will need some extra hands and energy on those long days. I will continue taking portrait sessions through the summer and fall because I know y’all need your Christmas card pictures!

My maternity leave is scheduled to be from November 2020 – April 2021 for weddings and I may take a few portrait sessions in the beginning and end of it depending on how I am feeling! The beauty of working for myself is that I can make my leave look exactly how I want it to! My plan is to be back for the spring wedding season next year. I will be taking fewer weddings and not scheduling any double headers starting in 2021 because I know being a mom is a full time job. Daniel will enjoy some quality one on one time with our babe on wedding days next year and I’ll be pumping in bathrooms and the car 😅 Luckily, I work from home so I will be able to be with our little one all day. I cannot wait for all the baby snuggles y’all!

 

Finally, the most asked questions hands down: How have you been feeling? Have you been sick? What symptoms have you had?

I’m going to be honest, my first trimester has been rough. I was okay until week 6, which is when symptoms typically start for most women. I have been very sick and nauseous. It has been a blessing to be under quarantine because I legitimately wouldn’t have been able to live my normal life. I spent the entirety of weeks 6 through 12 on the couch, in bed, or on the bathroom floor  😅 I have felt like a shell of a person. Outside of lots of nausea, I have also had very bad acne (more reasons to be thankful that no one is seeing me in quarantine!) and fatigue. None of my symptoms have been out of the ordinary, I have just felt like I have experienced every possible symptom! Nausea, bloating, gas pains, fatigue, acne, headaches, abdominal discomfort, sensitive nose, food aversions, mood swings…you name it I have probably felt it!

The bright side? It is getting better! About halfway through week 12 I started feeling a lot better and my nausea has subsided some. I am definitely not feeling great, but I am feeling soooo much better! I can stand up without getting sick so there is progress! And ultimately, all the pain and miserableness I have felt is 100% worth it because I will be holding our baby at the end of this. I am able to take part in God’s perfect design for creation and I am so blessed with this little one. But the tough days are still tough y’all.

 

PHEW!!! There it all is! I am excited to take you guys along this journey with us. Daniel and I are soooo excited to be parents! And a little nervous of course. Today, I am 13 weeks and 4 days. So I am in my last week of my first trimester! I’ll be posting a recap like this at the end of each trimester, but this one is the most exciting because you guys didn’t know any of this until 4 days ago! Keep asking me your questions and I’ll catch y’all on the ‘gram!

 

 

 

  1. […] I cannot believe that we are 2/3 of the way to meeting our little girl. Just like I mentioned in my First Trimester Update, this post is as much for me as it is for you guys. I want to answer your questions and potentially […]

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