We’re Having a Baby!
I’ve been keeping a secret! I’m usually terrible at keeping secrets, but I managed to hold out on announcing for longer than I had expected. However, I am so excited to announce that Danny and I are expecting our first baby! I have always known that I wanted to be a mom; I just didn’t know when the time would be right. I wanted to enjoy my first year of marriage without adding pregnancy into the mix, and I am really glad we did. We also had a lot of changes during our first year of marriage, including a cross-country move from Washington to Texas, so the timing just wouldn’t have been right. Since we kept our plans quiet, a lot of our friends and family were genuinely surprised when we shared the news!
We have had the last couple of months to soak everything in, but it still doesn’t feel real. As of the day this is posted, I am 20 weeks exactly and my due date is on November 27th, 2025 (a Thanksgiving baby!). We are having a girl, and I started to feel her move about a week and a half ago! Out of anything, feeling her move has made it feel the most real, and I am so excited for the kicks to be strong enough for Danny to feel.
First Trimester
My first trimester was a very humbling experience. I went into this pregnancy thinking that I wouldn’t have morning sickness and would still be able to exercise and take my pup on her daily *4* walks a day. I found out very early about my pregnancy since it was planned and didn’t have any symptoms (except for an intense thirst and needing to pee every 5 minutes) until 6 weeks.
Like I said, I was quickly humbled. At 7 weeks, the nausea, heartburn, and complete exhaustion began. I was going to sleep at 7:00 pm every night since I couldn’t nap during the day, and was napping for 4+ hours/day on the weekends. I was extremely nauseous for a couple of weeks, but it would usually hit me the worst at night and cause me to throw up. There were also a ton of food aversions that I had (meat, coffee, bananas, almost everything really…), and the strong sense of smell was unbearable. Nothing tasted good, yet I was SO hungry all the time.
My savior during the first trimester, besides waiting it out, was Unisom and B6. I went into pregnancy not wanting to take medication of any kind, but it is rough out there. The Unisom and B6 thankfully tapered off my nausea when I started taking it around week 8- 9. I continued to take it until week 14 when my symptoms started to subside. I tried to stop taking the combo several times, but didn’t realize I would need to wean off the Unisom. Every time I tried to stop, I would start throwing up again a day or two later. Luckily, after tapering off it, I have had no problems (besides the occasional vomit due to this intense Texas summer heat + humidity combo).
Second Trimester
Around week 15, I began to feel more like myself again. The symptoms had tapered off, and I slowly started to get a bit of a bump. I don’t think strangers can tell I’m pregnant, even now at 20 weeks, but friends and family notice. Stretchy jumpsuits and maxi dresses have been my go-to outfits because jeans are completely out of the picture at this point.
Now that I’m at that halfway point, I feel like time has been passing SO FAST! I only have 4.5 months left before we meet our little one. We were so surprised to learn that we were having a girl, because Danny and I both felt that we were having a boy before we found out. I am so excited to be able to have a little “mini-me,” and I think that Danny will be an amazing girl dad.
How it’s Going Right Now
Right now, I am on summer break, working as a school nurse. In Texas, school starts in August, so I have a month left until I am set to go back. I am taking advantage of my free time by deep cleaning our apartment and decluttering, since I don’t know how much time or energy I am going to have to do this after I go back to work. We have already found our crib, stroller, bassinet, and have a ton of clothes. Thrifting for baby clothes and maternity-friendly clothing has been so much fun!
We are currently living in a one-bedroom apartment on the third floor. It works *for now* but I know once our lease is up next year, we will likely be moving. Luckily, babies don’t need much space, and even if we had a two-bedroom, we would probably keep her in the room with us for the first few months anyway.
What’s Next?
The last couple of weeks, I have been feeling really good, so I just hope that it continues! Already, I feel like my perspective and priorities have changed, knowing that we will be having a baby, and I am excited to see how I grow in motherhood.
Another thing on my mind has been that having a village and support system is so important! Living in Texas now with most of our friends and family back in Washington, we are in for a journey. However, there is no one I am more excited to share this journey with than Danny!
I am hoping to be posting more on the blog now that the worst of my symptoms are over. I also want to share more about pregnancy, motherhood, and planning for maternity leave so I will have a few posts on that coming out soon! As always, you can find me on Instagram @maddie_deer here, or can follow me on my Facebook page to be alerted of any new posts here. I also love to hear from you all, so if you have any pregnancy hacks, PLEASE send them my way! 🙂
