The First Trimester of Pregnancy: week 3-13

Today’s post is sort of a diary that includes everything significant that happened to me from the moment I found out I was pregnant to the end of the first trimester, from week 3 to week 13 of my pregnancy.

Positive Pregnancy Test: 3 Weeks and 3 Days

I took a pregnancy test pretty early on, not because I was curious or anything, but because of my medications. The second line, indicating pregnancy, was fairly visible I wasn’t even sure if it’s there or is something wrong with my vision. Very un-romantically, totally different than in any of the romantic movies or the perfect YouTube videos out there, I took a picture and sent it to Jan. He wasn’t sure either. That day I took my medication and repeated the test the next day. Guess what the test showed the next day. Two very clear lines!

Pregnant at The Wedding and on The Honeymoon?

To answer the most obvious nosy question there is: No, I wasn’t pregnant at the wedding. The date of the last menstrual cycle, which is what the doctors look at, was right before our wedding. So “technically” I was pregnant on my wedding, but the conception took place after we wed. However when we were on our honeymoon in the Seychelles, there was already a small creature safe and sound in my womb.

Hello Seychelles, Hello Morning Sickness.

Seychelles turned out to be the ideal location because of the high hygiene standards, no need for any additional vaccination, there’s no malaria or Zika. I consulted my gynecologist prior traveling and she advised me to make sure I stay hydrated and not to eat raw vegetables. She assured me that it’s safe to travel at this stage of the pregnancy. In the first week of our honeymoon and the fifth week of my pregnancy I experienced my first morning sickness, which turned out to not be “morning” at all. It was the strongest in the afternoons, evenings and nights. The worst week was the week we travelled back home. I was sick every day all up until the 12th week and then it slowly faded away in the 13th.

Other symptoms, feelings, moods and all other TMI’s

I was feeling pretty good on the Seychelles, other than feeling sick, which I was rather unsuccessfully trying to mild down with lemon water and ginger-ale. I was craving The Istrian Stew (Jota) the most! The first stop after the airport was my parents house. I could never imagine how strong can a food craving get before I got pregnant. Any strong seasoning fragrances bother me even today, so the Seychelles curry infused kitchen didn’t get a fair chance to impress me. Feeling malaise, sick and fatigue reached its peak in November, in December I was starting to feel better. Bloatedness started on the honeymoon already and faded away at the end of the first trimester. My breasts were extremely sensitive the whole time of the first trimester and they got bigger for a whole cup size. I enjoyed salty foods the most. If I eat too much sweets I get easily sick even today. From the beginning of pregnancy I fancy all kinds of soups and stews, salads, orange Cedevita drink, bread with sour cream, cheese and pickles the most. Cliché, I know.

Folic Acid and other supplements

I choose supplements with great caution, yet I know I need them for a healthy and a quality life. Any supplement that I take are chosen based on a thorough research, blood tests and doctor consultations. I was mindful of the right form and measurement of the vitamin C and D, Omega 3 fatty Acids, magnesium, and Folic Acid prior to the conception. The later I started taking 6 months before getting pregnant since it plays a vital role in the development of the baby’s nervous system, brain and spinal cord. I started taking Prenatal capsules by the brand Novalac and I stick to them even today and I intend to do so until for the whole breastfeeding period. Although it is commonly known that you should take Prenatal capsules only the first 3 months of pregnancy, taking them longer has various positive effects. I tried a few different brands, but they made my morning sickness worse. Novalac Prenatal however serves me well, it has an active form of Folic acid which is very important. Plus it has highly-absorptive Iron, DHA and many other vitamins and minerals added (for more info click here).

The First Check-up and The Nuchal Scan (NT)

The first medical check-up was in the 9th week of pregnancy and waiting for it seemed like forever! They took a lot of blood for testing and the most important part – I saw my baby for the first time! On the second check-up, the Nuchal translucency scan with dr. Lomšek at the ZC Dravlje, Jan joined me. Our little being was very active and the results of the scan were excellent.

NIPT: Nifty Plus test

Jan and I decided to do the NIPT test as well. We chose the Nifty test, which is the leading non-invasive pre-birth test. It is completely safe, non-invasive and really simple blood test. It reveals any potential risks and predict the chance of many genetic conditions from the 10th week of pregnancy forward, took it in the week 13. I was really happy to get a call from the doctor, saying everything looks great (later followed by a mail to our home address), it is reassuring when you know there is a “low risk” for any of the most common trisomy (Down, Edward and Patau syndrome) as well as trisomy 9. 16 and 22, aneuploidy of the sex chromosomes or other genetic imperfections. We took the premium Nifty Plus package (590€), which gave us an additinal sense of safety and reassured us that our little being is doing great, being free of many genetic conditions. For the cherry on top, we found out the sex of our baby! We have no regrets whatsoever, it was definetly one of the best decisions in my first trimester, since we can now look around for the cute baby stuff worry-free.

This post was created in collaboration with Medis. As always all images, thoughts and opinons are my own.