Baby Wong: First Trimester

Hello Baby

I am so excited to announce I am becoming a mommy! It has always felt like a life calling to me and something I have dreamed about since I was a little girl. I spent over 12 years around babies and kids being a mothers helper, nanny, and working at a day care. All of these experiences have prepared me for this next chapter of life and I cannot feel more blessed. Baby Wong will enter this world sometime between late August and early September.

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how I found out

I love to hear how people find out. Whether it was planned or not, seeing that positive sign is an overwhelming pour of emotions. I found out when I was just coming up on 6 weeks pregnant on January 6, 2020. Looking back on it, I deep down knew what was happening inside, just didn’t connect all the dots :) We had traveled to New York for New Years to watch the ball drop and it was magical. A couple days later I felt a frog in my throat like I was about to be sick - now I NEVER throw up, so this was weird. I did some deep breaths drank some water and Rashawn and I thought it was because I was hungry as it was around 8 am. I felt better, but the next day, the SAME thing happened. This time we chalked it up to I have been eating out and fast food so maybe my body was just over it.

I went to work on the 6th the day after we got back. I had that same nauseous feeling all shift! At lunch I couldn’t even look at food and just felt sick. Suddenly as I was standing at the desk, I knew I was going to get sick. I ran to the back office and sure enough threw up! I was so confused. I went back to the desk and told my friend Desire that this was so weird and I had been feeling nauseous for a few days, she laughed and said, “You done be pregnant” and we laughed and joked for the rest of the shift. Except, as soon as she said it, I KNEW. I ran to Walmart on the way home and picked up a pack of Clear Blue Pregnancy tests.

Rashawn was still at work but I was texting him play by plays letting him know how I got sick and picked up a test. There is no way I could pee on this stick and peak alone so I called my bestie Georgia. She stayed on the phone the whole time with me as I peed and waited for my fate. We both SCREAMED when I read it was positive. It was the most surreal moment I have ever felt and just started crying happy tears. We talked about telling Rashawn in a cute way when he got home, but I just could not wait. I immediately sent him the picture of the Pregnant Test. He could not believe it and when he got home he made me pee on another JUST to be sure, oh and once more in the morning too haha. I will never forget that moment of him sitting on the bathroom floor as that text turned positive before his eyes.

We were now not just Sav and Rashawn, but mom and dad.

how did I feel

Looking back the 6 weeks before I found out, there were so many signs I should have known. I was practicing the FAM method (which is Fertility Awareness Method, meaning no protection you just chart your cycle), and I was just starting to get regular in October. I was planning for my cycle to start when we were in New York but the days came and went and I just thought I wasn’t regular like I thought. My boobs were also veryyy sensitive but I didn’t think anything of it, or put two and two together. I look back at it and think silly goose! No period, sensitive boobs, and nauseous,… what did you think was happening!?

After I found out about Baby Wong, those first trimester symptoms hit hard. I had some gnarly morning sickness - and you know what it should just be called all day sickness. I threw up about three times a day for 4 weeks. You don’t go to your first appointment until 8 weeks, but at 7 weeks I could keep NOTHING down and I was so sick all the time. Being at work was torture and nothing I tried helped. I called my doctor and she said I could come in to get some IV fluids and try some nausea medicine. This SAVED my life. I got two bags of saline water because I was so dehydrated and I felt like a new person. She also sent me home with some medicine to take so I could function at work. She was the best nurse ever, and even though it was way early she wheeled in the Ultrasound and we saw the tiny tiny embryo and heard its heart beat - brought tears to our eyes.

The rest of the first trimester I spent sleeping A LOT, like 4 hour naps after work and still 8 hours at night. So. Tired. I still got sick a lot but was more in a routine with it and more mentally prepared to handle it. I carried a lemon with me everywhere and the fresh sent helped me so so much - because a pregnant woman’s sense of smell is INSANE. I could smell e v e r y t h i n g. I made it through eating lots of avocado, cuties, and rice crispy cereal - basically anything plain-jane ha! Leo gave me lots of snuggles in bed and Rashawn kept my water bottled filled, very thankful for those two in this time.

our first appointment

That first appointment and ultrasound is truly a magical moment. We were so so nervous - but excited to see the baby again. We went in when I was 10 weeks, so the baby had grown from bean to real human right before our eyes! It was so cool to hear the heartbeat and see the baby again and how much he or she grew. We didn’t learn to much about the baby just yet, just that the estimated due date would be August 22. It was only a couple of centimeters big which just BLEW our mind how much of a little human it looked like so small. We got to take home the first set of pictures and stared at them for days afterwards. Now they proudly hang on our wall as babies first pictures.

I had my next appointment at 12 weeks and I was a little bummed to find out I wouldn’t be getting an ultrasound every time. It is actually a blessing because my doctor told me I am very healthy and considered a low risk, so she just did physical exams and listened to the babies heart beat. By this time I was also feeling better and finally kicked the all day sickness! :) No matter what every appointment brings so much joy to my heart.

what i have learned

It defiantly has been an amazing ride learning about the baby growing inside me. I spent a lot of time reading books and listening to stories of other mamas. The first trimester is such a valuable time for baby as he or she is forming the bases of their existence and deciding who they are. At 10 weeks your baby’s sex is determined (you can take a blood test to find out or wait until the 20 week scan). I learned milestones for each week about what was growing and the best foods to eat for each phase. Perhaps the coolest thing I learned was how contractions are really just the blood squeezing out of your placenta and into the baby as it prepares for life outside. The human body is amazing and it is such a miracle to be able to journey through pregnancy to motherhood. It is something I say thanks for everyday and pray to all the hopeful mothers out there that they can experience this miracle too.

Pregnancy is a day by day journey and I am learning to share myself with my future baby everyday. I keep lots of notes and lists about what happens, things I feel, and thoughts I have about this wonderful time. I cannot wait until baby Wong is here and traveling on the outside with us <3.

I am ready for that second trimester honey moon phase! I can’t wait to find out who baby is, how much they have grown and to really get a belly :) this picture above is from 15 weeks so a little into my second trimester! Thanks for following along as always. I am an open book and love to answer questions or chat. Sending lots of love to you!

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