First Trimester Diaries: Weeks 1-6

I found out I was pregnant after missing my period at the beginning of April. Seeing the positive test brought on every emotion all at once, it felt overwhelming in the best way! Luke and I have always talked about starting a family & we’re both so excited to step into this new chapter and become first-time parents together!

I decided I want to track my pregnancy here on my website – not only so I have something to look back on, but also in hopes that these diary style posts might help other first time moms going through the same thing.

Week 1–4:
By the time I missed my period, I was already about 4 weeks along. I had no idea pregnancy weeks are actually calculated from the first day of your last period, definitely a new (and very confusing) detail I learned in real time. During this time, my symptoms were very similar to what I normally experience before a period: light cramping and some bloating. Looking back, it’s wild to realize that was all happening so early. At 4 weeks, the baby was the size of a poppy seed, which inspired how I decided to tell Luke I was pregnant. I planned a picnic and made lemon poppyseed scones, and tucked my positive pregnancy test into the basket along with a tiny white newborn onesie and booties. When he opened it, he was in complete shock. We had been trying for about seven months, and he was used to seeing negative tests, so this moment felt completely surreal for both of us. He was so excited & we honestly couldn’t believe it. It was one of those days we’ll never forget, and it already feels like such a core memory for us!

Week 5–6:
During week 5, I already had a trip planned to visit my sister Emma in Wilmington, NC, and I knew it would be the perfect opportunity to surprise her with the pregnancy. Her birthday was April 3rd, so I brought her gift with me and used it as part of the reveal. At the bottom of the gift, I included a bottle of wine labeled, “pairs well with being an aunt—we’re having a baby.” When she saw it, she was completely shocked. It was such a special moment, and she’s beyond excited to become Auntie Emma!!

Week 6:

I didn’t have many symptoms in the earlier weeks, but week 6 was the first time I really started to feel nauseous. It’s been hitting mostly in the mornings and at night. I haven’t thrown up (thankfully), but my stomach just feels off a lot of the time. One thing that’s been helping a ton is pure ginger candy from Gem Gem, and I’ve also been loving cold water with lemon—it actually makes a difference. Food has been interesting too. I’ve definitely started getting grossed out by certain things, and it seems to change daily. One of the weirdest parts is my cravings, normally I’m such a salty snack girlie, but lately I’ve been wanting sweets nonstop. Donuts, cookies, chocolate, even ice cream… which is funny because I usually don’t even like ice cream that much. It’s so weird!

Other symptoms: I’ve definitely been feeling more tired than usual and a little dehydrated, so I’ve been trying to stay on top of my water intake by adding electrolytes. I’ve also been taking small naps during the day whenever I can, which has been helping a lot.

I’m so excited to bring you along on this journey. I have my first prenatal appointment coming up soon, and I’ve been keeping track of my symptoms along the way, so I’ll keep sharing updates as everything progresses 🤍

Xo, Hannah