What I've learned in my first 16 weeks of pregnancy
From a Birth Doula & Women's Functional Nutrition Practitioner
Yeaaaaah, so it’s been a solid 6 weeks since I’ve graced the Substack community with my ramblings. Turns out your girl is pregnant.
*Cue immediately imagining my life as a Lisa Sorgini still photo* (see below)
I cannot believe that the time has come for me (me!) to navigate my own transition into motherhood after 3 years of supporting clients through pregnancy and childbirth as a birth doula.
I’m not sure what exactly I’ll be sharing from my pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, but I tend to be an open book as well as one who benefits from deep reflection and curiosity on the topic of motherhood…. so something tells me there’s a lot more where this came from. Buckle up, y’all.
Before getting pregnant, I knew my first pregnancy would teach me so much that I would never be able to learn through attending births, reading books, or earning additional letters next to my name — but I didn’t know what that would be exactly.
Here’s what I’ve gathered so far (in no particular order except for #1 being the most important):
Cheese and bread are the ultimate foods, followed closely by meat
Standing outside and raising your arms to the sky can totally count as exercise during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy
Prenatal vitamins aren’t for everyone (re: methylation issues, nutrient needs being bio-individual, and my body absolutely thriving on pastured beef organ capsules…. cool eh?)
You don’t need more than 1-2 pregnancy books / apps (my favorite pregnancy book is Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy & Childbirth - not necessarily because it’s “natural” minded, but because it’s in-depth, informative, and empowering)
Buying an incredibly soft, stuffed rabbit from Target’s Easter display (in February) and keeping it in bed with you may help your pregnancy feel more real. (let yourself surprise yourself)
A bump of pure belly may poke through before your actual baby bump - don’t let your pregnancy tracking app’s timeline of “exactly when your bump will pop” make you feel bad about some extra love around your chest, belly, and hips in your first trimester. Maybe - gasp - your body actually needs it to build a healthy baby!
The way your care provider talks to you matters. I knew this one before pregnancy and certainly experienced the gravity of it while working with doula clients, but I was shocked by how much it affected me just from short conversations over the phone with nursing staff, bedside manner during the first couple minutes of an appointment, and their expression when I asked a question. The way they make you feel matters, and it’s totally within reason to keep searching for the one that makes you feel informed and confident.
It’s okay to change your mind about something you thought you were sure about before getting pregnant (again - let yourself surprise yourself)
It’s okay if your pregnancy aesthetic isn’t aligned with Harling Ross’s impeccable maternity fits. We can’t all win.
You may go through 2 pairs of undies daily and be too lazy to buy panty liners so you continue to go through 2 pairs of undies daily. I believe this varies from woman to woman during pregnancy but this random pregnancy side effect caught me by surprise! #wet
Swallow your supplements with orange juice.
On that note, orange juice is incredibly underrated. Not just in pregnancy, but in life. Have some OJ for me, okay? (preferably with cheesy veggie egg scramble & buttered toast on a china plate like a princess in the movies who reads the newspaper whilst eating)
There will be a moment when all of a sudden, both you and your husband’s Instagram algorithm will know that you’re expecting. I thought I was already fed a lot of baby and pregnancy-related reels. Think again. It’s about to become extreme. This may be a good time to take a breather from Instagram, as bluetooth baby devices and fugly “mom backpacks” in your feed can break your brainhole after awhile.
Did you also learn any of these lessons during your first pregnancy, or did you have a completely different experience in the first half of your pregnancy? Let me know below - I’d love to hear from you.
More to come soon from this happy, growing, mother-to-be.