Early Symptoms & Prenatals: Navigating the First Trimester

When I first found out I was pregnant, I immediately started researching everything—what prenatal to take, what to avoid, and how to make sure the baby was getting all the necessary nutrients in the first trimester. Luckily, I had already been taking prenatal vitamins before conceiving, which gave me some peace of mind.

After a lot of research, I chose Ritual prenatal, which I’ve been taking for a while now. They also offer omega-3 and choline supplements, both of which help with neurodevelopment and preventing neural tube defects. I still take all of them daily. Since iron deficiency (anemia) is common in pregnancy and can cause complications, I wanted a prenatal with iron. However, it did cause constipation, so I relied on Miralax to help regulate my system. My doctor also recommended taking baby aspirin as a preventative measure against preeclampsia, which I see often in pregnant women. Along with that, they gave me a list of essential nutrients they wanted in my prenatal—folate, iron, calcium, and more.

These also have a citrus taste which I love!

First Trimester Symptoms

My early symptoms kicked in around 7 weeks, and nausea quickly became my biggest struggle. I was extremely nauseous and vomiting consistently until about 16 weeks, but I was still able to work and keep up with daily life. I really wanted to avoid taking medication, so I used Vitamin B6 to help ease the nausea.

Surprisingly, I never experienced extreme exhaustion, which so many women talk about. Even now, fatigue hasn’t really hit me! The tender breasts started around 6 weeks, faded for a while, but have recently returned in the third trimester. I also never experienced spotting, which was reassuring.

One unexpected symptom? A hemorrhoid at 10 weeks. Thanks to irregular bowel movements, it became a not-so-fun part of my first trimester! Miralax has been my go-to for keeping things regulated.

A Grateful Mindset

Despite the nausea, the changes in my body, and the little struggles along the way, I truly love being pregnant. I feel so lucky and blessed to carry this baby, and I remind myself every day to cherish this journey. I know how long we waited for this, and I wouldn’t trade any of these symptoms for the world.

At 11 weeks, we got the results from our genetic screening—everything came back normal! It was such a relief, and we celebrated the news with a cake, making the moment even more special. With that milestone behind us, we were excited for the next big step: our anatomy scan.

An Unexpected Discovery

The anatomy scan is a major ultrasound where they check the baby’s development, ensuring everything is growing properly and all organs and limbs are forming as they should. Since we are keeping the baby’s gender a surprise, I hadn’t been scanning myself much, and when I did, I had coworkers do quick profile views to avoid any spoilers.

We walked into the anatomy scan expecting a routine, smooth appointment. But instead, we received an unexpected surprise—one that would lead us on a new path we never anticipated.

In my next blog, I’ll finally share how we discovered our baby’s unilateral cleft lip, the steps we had to take to confirm it, and what came next in our journey.