Within a week of becoming pregnant, I already started feeling the effects. My “signs” might be different from yours but I thought I might share them with you in case you might be in a similar situation and wondering what some of the signs are.

(1) Skin change – For my first pregnancy, my facialist took one look at my face and declared “You’re pregnant.” Mind you, I was only 2 weeks! I was floored. She said that baby starts to suck nutrients from you immediately and that’s how she could tell. My pores looked “starved.” I’m not really sure what that looks like but I definitely saw a change in my skin almost immediately…. say, at about 1 week.

(2) Rapid hair growth – I actually forgot about this one until it started happening again. I usually Nair my legs about once a month and only need to shave under my arms every few days. During pregnancy… it’s EVERY DAY. It’s amazing how much faster your hair starts growing. Silver lining? … Of course this is great for the hair on my head!

(3) Crazy Dreams – This was one thing that was extremely disturbing to me the first go round. My dreams were so vivid, real… and weird. I would wake up in the middle of the night with my heart racing! This was probably my very first indication that I might be pregnant… I had not had a crazy/weirdo dream in a couple of years and all of a sudden – WHAM! About a week in, I had my first weird dream. I woke up in the middle of the night, turned to my hubby and told him “I think I’m pregnant. That dream was weird.” lol

(4) Nausea – This started about 3 weeks in. (See blog about NAUSEA)

(5) Back pain – About 1 week in, my back started to ache in the same places it ached when I was pregnant the first go round. In fact, when I was in labor my husband was tasked with digging his fingers into the small of my back as hard as he could to help alleviate the pain. This sudden back pain brought back A LOT of memories! Ouch!

(6) Bodily functions – Yup, the thing growing inside me isn’t even as big as a pea and somehow already pushing on my bladder. About 2 weeks in, I was already doubling my trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night. How is that even possible?!

(7) Heightened Sense of Smell – We were on a plane flying home from Canada to Hawaii and all of a sudden there was this overwhelming smell! “Honey, did you take your shoes off?!” I exclaimed. He was not pleased with me when I asked him to keep his boots on for the remainder of the trip. He thought it must be the person in front of me or behind me. But no, once he put his shoes back on – all was right with the world again. During my first pregnancy, I could smell my husbands feet and breath from across the room (if they were stinky). Guess the hubby needs to start brushing his teeth and cleaning his feet more often during the day!

(8) Uncomfortable Sleeping – Starting at about 3 weeks I was already uncomfortable lying down. I think the nausea is really what takes me over the edge. The “up” side? I can still sleep on both my back and my tummy! I will relish this until it’s no longer feasible. Otherwise, I’ve already cracked out my body pillow for sleeping and my airline pillow for sitting – makes a world of difference!

(9) Exhaustion – It’s crazy how tired I am ALL OF THE TIME. Seriously? My house is a MESS. My son is restless. I am lazy. I feel guilty. At least Jackson (2.5 yrs. old) is still napping… so I nap with him. It doesn’t seem to help much. I’m still incredibly tired and lazy. If dinner gets made at the end of the day my husband does a happy dance.

(10) Emotions – I’m a nut job. Not all of the time… but this was definitely a huge blinking indicator << PREGNANT >> My mom and sister Skyped us from Spain and I don’t really remember what it was I flew off the handle about. But I did. Spectacularly. It was insane. About halfway through I realized I wasn’t “being myself” and apologized for the raging preggo hormones coursing through my body. Be careful what you say to this pregnant lady! lol

Baby announcement

Gender Reveal