This blog post is a pretty basic one, so I will just keep it short a sweet. My boyfriend and I have forever been thinking about baby names, although we don’t even know if it is a boy or a girl yet! It is a big decision and once you chose that name it is something that is going to be with your baby for the rest of their (and your) life. Every single day we both randomly say ‘do you like this name…’ and then its just a yes or no answer. Although I am so early in my pregnancy at the moment its something that I can’t stop thinking about!

We both think that it is going to be a boy, and he likes the names Ezra, Oscar, Taran and Tyler. If its a girl we are pretty set on the name Kiah, but we also like Taryn. I feel that when the right name comes along it will feel right, and I will love it instantly; that hasn’t happened yet.

The point in this blog post is if people are reading please could you comment with a few suggestions? I have googled endlessly and nothing has really stood out for me!

Tomorrow I am officially 15 weeks pregnant, so I just wanted to share my experience so far with how my pregnancy has gone for me.

These are some of the early signs of pregnancy (during the first trimester), and although the majority are not pleasant, it is definitely worth it!

• feeling sick
• needing to urinate more often
• feeling tired
• tender breasts
• cravings for random foods
• a missed period!

Its a known fact that at from roughly 5/6 weeks pregnant you can start feeling a bit, well, shit. The first trimester is knowingly the ‘worst’ during pregnancy. We’ve all heard of morning sickness, which by the way, confuses me SO much as to why its called morning sickness, as this can happen at any time of the day! Luckily for me, I only encountered this once, which was one evening where I felt terribly faint, dizzy, bed-bound and was constantly throwing up. However, this was during England’s ‘heatwave’ a few weeks ago, which can cause me to have migraines anyway and lead to nausea.

I was a little worried that this had only happened once (majorly), as I thought, well three pregnancy tests are saying I am pregnant, I haven’t had a period for a while, why am I not experiencing symptoms of pregnancy? After a lot of worrying and googling I came to the conclusion that around 85% of women experience symptoms during the first trimester, so I must be part of the 15% that doesn’t, and honestly I was grateful for that. Phew! The baby should be fine.

What I can say though is that I got EXTREMELY tired. On a daily basis, I try to go to sleep at around 11pm and I wake up at 8am every day, mainly to go to work, but if not its became a habit I suppose. If you are working during pregnancy try to not be constantly stood up (or even sat down) all the time; it can make you extremely tired and its not good for the baby’s growth at all. I also found out that as well as being pregnant, I was carrying a gene which contained haemoglobin D (I will write another blog about that) which also meant I was extra tired! I’m napping quite a lot in the day when I have the chance now.

But OMG, the boob ache! During pregnancy, your breasts will start producing milk for breast feeding, and this leads to growth. My breasts are on the larger side anyway, at the moment they are 32FF’s. You usually can grow by 2/3 cup sizes. You can start producing milk as soon as 15-16 weeks some women say. From about week 7, my breasts have been so painful and tender I can’t help but feeling like I need to put pressure on them regularly. Do you remember during puberty when you had a ‘pain’ in your boobs and your mum would tell you its just growing pains? Well this is constant and feels 3x worse. Luckily, by the second trimester this fades a little.

These are just a few of the basic symptoms I have encountered, which is only a handful and there are many more. I suggest that you should just be aware of what you might come across if you have recently found out that you are pregnant, or look for the signs of of pregnancy if you are concerned about your period, but always do a test!

This is my first (properly written) blog post, and I thought it would make sense to start at the beginning of my journey, when I found out that I was pregnant!

So on the Monday the 11th of June, I was majorly concerned as my period was one week late. I never thought I would be pregnant, as on a few occasions I have forgot to take the pill and nothing came of it. Prior to this week, I went home to see my parents for about 5 days and hadn’t taken the pill with me, however I was coming to the end of my three weeks and thought it would be okay, with nothing to worry about.

My boyfriend and I had always said to eachother that we would like to have kids after we finished university, as he is going to the University of Law in Manchester as of September (after previously graduating at the University of Hull), and I would be returning to continue my maths degree in September. We just thought it would mean we can put as much time as we have into our studies and help us graduate with the best possible honour and build for a successful and healthy future. So when I was a little concerned as to why I had missed my period, I was worried to do a pregnancy test as I felt like it wasn’t something that was meant to happen now.

After doing a couple of tests and them coming out positive, to be completely honest, I was in tears. Not because its something I didn’t want, as I have always wanted children, but because I felt that my boyfriend would massively oppose to it and I felt like I really wasn’t ready, as I am 19, and I feel like a baby myself!

I told him later that evening as he could automatically tell there was something on my mind and surprisingly he guessed straight away! I cried again, as deep down I felt like I had to make a decision I really wasn’t prepared for. Its soooo easy to say to yourself and everyone ‘oh yeah I would just get an abortion’ if you felt you were not ready for a baby, but trust me, when you find out a little baby you is inside your tummy it’s a decision you cant make until you are in it. For a couple of days we ummd and arrrd, but we both said that we are so grateful and shocked that we have been given this gift inside, and we can make it work, and personally, (everyone is different) I would feel like it would impact me for the rest of my life if I was to abort.

After visiting a midwife, we happily decided to go along with the pregnancy and having a child of our own. Today, looking back on our decision I wouldn’t change it and neither would Jake; he said it was the best thing to ever happen to him. On the 13th of August we had our first scan and saw our little bundle of joy for the first time, and I felt a love that I have never felt before. Seeing / hearing your baby for the first time is the most amazing experience I have encountered up to today, and its a moment I will never forget.

I am so grateful to say that currently I am 14 weeks and 5 days pregnant, I have had a healthy start with no morning sickness and illnesses (apart from feeling fatigue), I have a lovely flat with my boyfriend where our baby can be brought up in a safe and spacious environment and I am having my first child with someone I am madly in love with and see a future with.

If anyone is in university or education still and feels like they are too young to have a baby, please don’t listen to what other people say. It is possible. You can get so much help from being a student and having a baby, from family to friends, the government, grants and funds from university and if you have a part time job also you are entitled to maternity pay. I was worried that I would never be able to do my degree and have a baby, but if you were to have children in the future regardless, you would be taking time out of your job anyway. Everyone is so helpful when you are expecting, and even if close family members do oppose I promise you when that little baby pops out they will fall in love with it too. Please don’t hesitate to talk to me if you feel insecure about it, as I know how you feel!