So, I’m pregnant which most everyone knows by now and if you don’t then surprise! The trials and tribulations of pregnancy have plagued women (and men) since the beginning of time. Therefore, I realize that I am not sharing any earth shattering news here or informing many of you what you don’t already know. Also, this is not meant to be a bitch/complaint session in any way. My goal here is to simply jot down my experience, memories, and general thoughts for everyone’s enjoyment. Some may find this little blog especially helpful if you’re going through the same thing, contemplating pregnancy or just simply want to know what the heck goes on while a small alien is growing in your belly. Also, none of this is meant to be grammatically correct and I’m sure I’ve misspelled things all over the place and rambled on too much.
So here it goes…
Joseph and I found out we were going to have a child on December 21, 2010 at about 7 am in the morning. Joseph told me that he wouldn’t believe it until I heard it from a medical professional, so off to the doctor I went that next day. Of course EPT (actually I think it was First Response) was correct and I was 4 weeks pregnant. Now this is quite confusing to many people because at that moment in time I had actually only been pregnant for two weeks, for some reason according to the medical geniuses of the world you are in fact already two weeks pregnant at conception, go figure.
Telling our families at Christmas time was a great joy although I do warn you unless you are prepared for more people to find out than just the ones you told, don’t tell anyone! Most everyone is pretty good about keeping a secret because they understand the risk and complications associated with pregnancy plus they understand that this is your moment and your secret to share with the world as you see fit. Undoubtedly, out of sheer excitement someone will tell grandma and the whole family will know in a matter of minutes. Thankfully we were able to keep the secret to within the family for a little while, mostly… Also, a word to the wise, female coworkers are incredibly perceptive and you can’t hide anything from them, they will know in a matter of days but most will be considerate enough to not say anything until you divulge the secret yourself, at which point they will divulge to you that they’ve known for weeks. We opened up around week 10 when it became apparent that most people knew already anyways. This is also fun because after this time people start to understand why you’ve been a heinous bitch for the last few weeks and will then start to treat you with kid gloves.
The next few weeks proved to be a roller coaster ride of emotions and a true test of my emotions and push my threshold for both pain and exhaustion. Weeks 6-9 pretty much sucked. Most of you know how dedicated to working out I am and these weeks pushed me to my limit. I barely made it through the work day without falling asleep, and yes there were days that I had to take a nap in my office for ten minutes (try hiding this from your coworkers). By the time I got home every night I barely had the energy to put my pajamas on and lay on the couch. I felt like every bone and muscle in my body was working 10 times as much as normal, and it was! Ugh and the “morning” sickness. Whoever came up with this name is an idiot. Morning sickness can and will strike at any point in the day. I think I only actually threw up about ten times but the nausea is overwhelming at times. There were several days where I thought I wasn’t going to make it and didn’t eat anything. after awhile I didn’t want to look at another saltine cracker or smell anymore ginger ale. Thankfully my doc gave me some nausea medicine and all was right with the world. In retrospect I really didn’t have it all that bad. My sister, for example, was plagued with constant morning sickness which last until her 13ish week. Mine had mostly disappeared by week 10. Now you will encounter people who didn’t have morning sickness, yay for you, but most pregnant ladies out there know how truly sucky it is.
I’m fairly certain I would not have made it through my first trimester if it were for the most wonderful person in the whole world, my husband. He waited on me hand and foot. He cooked, he cleaned, he dealt with the dog and all the while managed to hold on to the roller coaster that was my emotional state. I laughed, I cried, I laughed while crying and cried while laughing. I was a mess. But he hung in there and never once made me feel like I was a lunatic. He may have thought that but he never said anything… Not to mention the night he sat in the ER with me for over six hours. That’s another story but just to clue you in, when you’re pregnant, everything that goes on with your body scares the bejesus out of you. So yes, we ended up in the ER one Friday evening; everything was fine of course and Joseph was a real trooper. He is truly an amazing support system.
So that was that for the first trimester. The second trimester is MUCH better but also has its moments. Pregnancy brain is no joke. Some mornings I’ll take my prenatal vitamin and two seconds later I’ll think to myself, did I take my vitamin? I have been so forgetful and absent minded that I’m surprised I make it out the door with shoes on some days. It’s kind of ridiculous. Another thing that is ridiculous- maternity clothes. Elastic waistband pants are obnoxiously comfortable and should be integrated into everyday life. However, trying to buy a wardrobe for nine months of your life is very difficult and requires almost biweekly trips to the mall, Joseph loves this. It can get quite pricey as well because these clothes are not cheap and the ones that are cheaper make you look like you’re either wearing a parachute or pajamas. I have found that I can still wear some of my stretchy shirts for now but imagine that will end soon. I am truly looking forward to buying a maternity bathing suit, insert sarcasm…
There is a lot of waiting involved in pregnancy. Waiting to get an ultrasound or waiting four weeks til your next doct. appt to hear the heartbeat again is almost unbearable. All you want to do is see or hear the little bugger everyday and the waiting is so hard. Joseph and I had an ultrasound at 6 weeks to determine fetal age and a very quick one that night in the ER but at that time little babypants resembled more of an amphibious creature than a baby. My next ultrasound will be two weeks from today where we will find out the sex. We are beyond excited for this moment, barring any shyness on the baby’s part. I am so impatient! But I have come to the conclusion that the best things in life require one to sit around and wait for extended periods of time. Joseph and I are enjoying this time because we know our lives will be completely different after August.
The second trimester is also when the questions and comments really start to pick up. People will constantly be asking you how you’re doing, how’s the baby, have you picked a name yet? This is all very nice and people are so considerate but when the “Can you do that” questions start then it gets a little annoying. Coffee, are you supposed to drink that; fish, are you supposed to eat that? Working out, I don’t think that’s safe. Ugh, trust me people, I have read my baby books, I know what to do and not do! And don’t get me started on the weight gain. Some people will look at you and say “you don’t look pregnant, you need to eat more.” Or more annoying “how far along are you to be THAT big already?” Yes I had a random stranger point at my belly and ask me this. Trust me I enjoy the attention but at times it gets to be a bit much. Again, not complaining just venting a bit…
It is weird though how you can’t wait to get fat! I think I popped out a little preggo belly around week 13 or 14 and am working hard to keep Baby pants W a-growin. But there is that in between stage where you just feel and look like you ate too many donuts. But alas this is also part of the waiting game because you just want everyone to know you are pregnant. (it’s much more obvious at the end of the day then in the morning for some reason.) I’m sure for those of you who have already had kids you are saying to yourselves “just you wait” and I know I will regret saying this come June July and August but I am excited to see my little baby belly grow, in a healthy way of course! I have resumed my regular workout routine, scaled down a little and I constantly monitor my heart rate during each work out session. I’ve added about a mile and a half walk in everyday with Lincoln which he loooooves.
So that’s it for now, second trimester is in full effect. It's still very weird to think that there is a child in my tummy but I'm getting used to it. Joseph and I are reading two books to better prepare us for the next stage of our lives though we do know we will never be fully prepared. We are also preparing Lincoln by getting him used to baby things and sounds. This had proven to be an interesting ride so far and I can imagine it’s only going to get better as the weeks wear on. There is an abnormal amount of people pregnant right now so if you have any thoughts, advice, suggestions you would like to add to my little blog please do! Until next time…
