Let me just say… My life has been filled with so much love and joy since telling the world about my precious baby. For someone who feels especially loved via words, there is nothing better than having those around you give support and wisdom. Even though I still have two-thirds of my pregnancy left to go, I thought I would share my experience up to this point. Also, who doesn’t love a good gender reveal?
THE MOOD:
When I first found out I was pregnant, I was kind of wary about how I would handle the hormones. I’ve struggled with feeling mentally low and anxious in the past, and I didn’t know if pregnancy would nurture those tendencies. As the weeks have gone on, I’ve realized that this is the happiest I’ve been in years. I don’t know if pregnancy helped to foster the hormones that I suspected had been lacking or if I am just so content and excited about my life that nothing else matters. Either way, my husband can testify that I have had a serious mood boost. There has only been one day that I was anxious about literally everything in the world, but that’s part of being human.
THE SYMPTOMS:
I do get nauseous whenever there isn’t much food on my stomach (about every 2-3 hours), but I feel like I can’t complain. I’ve only truly gotten sick a handful of times, and those have been early in the morning. That said, I am absolutely exhausted most of the time. Sometimes I’ll be at work, and my eyes will literally be burning and yearning to be closed. For some reason, I thought the first day of my second trimester would bring about a glorious end to my physical symptoms. News flash: that’s not necessarily true. Maybe I feel slightly less tired, or maybe I’m just giving in to going to bed at ridiculously early times?
THE CRAVINGS:
Ladies, if you are pregnant and have a weird craving, give into it (unless it’s alcohol or something you’re not supposed to have of course). In the beginning, I was naive in thinking that it was better to avoid the sugary, watermelon candy that I was craving. I was supposed to be eating healthy for the baby right? Well, the more I put off eating it, the more it consumed my mind. Finally, I did the dang thing and got watermelon Sour Patch Kids, Jolly Rancher jelly beans, watermelon taffy… you name it. The thing is, I didn’t splurge on what I got. I found that once I gave into the craving, I only needed a little bit to feel satisfied. Magically, I don’t really crave it much anymore. I think the only thing that I’ve been pondering more than necessary is refried beans, and that’s a long way from watermelon candy.
THE GENDER:
And now for the fun part! Even though I am only 14 weeks and some change, I was able to find out the gender already due to an elective, non-invasive blood test that screens for particular genetic abnormalities. Through the genetic information, they can (with high accuracy) determine the gender of the baby. Sooo… let me just say I was wrong. For some reason, I had it in my head that I was having a girl because of sweet cravings and a higher heart rate. Don’t get me wrong I was going to be ecstatic either way, and I’m happy to announce that this baby mama is having a BOY!
I’m pretty sure Noah gave himself a headache from jumping around and flailing in excitement when I told him the news. We’re just over the moon to meet our son, and we feel a stronger connection with the baby now that we know what’s going on in there. We have nursery ideas and big dreams that keep us buzzing.
I can’t describe just how womanly and proud I am about what my body is accomplishing. I am honored to have a husband that cares for me and our little family so well. I know this is only the start of our adventure, but it’s been a beautiful start.
