I feel like I have said this a lot recently, but this time I really mean it – I did not mean to take that much time off without writing any posts! And I do feel badly about it, but here’s the truth. I’m pregnant!!! We are incredibly thrilled, but my first trimester was soooooo brutal. I could barely pretend to ignore my nausea long enough to get Georgie to camp, let alone sit upright at my computer and tap out words on a keyboard. I had to decline all plans and just try my best to get through it. It was hard and not fun, but luckily around week 10 the nausea started to lift, and then around week 12 the food aversions started to slowly melt away. There are some more details below on my pregnancy so far in case you’re interested. Also, happy Friday and happy fall (best season ever)!!
How I found out: I had cramps that came much earlier than they usually do, and I was two days late. The two days late part didn’t actually mean much, because we had been trying for several months and my body always, always, always plays tricks on me when we are trying to get pregnant. Every month I have a new ‘symptom’ that I am convinced means I’m pregnant and every month the stick practically yells NO! right at me. This time I didn’t even really feel pregnant like I did with Georgie (I just knew with her) but I got a faint pink line on a test, and then took two more in the bathroom of Georgie’s gym class after buying them at the CVS next door – one with a bold pink line and one that really confirmed things with the simple statement ‘PREGNANT.’
How I felt: I was overjoyed and so happy and felt like I was walking on a cloud. One of my best friends came up to stay that weekend with her toddler twins, and I had to tell her because well, she would have known anyway. That whole weekend I felt like I was on drugs!! I was so elated and mellow and my body felt like it was buzzing. It was the best.
How the first trimester went: Just before I reached week five, things got tough. I had debilitating nausea most days that lasted all day, and intensified to a nasty peak in the evening hours. I would lie on the couch unable to lift or move my head until finally around 7pm Tom would help me up to bed. The thought of practically all foods made me gag, and the only things I could stomach for weeks and weeks and weeks were Ritz crackers, croissants, blueberry muffins and bagels. I would literally get a dozen bagels at the bagel store on Sunday, then freeze them to eat throughout the week. I couldn’t even cook food for Georgie, and no way could I sit there and feed her, so I had to rely on either Tom coming home early from work or our babysitter spending a lot more time at our house (usually we only have her one afternoon a week).
Things that helped: These seasickness bands helped a little bit, as did lemonade, ginger ale, iced tea, preggo pop drops (thank you, Laura!!), honey nut cheerios, salted pretzel sticks and lollipops.
Did we do genetic testing: This may seem like a random one, but I feel like it’s something that gets brought up with every pregnant friend or friend who is trying to get pregnant, so here we go. Yes, we did genetic testing. Before I even got pregnant with Georgie I found out that I was a carrier for Fragile X. I had a low number of repeats, but they were still high enough for me to require a CVS test (done between 11 and 13 weeks) for all pregnancies. Because of this, while I was thrilled to find out I was pregnant, I also knew I wouldn’t be able to relax until the test was done and the results were in. My chances of passing along the mutated X chromosome to the baby were small – less than 2% – but it still feels very real and very scary. So I had the CVS done at 11 weeks, then two weeks later while we were in England we got the results. Baby was perfectly healthy and…
Do we know what we are having: …a BOY!!!!! Because of my genetic history, I really and truly would have been thrilled with either. All I ever want is a healthy baby. It sounds cheesy but it’s really such a miracle. Of course we are so excited it’s a boy and I know Georgie is going to be the best big sister to her ‘baby brudder.’
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I promise there will be lots more to come, including how I am feeling now in the second trimester, things I am excited to cook this fall, the TV show I binged on and finished in one week, and back to school goodies I have been buying for Georgie.
Have a wonderful weekend!!
Little baby bump in England 🙂
