Q: How far along are you?
A: 30 weeks today!
Q: When is your due date?
A: March 20th 2017
Q: What was the process like for you getting pregnant?
A: Well, we had a lot of practice… (haha) we honestly weren’t trying. We were talking about having kids, we even talked about “starting to try” in October! But obviously, God had other plans.
Q: How/when did you and your husband find out?
A: For the first two weeks of July I felt like I was coming down with the flu. My husband and I went to the beach for the fourth of July and I was MISERABLE. I was car sick (I rarely ever get carsick), extremely fatigued, and I was thirsty all the time. I had been having some other health issues at the time so we just blew it off as my body just hating me.
A week or so went by and I kept getting worse. Everything made me queasy, I was light headed and tired, all of the time. I was literally sleeping around 12 hrs a day; I’d get home from work, eat something light, and knock out until I had work the next day.
Finally, I went up to my husband at work (we work together) and told him he had to pick up a pregnancy test on his way home. I distinctly remember him rolling his eyes and telling me I was over reacting. You see, since we’ve been married I’ve had random moments where I was positive I was pregnant, so I would frequently demand that he would go and pick me up a test. After a while, he just ended up going to the dollar store (hey, don’t knock it! I’ve had great luck with them!) and bought me a handful of tests. Anyway, he came home with a bag full of pregnancy tests.
I’ve taken pregnancy tests a thousand times, so I had that routine down pat. I (being impatient) peeked at the test as soon as I finished. Sure enough, there were two bright pink lines! I waited the three minutes, carefully watching for the positive line to disappear or fade, but it stayed. I ran out of the bathroom screaming at my husband, as I chugged more water so I could take enough test.
He was so happy! He hugged and kissed me, even talked to my belly. I, on the other hand, was mentally freaking out about how everything was going to change. I may, or may not have fallen over.
I was about four weeks pregnant.
Q: Do you like being pregnant?
A: Some days; it’s a wonderful feeling to have a little life move and grow inside of you. But for the most part, I feel like crap. I’m tired all of the time, food doesn’t sound good, and none of my clothes fit. There are a few great moments, like when I have an ultrasound, feel him kick, or hear his heartbeat, but for the most part I just want to nap.
Q: Did you get any stretch marks?
Yes! In the weirdest spots too! I have a few on my hips (which I expected), but my main stretch marks are at the back of my knees. It’s the weirdest thing.
Q: What are some things about pregnancy you were never warned about?
You’ll drool, snore, and get leg cramps in the later part of pregnancy. You’ll have to reapply deodorant throughout the day, even if you aren’t doing anything, oh and pelvic pressure is the most annoying thing ever. Also, there’s this thing called a pregnancy tumor (google it!), which is pretty much a benign lump on your mouth that gets really angry and big if you brush or touch it. I’m told you have to have it removed after pregnancy or else it will keep coming back. I’ve had it about three times so far, they normally fall off when I rinse with salt-water and hydrogen peroxide, but they’ll come back if they’re not surgically removed.
Q: Biggest regret?
Probably the stupidest thing you can do during the first trimester is travel, right? Well add about 550 miles, two states, and three nights camping and you have yourself in for a not so fun time. I was around seven weeks pregnant when my husband and I took a trip to the redwood forest for our one year wedding anniversary. Before I found out I was pregnant, I had made campsite reservations and everything, so I didn’t see the point in canceling them. I agreed to drive half way there, because normally I don’t have a problem driving long distances, but about two hours into driving I got sick.
I was sweating even though I had the AC on high, and just the sight of the road moving made me want to throw up. On top of that, I had to pee, constantly, which kind of sucks when you’re driving through the middle of nowhere, or camping out in the woods where you have to walk a good distance to use the restroom. It was a beautiful trip, but I felt like dying the entire time.
Q: Have you had any weird cravings?
I crave ice… other than that everything I crave is normal.
Q: What’s your birth plan?
My original plan was to have a hospital birth, strictly for the privacy. But my mom used a midwife with my sister and I, and I loved the relaxed natural feel of a home birth, so during my 22nd week I switched to a midwife. Now don’t get me wrong, hospitals are great for some women, and I understand that in most circumstances that’s the only option because of health reasons. But I’ve had a fairly healthy pregnancy, and the baby’s healthy, so there was nothing really stopping me from going with a midwife.
Since I don’t have a tub, I’m going to birth at the midwife’s home. I’m not necessarily planning a water birth, but I would like to labor for as long as possible in the tub, and if it happens it happens, all I really care about is the baby coming out safe.
Hope you enjoyed!
~Shayna
Ombrophilous 