Been Pregnant For Way Too Long
I'm 35 weeks 3 days pregnant today. I NEVER thought I'd make it this far. I wanted to write about pregnancy before she gets here so I can remember this journey and share some tips/thoughts along the way.
Be prepared for TMI, funny moments, pregnancy talk, etc. I'll try to keep it fun and happy!
Here's a quick timeline of how we got to where we are:
April 2018: got pregnant on our own! Miscarried at 6 weeks, the baby passed naturally and it was a really sad time for us. We realized our "plans" don't usually work out like we want them to, but I was happy we were able to get pregnant after almost a year of trying
November 2018: Met with New Directions Fertility clinic in Gilbert, AZ. Ran tests, everything came back "normal," got on track to do IUI (intrauterine insemination).
December 2018: 1st IUI failed
January 2019: 2nd IUI failed
February 2019: 3rd IUI WORKED
PREGNANT!
First trimester: exciting times, announcing to people, fighting nausea, googling symptoms already, finding an OBGYN, more nausea/didn't want to eat ANYTHING
Only thing I could eat for a while, strawberry surf rider Jamba Juice
Second trimester: still exciting, bump starts to form and I try to show it in every photo (looking back, there was virtually NO bump and I was just trying so hard, can't believe how "tiny" I looked when now I'm 36 weeks and huge)
Took baby to Idaho for a wedding, New York for a babymoon vacation when I was 18 weeks, had a gender reveal around 23-24 weeks, and went to a Hugh Jackman show!
IT'S A GIRL!
Third trimester: new pains, can't move as much, already ready to have the baby here! Baby showers, nesting, soooo big
Breastfeeding class and cake from baby shower! Got the nursery ready and brought home all her presents/clothes:
I LOVE YOU BABY
Yes it looks all fun and beautiful, but this pregnancy has been the most challenging thing I've ever done. At 28 weeks I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes after failing the 1-hour and 3-hour test. I have to test my blood sugars four times a day!
The funny part is, all my numbers have come back super low/normal, so the doctors don't think I actually had it. I just had too much cereal and too many Costco muffins in the first and second trimester, and after cutting back on that, I've been totally fine!
I thought I was a big failure after failing those tests, because I literally....failed. But I realized even those with real gestational diabetes aren't doomed. It's really not that bad checking sugars, and now I know for sure baby is healthy! They measured her and said she is "perfect" (they said that like 10 times so wooooo)
Some other fun pregnancy symptoms I've experienced:
Nausea (only ever threw up 2-3 times) from weeks 6-15
Heartburn, all the time
Constipation early pregnancy (now using an OTC medicine daily, people have recommended using it after childbirth too for easier bowel movements)
Leg cramps/calf cramps
Elevated saliva levels, had to carry a "spit bottle" around (yes it was so gross)
Eczema flare-ups, skin rashes (really hitting hard 3rd trimester, my face is one big rash so I'm not taking any selfies for a while)
Puffier face/eyes in 3rd trimester (thankfully my feet and hands haven't been swollen)
Itchy belly
Red stretch marks around belly (it's crazy!)
Hard to move/breathe
Googling every tiny thing
I feel like an itchy, bloated mess half the time, and my husband can confirm that I usually groan/cry/make weird noises daily. We are about 4 weeks away and her room is ready, the hospital bag is packed, I am MORE than ready (I think), and we can't wait to finally meet our baby and hold her.
Don't get me wrong, I'm terrified for the "fourth trimester" and know that there are much harder things ahead of me, but I'm grateful every day to feel her move and to have this experience at all. Now to tackle breastfeeding, poop everywhere, baby issues, more doctor's appointments, and parenting!
We're pretty sure we have a name picked out, we are excited for the AZ weather to cool down and to celebrate the holiday season with a new BABY!
