Okay, so We’re pregnant!
I’m assuming that by now, you already knew what the title announces. However, in case you’re late to the party.. we’re having a BABY! Super excited and nervous of course. Mostly excited! Since most of you already know, I thought I’d share a little about our fertility journey. Not too in depth on the actual health side of that because I’ve got a really cool post coming up with my friends at Modern Fertility. But this should cover most of the questions I’ve been asked. This will probably be a long one, so get comfortable.
Trying to Conceive
My husband and I are both planners. So yes, curious minds, this was a pregnancy we chose to plan. We decided we would start trying in January. Feeling as ready as we could feel emotionally, mentally, physically (mostly), and financially, we made the decision we felt was best for our family.
This was particularly easy. As I mentioned, we’re both planners so everything was on paper and we checked all of our boxes. Having experienced a previous loss together, things were going to get a bit more heavy for me personally than I had anticipated. But we can get into that later.
Our TTC (trying to conceive) journey is not uncommon. We tried for about six months or so and then we got a positive. Now I should be fully transparent and let you know that technically it wasn’t really six months. The first couple of months I had to learn a bit more about my body. Like my ovulation cycle, what LH was, learning to read your CM (cervical mucus), and all of the other overwhelming information online. I also changed my workout and eating habits drastically. Little sugar, little carbs, lots of miles on the peloton. I’ll share all of those details and things I found helpful on my actual TTC journey in a later post. But in the meantime….
We got our positive!
I’m pretty sure I told my sister first & then two of my close cousins. Chase was sleeping. Saturday! Yeah, that’s what it was. It was a Saturday morning and I had to get ready to speak on a virtual panel. I was freaking out. Remember, we had been trying for a few months so checking to see if we got a positive on a test was routine now. There was no real element of suspense because I almost suspected the “we’ll try again next month” feeling. So yeah.. I pee’d on a lot of sticks. I won’t embarrass myself and tell you how many I went through to double & triple check, but there were MANY.
Anyway, let’s fast forward. I ran to the pharmacy with my mask on to grab one of the more expensive digital tests. Came back home and waited until I needed to pee AGAIN. So funny how you never have to actually use the bathroom when you need to the most. But alas, I went. I waited. Then we got the big, flashy PREGNANT on the fancy stick.
I didn’t really have a heartfelt or grandiose way of telling Chase we got our BFP (big fat positive). I just knew I wanted him to know immediately. I know some people choose to wait for an ultrasound they can wrap up, or a cute shirt they can get. Believe me, I thought of all of that. But after 6 months of trying (which I know isn’t a lot in comparison to others) I really just wanted to share in a way that was us. Intimate, clear and first thing in the morning on a Saturday while you’re still rubbing the sleep out of your eyes! Haha.
First Trimester & Loss (Trigger Warning)
I haven’t really spoken about our previous loss. It’s also not something I’m going to focus on as far as those details are concerned. However, I do want to share that a positive after a loss is one of the most nerve wrecking things I have ever experienced in my life. Every time you wipe after using the bathroom you’re half expecting blood. Every sensation worries you. You’re extra cautious and on edge. I mean, gosh… Those first couple of weeks were BRUTAL. Especially because we found out so early (I think we were still about 4 weeks and change when we got our positive).
I went in for my first ultrasound but it was too early to see anything. We saw a sac and we were invited to come back in a few weeks. If this process has taught me anything, it’s patience. Nothing tests your patience more than the TWW (two week wait in between conception & test taking), and the wait to see if there’s anything in the little sac.
As you can all assume, we saw it. It was there! There was a tiny baby in there and we were thrilled. Mostly relieved, but thrilled nonetheless. I feel like we’re friends right? So I can be fully transparent. Even with the feelings of excitement I felt little to no attachment to this pregnancy. It was almost like a coping mechanism. You know when you don’t want to get too excited for something and become too hopeful because in the blink of an eye it can go away? It’s that feeling looming over your head like a cloud that’s fluffy and cute but still making you miserable and wet.
THERAPY has helped tremendously. Conceiving after trying can bring up a lot of fear, and that’s totally normal. If that’s something you’re currently experiencing or are afraid to experience, I see you and I feel you. Trust me… I feel you.
Okay, anyway! With a confirmed pregnancy, my main focus was staying healthy, happy & allowing nature to run its course. Then things got spicy.
Morning Sickness
How many times have you ever puked in a day? I think on an okay day I was averaging two to three times. On a bad day, after every meal, drink and breath. Things got wild very very quickly. I couldn’t hold anything down. I felt like trash ALL. OF. THE. TIME. I’m 25 weeks now and it wasn’t until recently with time (I guess) and really great meds (THANK YOU SCIENCE), that I’m finally starting to feel better.
I have an incredible OB who’s become a friend, and my MFM (maternal fetal medicine) specialist is amazing. I see one because I have a blood disease where my platelets don’t always clot. Which means I’m at risk for things like bleeding out if I get hurt or push a baby out of my body. Don’t worry though! I’m very very very well taken care of.
Lots of blue bags around the house for vomiting. A hospital trip, different meds and a lot of whining on my part. No matter what I ate, sniffed, drank or did, nothing worked. Yes, I tried the ginger and the peppermint and everything else you could find on the internet. Ultimately we found that Zofran works for me. I take it as needed and so far we’re about a week without throwing up. YAY US!
Our little beeb
As I mentioned about, we’re 25 weeks (tomorrow actually). Just about 15 weeks left if we make it. I’m partially hoping we don’t make it because my due date is two days before my birthday. Funny thing about that… My sister’s birthday is two days after mine so I’ve never actually had my own birthday. Looks like it’s just not in the cards for me.
Baby Myrick crosses its legs at EVERY SINGLE ULTRASOUND. Very ladylike considering we are having a GIRL. You may have known that already, but if you didn’t… SURPRISE! I get to have a Pieces two days before my birthday, and it’s a girl. PRAY. FOR. ME.
It obviously goes without saying that we just want a healthy and happy baby, but I’m so excited to see what she will look like and what traits she’ll inherit from who. My husband is an outstanding human being. You know that saying, “They broke the mold when they made you"? That’s how I feel about him. He’s kind, thoughtful, hilarious, self-assured, and I can go on and on. Whereas I’m kind and thoughtful in my own way. It’s a special way, but it’s a way. Either way, I know she will be an incredible citizen of humanity because her parents are amazing! Three snaps for us!
Where we are now
Today we’re growing. Taking it easy. I don’t have to see my OB as often and I’m getting to enjoy more foods now that I’m not as sick. I do feel like a bottomless pit and so I’m trying not to give into that, haha. But it’s just so nice to be able to keep things down. I don’t have any food aversions or weird cravings. My relationship with food has actually changed a lot because my attitude for the past 6 months has been “I’m going to throw it up anyway, so why does it matter what I eat?” We’re getting better now.
Here’s some growth.
We’re glowing and growing! If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed this. I’ll be sharing a more science and technical based post in about a week or so regarding TTC. I also did a q&a on my insta and will be posting the answers here next week. If there’s anything you want to know feel free to shoot me a DM on instagram or leave a comment below.
xo, Denisse
PS She had the hiccups today and it was fascinating!
Shop what I’m wearing above, below!
