I’ve thought about writing again for a long time, but I’ve felt that I have too many things to write/update about that it’s easier not to write anything. So, now I am just going to pick up from right here and now.
I found out that we were expecting a baby on August 19, 2013. At this point I was just 3 weeks and 6 days pregnant. I was alone, in a hotel in Atlanta for a work trip all week. I found out right before heading back into our Duluth, GA warehouse for a night shadow shift. I was very surprised, happy, but still skeptical that it was true. I couldn’t keep it a secret, and since I wasn’t going to see Chris until Thursday evening, I had to call and tell him. I told him that there was a small possibility that I could be pregnant. Even though I had taken 2 pregnancy tests, the line was very faint, so I wasn’t sure if that was accurate. I was very happy, but didn’t want to get too excited, just in case it was not true.
Chris and I had talked about having a baby shortly after getting married, but I just thought it would take a long time. I’m older;there are many scary stories about getting pregnant at my age, being pregnant, risks, etc. So, I signed up for a marathon in November and we figured that if it doesn’t happen by early 2014 then we’ll ‘really’ start trying. To me that meant keeping track of everything, talking to your doctor about options, etc. Chris just assumed it would happen right away, he must have a sixth sense or something.
After my night shift, I got out of the warehouse around 11:30pm. I drove about 7 miles to the only open grocery store I could find and bought a set of pregnancy tests, this time the + or – tests. I took both of these, and yep, I got a +. I was pretty convinced I was pregnant at this point, but at some point that week, I also bought a digital test, and this time it spelled out ‘pregnant.’ Wow!
I think that Chris really needed the doctor’s appointment to confirm it for him. We both went in at 7 weeks and we saw our little baby on an ultrasound and heard its heartbeat. So very little at that point! Now we are almost to 15 weeks, and oddly enough, I still do not really feel pregnant.
I’ve known, MANY friends and family members who have been pregnant. I guess I have never paid too much attention to their symptoms or belly through the process. For some reason, I just assumed that you don’t show for the first 3 months, and then all of the sudden you get this nice, hard, pregnant belly that grows through the next 6 months. I was so wrong.
I have been VERY lucky. I have never had any sickness; I’ve had very minimal symptoms at all. Many times I have questioned if I am even pregnant. I had some back pain in my 8thweek which made me nervous. I did too much reading on the internet in the beginning and was so scared of a miscarriage. Given that I will have my baby at age 35, I am put in the advance maternal age category. Which, I always knew I would be, but it became much scarier when I started reading the pregnancy books and reading on the internet. Among the risks that come with this, is a high risk of miscarriage. I found a home Doppler monitor on amazon.com for just $32. This has to be the best invention ever! This has put my nerves to rest on so many occasions. I can listen to my baby’s heartbeat any time I want. Like I said, many times, I just do not feel pregnant, so this way I can make sure the baby is still alive and well.
The big sign for me that still lets me know I am pregnant, is the effect it has had on my running. Right away, before I even knew I was pregnant, my running changed. I felt different. I felt like running was just harder, everyday was a bad running day. I always felt winded, even at a slow pace; it was just a different feeling. Before I knew I was pregnant, I also had light cramps every day. I thought that, if I am not pregnant, which I thought was a very slim chance, then something is wrong with me, and I will have to see a doctor.
I was more tired in my first trimester. It was great actually; I was falling asleep by 9:30-10:00 and sleeping through the night. I slept so well. Now that I am in my second trimester I ampretty much back to normal. Any small symptoms I was feeling are pretty much gone now. Although, my running is still harder than it was before becoming pregnant. I am not running as much. I am still running in the Philly Marathon, but I have switched to the half marathon. I still wonder if I will get through the half! It will most definitely be slow!
As far as that cute pregnant belly I always thought I would have. I have just felt fat and bloated since week 5. My clothes started feeling tighter at that point. I still do not look pregnant; I just look fuller, bloated, and fat. I hear that the hard, pregnant belly takes a while to show itself. I was not aware of this.
I have not had any strange cravings; I have not had any cravings at all. I do not have to go to the bathroom an excessive amount like some women I hear about. I don’t think I have had mood swings. I just don’t ‘feel’ pregnant. I don’t know what that issupposed to feel like, but I’m still waiting for that to happen. Ialso don’t feel a connection to my baby, I wish I did, and I keep waiting for this to happen. I feel guilty even thinking and saying this out loud. Maybe when we find out what we are having I will feel a bond. Right now, I can only refer to the baby as ‘it’.
Chris and I made the decision not to do any genetic testing. This was also something I did not know much about before becoming pregnant. When you go to your first doctor’s appointment, they will give you all this information about all the different tests you can have done. Most of it, to me, seemed like more stress than anything. There are carrier tests, so I do blood work, if I test positive to be a carrier then Chris has to be tested, if he tests positive, then we have a 25% chance of having a baby with this abnormality. That still leaves a 75% chance the baby is healthy though, so really, is this test even worth the hassle?
Then there is the big one, the down syndrome testing. This is a time sensitive test; the first is blood work and an ultrasound to tell you your odds. If you have an increased rate of your child having downs, then you can go on to have a more invasive test done. This test will give you a statistical result. You could be told you have a 1/5 chance, or a 50% chance of your child having downs. The older you are the greater your chances are of having a downs baby.
I hated thinking about all of this stuff. The point of the testing is to decide if you want to continue with your pregnancy, if you have an increased rate of any of these abnormalities, or so you can be prepared. I know people who have done the testing and not done the testing. For Chris and me, we decided not to. We were going to have the baby either way. I didn’t want the added stress of the testing. We will have the anatomy scan done at 18 weeks, which can also tell us if there are any abnormalities. We are going to love our baby no matter what, and honestly, I just figured that you can never be prepared for anything that may go wrong with your baby at birth, or after. We will love our baby regardless, and we will figure things out as we go along. I don’t judge anyone for whatever decision they make. I have learned already that everyone has their opinions on your pregnancy and choices you make, so we just have to be comfortable and sure of our choices.
You know what I have learned, even at giving birth at 35 years old, you still have a 95% chance of having a healthy pregnancy and baby. I wish this statistic would be advertised more and not all the negative stuff!
That is pretty much our life in a nutshell right now. Just taking it day by day. Excited for when we get to meet our little baby, and thankful everyday that we received this gift. In just 3 weeks we will get to find out if we are having a boy or girl!
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| Baby Lamperski at 7 weeks :) |
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