Pregnancy Part I: The Beginning

Alrighty then...Well here goes...

As you read these next couple of posts about my pregnancy you will probably notice a bit of a bleak undertone. Before I even begin, I will be straight forward... I was not a fan of being pregnant. If you keep reading, you will see why. However I want to preface this all by saying no matter how I felt or how much I despised almost every minute of it.. I would do it a MILLION times over in order to have Myles in my life. So please do not take my pregnancy thoughts as a reflection on how I feel about my child or being a mother.

Getting pregnant:
        "I don't ever want to have children.. EVER"
        "Well I do, so why are we together.." This was how the baby conversation would typically go for the first 4 years of my relationship with Mark. I never understood how someone would NEVER want to have children... but then again I loved my parents and siblings and for the most part have had a great relationship with them. So family has always been a positive aspect of my life. As I got to know Mark, it was quite easy to see why he didn't want to have kids. No he is not an evil baby hating Nazi... his father, on the other hand.. questionable. Anyone that knows Mark has probably heard at least a story or two fifty about his childhood. No child should ever have to go through what he went through, so I can't blame him for how he felt about the situation.
        I don't know if it was maturity, my relentless asking  nagging, or just a simple change of heart, but towards the end of 2011 a miracle happened: Mark began softening up to the idea of having a baby. We discussed the possibility of starting to try the next summer. I was pretty excited...So naturally I began reading the specifics on when the best time was, ovulation, etc. Since I had been on birth control on and off for 10 years, I also read a lot about getting pregnant once birth control is stopped. Mostly everything I read said the same thing: it could take up to a year to get pregnant after stopping. So naturally, I read that as it will take up to a year....(insert hand to forehead slap!!!) So my thinking went something like this: "I certainly do not want to wait to stop taking it until the summer and then have to wait a whole other year to get pregnant. Hmmm.. I should just stop taking it now so that by the time the summer comes I will be able to get pregnant." I am sure you can all see where this is going.... Let's just say that I am a testament to the fact that you CAN in fact get pregnant the day you stop taking birth control. Apparently my eggs were ripe and ready to go!



Finding out:
     My period should have started Sunday December 11th. By the time Wednesday came with no period, I pretty much knew I was pregnant.. a womanly instinct I guess. I was starting winter break from work on Monday and had scheduled a doctor's appointment to get my last Gardasil shot. Remember before when I mentioned I was thrifty; well if you didn't believe me then, you surely will now! You cannot get a Gardasil shot if you are pregnant, so I knew that before they gave me the shot I would be tested. Even though I was dying to know I couldn't bring myself to buy a pregnancy test when I knew I would get one for free on Monday (and even if I did take the test, I would still go to the doctor to make sure). Wow.. putting that in writing makes me realize how CHEAP I really am! I'm not going to lie, I'm a little embarrassed. I think I may be the only woman in a first world country to not take an at home pregnancy test before going to the doctor.
    I guess the mere fact that I have this blog kind of makes for an anti-climactic ending, but any who.. I went to the appointment on Monday and I got tested. Before she came back I knew it was positive because she was taking a long time. When she finally came back, she had a manila envelope in her hands, looked at me and said "He is NOT the father"  LOL.... sorry had to throw in a Maury reference. Obviously what she really said was that I was pregnant. Calculating from the first day of my last period, I was four and a half weeks pregnant and was due August 22, 2012.
   My next step was to find a doctor and as a woman traumatized from seeing her mother give birth when I was 11 years old, it was pretty important for me to find a doctor that I was confident in and comfortable with getting me through what I thought would be the hardest experience of my life. I have had an amazing 'woman' doctor since about age 16, but she is a nurse practitioner so she doesn't deliver babies. I asked her to recommend a doctor for me. I trust and respect her so much that I knew whoever she recommend would be great. With all said and done now, I can say that I am sooo happy with her choice. Although a little cray cray (more on that later), he was a perfect fit for me.

Next up is Pregnancy Part II: The Symptoms... Until then enjoy some pre-baby pics!

Mark and I

 

The summer before getting pregnant...

My favorite building in downtown Chicago!

With a childhood best friend at her bachelorette party

Cruise with my Florida besties (best vacation ever)!