That's right! You heard it here first. Coffee Addicted Mommy is going to be a mommy...AGAIN! I am 10 weeks pregnant! I've been waiting over 6 weeks to write this blog so it may be a long one. Actually, I've been waiting for about 6 months to write these words, I'm pregnant!
The past 6 months have been an emotional roller coaster for me. When we decided at the end of August that we were ready for baby #2, I figured it wouldn't take us long at all. After all, we got pregnant with "A" on the very first try. With A, I went off the BC pill on May 23rd 2008 and had a positive pregnancy test by June 20, 2008. In fact, the very first pregnancy test I ever took in my life was positive. Hubby and I liked to joke about how fertile I was, especially since I only have one ovary.
Having such an easy time getting pregnant the first time coupled with the fact that I had an extremely easy pregnancy and delivery gave me a false sense of security. In fact, when I took the first test in October, I really expected it to be positive. After all, I'm Fertile Myrtle! I had even planned out exactly how I was going to tell hubby.
Unfortunately, that first test was negative. So was every other test I took until January. Every month was like a roller coaster. I'd take the 5 day early pregnancy test and it would be negative. Then I would think, "Maybe I took the test too early!" so I'd wait 2 more days and take it again. When that one was negative too, I'd still hold out hope until the day I got my period. That day was always the most depressing because it killed all my hope of being pregnant. I'd spend the whole week of my period depressed because, let's fact it, having a period sucks enough as it is. It sucks even worse when it means you didn't conceive the baby you so desperately wanted to. Then, once my period was gone, I'd start to get excited about trying again. And so the cycle repeated, month after month.
Now I'm no idiot. I know that 5-6 months is not a long time at all for a couple to conceive. In fact, I know that it takes the average couple 6 months to a year. The doctor even told me that. I also have friends who had a lot of difficulty getting pregnant. My heart always went out to them but I felt like such a jerk around them because it took me less than month to get pregnant with A.
But let me tell you, that 5-6 months felt like an eternity to me. Especially with the whole pregnancy test depressing cycle. You might be screaming at the computer now and saying, "Why didn't you just quit taking the tests so early?!?!" I know, I know, I just couldn't. I really thought one of them would turn up positive. I never lost hope.
One thing that made it harder for me was that suddenly, it seemed like EVERYONE else was getting pregnant. Every day, I'd see another ultrasound pic and pregnancy announcement on Facebook. One day, while at my mommy workout group, two friends announced they were pregnant. I just happened to be standing right between them when it happened. Even all these celebrities were suddenly pregnant. It seemed so unfair that people who weren't even trying or only trying a few weeks were pregnant and I wasn't.
In January, we had a little bump in our pregnancy plan. When I took the "5 day early" pregnancy test, a faint line appeared! I was shocked. By then, I had taken many tests and seen many negative tests so I knew it wasn't normal to see even a faint line on the test. I showed hubby and for a minute, he got excited too. Then he decided that it wasn't a dark enough line and it was probably nothing. I wasn't convinced so I took one the next day, and the day after that. The faint line appeared every day, but never got darker. The third day I took the test, I watched the line appear again. As I started to get excited, I realized that my period had come, a day early. I was so confused! What about the faint line on all those tests??? What did it mean??
I spent most of the day crying on and off. I was used to getting my period every month by then, but it never followed such hope. That line on the test had really thrown me for a loop. Thank goodness I had my son to take care of. It's what got me out of bed that day and what kept me going. My heart was broken.
After a few days of confusion, I decided to call a close friend and ask her opinion. She told me that it sounded like something called a "chemical pregnancy" and that I should continue taking pregnancy tests to see if the line was still there. I did and yes, the line was still faintly appearing. I googled "chemical pregnancy" and figured out what it is. Basically, the egg is fertilized but doesn't implant in your uterus. Your body thinks it's pregnant hence the faint line on the test. Apparently, it happens to a lot of woman but they don't know unless they've taken one of those early tests. Most women just think it's their period when it happens.
I made an appointment to see the doctor but I had plans to leave for the Dominican Republic (DR) later that week and they couldn't get me in until after I came home. The nurse agreed that it sounded like a chemical pregnancy and told me to bring a test to the DR with me and take it in 5 days. I did as she suggested and that test was negative. The hormone was finally out of my system.
When we returned from our trip at the end of January, I saw the doctor and reported the results to him. He told me that although it didn't feel like a good thing, the chemical pregnancy was actually a positive sign. He said, "It means you can conceive, it just wasn't the right egg and the right sperm." He told me that most women who come in with problems getting pregnant usually appear within a month or two pregnant. I laughed and told him that because of upcoming November travel plans we were taking a break until April or May. I even made an appointment to see a masseuse in May and get a fertility massage. Hey, it couldn't hurt right?
Now let's back up to that fateful week in January when I first found out I wasn't pregnant: January 17th. After I called my friend to ask her opinion, she told me all about charting my cycle. She sent me a book and a website and told me to go buy a basal body thermometer. I was supposed to take my temperature at the same time every morning and chart it on this website. The website used that, plus other info, to determine which were my most fertile days. This was mid-January so I figured I could chart at least 3 months and get a pretty good idea of the best days for us to try again in April.
Now let's travel to the Dominican Republic where I was recovering emotionally from the chemical pregnancy. For those of you who read the entry "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" you probably know all about the highlights of the trip! (You can read it all here! http://coffeeaddictedmommy.blogspot.com/2012/01/yellow-polka-dot-bikini.html) My mom and dad ended up watching A a lot that trip to give hubby and I some time alone. Also, remember the myth of the Mama Juana? Yep, Mama Juana is a rum referred to by the locals as "Dominican baby making juice" and "Dominican Viagra". Even though hubs and I drank Mama Juana several nights, we made sure to be careful. At least, we were careful every night but ONE. That night was the first night we went out together. It was also on day 9 of my cycle and my period had pretty much just ended. We didn't even think anything of it.
A month later, I was back home and getting ready to celebrate Valentine's Day. I was still charting my temperature every day too. A pregnant friend has just brought over a whole bunch of unused pregnancy tests-she obviously didn't need them anymore! As my cycle was ending, I noticed that my temperature had stayed high pretty much since we came back from vacation. I thought, "What the hell! I'm sure I'm not pregnant, but I have all these tests so I may as well take one for fun!" After all, we tried for about 5 months with no luck, why would we get pregnant after ONE time on vacation?
I took the test (for fun of course) and was shocked to see a faint line appearing. "Oh NO!" I thought, "Not a faint line again!" I went and got A dressed for school and when I returned to the bathroom, the line had gotten much darker. I started to really get excited, but didn't say anything to hubby yet. The next morning, I took another test and got the same result. Then I looked at the packaging and noticed that the test had expired in 2008!!! OH CRAP! Was this a fluke too??
I told hubs I needed to go get some gas and drove like a maniac to Walgreens. This time I didn't want any question so I spent the extra money on the Clearblue easy digital pregnancy test. I flew home as fast as I could and went to the bathroom to take the test. Within a minute, the most beautiful word in the world appeared. PREGNANT. HOLY SHIT! How can this be? After months of trying, all it took was one time on vacation? I guess hubby and I need to stop going on vacation to tropical Spanish speaking countries since A was conceived in Mexico and obviously #2 happened in the Dominican.
Surprisingly, I kept my secret for 4 or 5 days. I had been waiting so long for a fun way to tell hubby and what better time than on Valentine's Day? Unfortunately, I found out I was preggers on a Friday and Valentine's Day fell on a Tuesday. It was so hard to keep it from him. On Sunday, he almost caught me looking at a book for baby names, but I hid it under a blanket before he could see.
Finally, Valentine's day arrived! I made hubby a heart shaped cake and wrote "SURPRISE" in pink letters then put blue sprinkles all over it. I also bought a sparkly red box with a bow and put the pregnancy tests inside. Finally, I used the extra cake batter and icing to make cupcakes and wrote the word BABY across them. I waited nervously for him to come home. When he did, he didn't suspect a thing even when he saw the heart shaped cake. (The cupcakes were hidden). "Oh you made me a heart shaped cake! So sweet!" he said. Then he saw the red box. "You didn't have to get me anything", he remarked.
"Don't worry," I replied, "I made your gift." When he opened the box, the pregnancy tests fell out.
"Are you pregnant??" he asked. I nodded. He was shocked. Then he said, "Ew, you peed on that! Yuck!" (Hey, this is hubby we're talking about here!)
We waited 5 weeks before the doctor would see us for our first ultrasound. I waited the whole time with bated breath. The pregnancy wouldn't feel real to me until I saw that baby and a heartbeat on an ultrasound. I wouldn't even bring out the maternity clothes or anything "baby". Finally, on Monday, March 19th, we had our first ultrasound. Yes, the baby was measuring at 9 weeks and everything was perfect. He or she has a strong heartbeat at 160 beats per minute!
I could now have some fun telling our families! When I got pregnant with A in 2008, it wasn't much of a surprise to anyone. Everyone knew we were trying. In fact, I was so excited that I had actually told everyone what day I was taking the pregnancy test and then called everyone immediately to tell them the news. Since this baby was a surprise even to me, I decided to have some fun with delivering the big news!
I sent my parents pink and blue M and M's that said, "We're pregnant!" My mom was hilarious because her first thought was, "I'm on a diet, why is she sending me M and M's???" Then she couldn't read the writing so she had to take them outside. She finally realized what they said and called me immediately! She's so excited for her second grandchild to arrive!
We sent my mother-in-law roses at her office with a card that said, "Your ninth grandchild is on the way! We're pregnant!" She was shocked. She called to congratulate me and told me that the florist had called her before he came to see where her office was. She waited impatiently wondering who the heck was sending her flowers and for what reason. When the flowers arrived, the delivery man (who knew what the card said already) told her that he'd like to wait for her to open the card. When she did, he told her how much he wished we could have seen her face!
I gave my sister a birthday card because her birthday is 3 days after my due date. It said "Happy Early Birthday" on the front. Inside the card, I made a coupon that said "A coupon for one free niece or nephew to be delivered mid October 2012" Her reaction? "I'm getting a real gift too right???" But seriously, she was excited for us.
I sent my sister-in-laws and aunt a photo of A and I. I got the idea off Pintrest. I know I usually hate Pintrest but for this it served it's purpose. In the photo, A is holding the #1 and I am holding the #2 with an arrow to my belly. I'm also holding the ultrasound pic. They all figured it out right away and were thrilled! I'm using the same photo to announce the news to my Facebook friends this week.
Now that we have made it to 10 weeks, I feel more relaxed about things, especially since we saw the doctor. One of the best parts about being pregnant with #2 is that I should have plenty material to blog about the next 7 months!
If you are still reading, thank you for taking this journey with me tonight and for celebrating with me. There is so much more to say, but I think I'll save it for another night. Especially because being in the middle of the first trimester while trying to take care of a three year old is EXHAUSTING! That's all for now. Good night and thank you!
----CoffeeAddictedMommy times TWO!
The past 6 months have been an emotional roller coaster for me. When we decided at the end of August that we were ready for baby #2, I figured it wouldn't take us long at all. After all, we got pregnant with "A" on the very first try. With A, I went off the BC pill on May 23rd 2008 and had a positive pregnancy test by June 20, 2008. In fact, the very first pregnancy test I ever took in my life was positive. Hubby and I liked to joke about how fertile I was, especially since I only have one ovary.
Having such an easy time getting pregnant the first time coupled with the fact that I had an extremely easy pregnancy and delivery gave me a false sense of security. In fact, when I took the first test in October, I really expected it to be positive. After all, I'm Fertile Myrtle! I had even planned out exactly how I was going to tell hubby.
Unfortunately, that first test was negative. So was every other test I took until January. Every month was like a roller coaster. I'd take the 5 day early pregnancy test and it would be negative. Then I would think, "Maybe I took the test too early!" so I'd wait 2 more days and take it again. When that one was negative too, I'd still hold out hope until the day I got my period. That day was always the most depressing because it killed all my hope of being pregnant. I'd spend the whole week of my period depressed because, let's fact it, having a period sucks enough as it is. It sucks even worse when it means you didn't conceive the baby you so desperately wanted to. Then, once my period was gone, I'd start to get excited about trying again. And so the cycle repeated, month after month.
Now I'm no idiot. I know that 5-6 months is not a long time at all for a couple to conceive. In fact, I know that it takes the average couple 6 months to a year. The doctor even told me that. I also have friends who had a lot of difficulty getting pregnant. My heart always went out to them but I felt like such a jerk around them because it took me less than month to get pregnant with A.
But let me tell you, that 5-6 months felt like an eternity to me. Especially with the whole pregnancy test depressing cycle. You might be screaming at the computer now and saying, "Why didn't you just quit taking the tests so early?!?!" I know, I know, I just couldn't. I really thought one of them would turn up positive. I never lost hope.
One thing that made it harder for me was that suddenly, it seemed like EVERYONE else was getting pregnant. Every day, I'd see another ultrasound pic and pregnancy announcement on Facebook. One day, while at my mommy workout group, two friends announced they were pregnant. I just happened to be standing right between them when it happened. Even all these celebrities were suddenly pregnant. It seemed so unfair that people who weren't even trying or only trying a few weeks were pregnant and I wasn't.
In January, we had a little bump in our pregnancy plan. When I took the "5 day early" pregnancy test, a faint line appeared! I was shocked. By then, I had taken many tests and seen many negative tests so I knew it wasn't normal to see even a faint line on the test. I showed hubby and for a minute, he got excited too. Then he decided that it wasn't a dark enough line and it was probably nothing. I wasn't convinced so I took one the next day, and the day after that. The faint line appeared every day, but never got darker. The third day I took the test, I watched the line appear again. As I started to get excited, I realized that my period had come, a day early. I was so confused! What about the faint line on all those tests??? What did it mean??
I spent most of the day crying on and off. I was used to getting my period every month by then, but it never followed such hope. That line on the test had really thrown me for a loop. Thank goodness I had my son to take care of. It's what got me out of bed that day and what kept me going. My heart was broken.
After a few days of confusion, I decided to call a close friend and ask her opinion. She told me that it sounded like something called a "chemical pregnancy" and that I should continue taking pregnancy tests to see if the line was still there. I did and yes, the line was still faintly appearing. I googled "chemical pregnancy" and figured out what it is. Basically, the egg is fertilized but doesn't implant in your uterus. Your body thinks it's pregnant hence the faint line on the test. Apparently, it happens to a lot of woman but they don't know unless they've taken one of those early tests. Most women just think it's their period when it happens.
I made an appointment to see the doctor but I had plans to leave for the Dominican Republic (DR) later that week and they couldn't get me in until after I came home. The nurse agreed that it sounded like a chemical pregnancy and told me to bring a test to the DR with me and take it in 5 days. I did as she suggested and that test was negative. The hormone was finally out of my system.
When we returned from our trip at the end of January, I saw the doctor and reported the results to him. He told me that although it didn't feel like a good thing, the chemical pregnancy was actually a positive sign. He said, "It means you can conceive, it just wasn't the right egg and the right sperm." He told me that most women who come in with problems getting pregnant usually appear within a month or two pregnant. I laughed and told him that because of upcoming November travel plans we were taking a break until April or May. I even made an appointment to see a masseuse in May and get a fertility massage. Hey, it couldn't hurt right?
Now let's back up to that fateful week in January when I first found out I wasn't pregnant: January 17th. After I called my friend to ask her opinion, she told me all about charting my cycle. She sent me a book and a website and told me to go buy a basal body thermometer. I was supposed to take my temperature at the same time every morning and chart it on this website. The website used that, plus other info, to determine which were my most fertile days. This was mid-January so I figured I could chart at least 3 months and get a pretty good idea of the best days for us to try again in April.
Now let's travel to the Dominican Republic where I was recovering emotionally from the chemical pregnancy. For those of you who read the entry "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" you probably know all about the highlights of the trip! (You can read it all here! http://coffeeaddictedmommy.blogspot.com/2012/01/yellow-polka-dot-bikini.html) My mom and dad ended up watching A a lot that trip to give hubby and I some time alone. Also, remember the myth of the Mama Juana? Yep, Mama Juana is a rum referred to by the locals as "Dominican baby making juice" and "Dominican Viagra". Even though hubs and I drank Mama Juana several nights, we made sure to be careful. At least, we were careful every night but ONE. That night was the first night we went out together. It was also on day 9 of my cycle and my period had pretty much just ended. We didn't even think anything of it.
 |
| Mama Juana! |
A month later, I was back home and getting ready to celebrate Valentine's Day. I was still charting my temperature every day too. A pregnant friend has just brought over a whole bunch of unused pregnancy tests-she obviously didn't need them anymore! As my cycle was ending, I noticed that my temperature had stayed high pretty much since we came back from vacation. I thought, "What the hell! I'm sure I'm not pregnant, but I have all these tests so I may as well take one for fun!" After all, we tried for about 5 months with no luck, why would we get pregnant after ONE time on vacation?
I took the test (for fun of course) and was shocked to see a faint line appearing. "Oh NO!" I thought, "Not a faint line again!" I went and got A dressed for school and when I returned to the bathroom, the line had gotten much darker. I started to really get excited, but didn't say anything to hubby yet. The next morning, I took another test and got the same result. Then I looked at the packaging and noticed that the test had expired in 2008!!! OH CRAP! Was this a fluke too??
I told hubs I needed to go get some gas and drove like a maniac to Walgreens. This time I didn't want any question so I spent the extra money on the Clearblue easy digital pregnancy test. I flew home as fast as I could and went to the bathroom to take the test. Within a minute, the most beautiful word in the world appeared. PREGNANT. HOLY SHIT! How can this be? After months of trying, all it took was one time on vacation? I guess hubby and I need to stop going on vacation to tropical Spanish speaking countries since A was conceived in Mexico and obviously #2 happened in the Dominican.
 |
| FINALLY! |
Surprisingly, I kept my secret for 4 or 5 days. I had been waiting so long for a fun way to tell hubby and what better time than on Valentine's Day? Unfortunately, I found out I was preggers on a Friday and Valentine's Day fell on a Tuesday. It was so hard to keep it from him. On Sunday, he almost caught me looking at a book for baby names, but I hid it under a blanket before he could see.
Finally, Valentine's day arrived! I made hubby a heart shaped cake and wrote "SURPRISE" in pink letters then put blue sprinkles all over it. I also bought a sparkly red box with a bow and put the pregnancy tests inside. Finally, I used the extra cake batter and icing to make cupcakes and wrote the word BABY across them. I waited nervously for him to come home. When he did, he didn't suspect a thing even when he saw the heart shaped cake. (The cupcakes were hidden). "Oh you made me a heart shaped cake! So sweet!" he said. Then he saw the red box. "You didn't have to get me anything", he remarked.
"Don't worry," I replied, "I made your gift." When he opened the box, the pregnancy tests fell out.
"Are you pregnant??" he asked. I nodded. He was shocked. Then he said, "Ew, you peed on that! Yuck!" (Hey, this is hubby we're talking about here!)
 |
| Hubby's special Valentine's Day cake |
We waited 5 weeks before the doctor would see us for our first ultrasound. I waited the whole time with bated breath. The pregnancy wouldn't feel real to me until I saw that baby and a heartbeat on an ultrasound. I wouldn't even bring out the maternity clothes or anything "baby". Finally, on Monday, March 19th, we had our first ultrasound. Yes, the baby was measuring at 9 weeks and everything was perfect. He or she has a strong heartbeat at 160 beats per minute!
.jpg) |
| Here's the little jellybean now. Hard to believe within 2-3 weeks this will actually look like a baby! |
I could now have some fun telling our families! When I got pregnant with A in 2008, it wasn't much of a surprise to anyone. Everyone knew we were trying. In fact, I was so excited that I had actually told everyone what day I was taking the pregnancy test and then called everyone immediately to tell them the news. Since this baby was a surprise even to me, I decided to have some fun with delivering the big news!
I sent my parents pink and blue M and M's that said, "We're pregnant!" My mom was hilarious because her first thought was, "I'm on a diet, why is she sending me M and M's???" Then she couldn't read the writing so she had to take them outside. She finally realized what they said and called me immediately! She's so excited for her second grandchild to arrive!
We sent my mother-in-law roses at her office with a card that said, "Your ninth grandchild is on the way! We're pregnant!" She was shocked. She called to congratulate me and told me that the florist had called her before he came to see where her office was. She waited impatiently wondering who the heck was sending her flowers and for what reason. When the flowers arrived, the delivery man (who knew what the card said already) told her that he'd like to wait for her to open the card. When she did, he told her how much he wished we could have seen her face!
I gave my sister a birthday card because her birthday is 3 days after my due date. It said "Happy Early Birthday" on the front. Inside the card, I made a coupon that said "A coupon for one free niece or nephew to be delivered mid October 2012" Her reaction? "I'm getting a real gift too right???" But seriously, she was excited for us.
I sent my sister-in-laws and aunt a photo of A and I. I got the idea off Pintrest. I know I usually hate Pintrest but for this it served it's purpose. In the photo, A is holding the #1 and I am holding the #2 with an arrow to my belly. I'm also holding the ultrasound pic. They all figured it out right away and were thrilled! I'm using the same photo to announce the news to my Facebook friends this week.
Now that we have made it to 10 weeks, I feel more relaxed about things, especially since we saw the doctor. One of the best parts about being pregnant with #2 is that I should have plenty material to blog about the next 7 months!
If you are still reading, thank you for taking this journey with me tonight and for celebrating with me. There is so much more to say, but I think I'll save it for another night. Especially because being in the middle of the first trimester while trying to take care of a three year old is EXHAUSTING! That's all for now. Good night and thank you!
----CoffeeAddictedMommy times TWO!
Oh my gosssssssssssssshhhh!! Cara!!!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy for you! I loved your story so much!
Every month of a non pregnant test result feels like an eternity honey!
I am so happy for you and I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers for a safe, uneventful pregnancy! Loved the way you shared the news with your pic - so cute!
xo
DG
So excited for you! Watching a young couple build thier family is such a sweet exciting thing. Congratulations (and... Mazel tov! right?)
ReplyDeleteAngie
So happy for you!
ReplyDeleteso,so, so happy for you guys!!!!
ReplyDelete