water-fairy's Pregnancy Story
Posted
Wednesday, May 06, 2009 7:03 PM
"I kept staring at that tiny ultrasound picture all the way back from the doctor's. We were having a baby!"
A rough beginning
I still can’t believe we are actually about to have a baby in a few months. I can only try to imagine how this will change our lives.
My husband Marco and I have been together for 4 years now. We got married 2 1/2 years ago, and despite the fact that we wanted to start trying for a baby right away, the timing was just off. Our plans included moving from Milan, Italy to the Bay Area, CA for his job. Our new life in California started a year ago and by the end of last summer we finally took the big step. How lucky were we to get a positive pregnancy test right the first month? Unfortunately, it didn’t last. It was disappointing, heartbreaking, and furthermore, I had to travel to Europe alone for the several weeks that followed this unhappy event. And so the baby quest was put off once again…
As luck would have it
It was when I got back from Europe that it happened. We were in disbelief at first, having gone through a chemical pregnancy months earlier, so I just kept testing with HPTs. A bunch of them! I won’t say how many, but I guess I wanted to be sure before calling my OB/GYN to set up another appointment. At our first appointment (6w3d) we were able to see a teeny tiny heart beating at 105 bpm. It had just started out, the OB/GYN said. (Such a relief!) I kept staring at that tiny ultrasound picture all the way back from the doctor’s office. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that there was a real human being growing inside of me. We were having a baby!
Getting through first tri
My first trimester was easy. (Lucky, I guess!) I didn’t have morning sickness, or food aversions, and I didn't even have a huge appetite. Maybe I had a little too much sensitivity to smells, but overall I can’t complain. Fatigue, on the other hand, hit me hard, but I was glad I wasn’t hugging the toilet seat multiple times a day like some of my friends. The bean was growing healthy and I was in great shape. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
As weeks passed by it became better and better. My fatigue is long gone and mood swings are less frequent (for which my husband is grateful). All of it was a bit unreal. I mean, I knew I was pregnant: We saw the baby multiple times on ultrasounds and heard the heartbeat, but it still didn’t feel real. Not until I started getting the first flutters/pops did I really believe it. Unlike many other first-time moms, I started feeling movement very early on, around 14 weeks. It was so unexpected. My doctor said it was probably because I am skinny. I had the impression it was because this baby was going to be a very active little one. And I was not mistaken. Full-blown kicks and hiccups started around 17 weeks. Both my husband and I could feel and see the baby move, which is absolutely the most exciting thing of all. Now, at 26 weeks, it feels like an earthquake. Even a little alien-ish, if you ask me. I call him 'my little monster.' We had absolutely no idea we could see my belly move so much… The things you learn!
Oh, BOY!
In all honesty, we did have a slight preference for a baby girl when we first started TTC. Well, not me as much as my husband. He just loved the idea of a ‘daddy’s little girl.' He is getting equally excited for our little boy now, though it was a shock initially -- despite the fact that I tried telling him (more than once) that it was going to be a boy (call it my maternal instinct if you wish!) But now we both can’t wait to meet our little guy!
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