Pregnancy Stories

Kelly's Pregnancy Diary

2011-12-06T20:50:00Z

September 6
When I woke up at 4 a.m. feeling slightly sick, I decided to take a pregnancy test. I had taken one two days before, but it had been negative. Regardless, I took the last one in the pack—just to be sure. When the word “yes” appeared, I screamed to Justin, my sleeping husband, “It says yes!” Later in the morning, I went to Target and bought five more pregnancy tests...all of which were also positive! I was so excited—I was going to be a mom!

October 1
I’m a preschool teacher, so I told my class, “I have a baby in my belly!” Some of my students understood, although others were confused. They all were very excited, though, and eagerly discussed what the baby could be doing inside my bump. They said that my baby might be playing with trains, watching Dora the Explorer or doing puzzles.

December 20
I scheduled an ultrasound the day before Justin and I would be traveling to visit my family for Christmas. We couldn’t wait to find out the baby’s gender so we could tell everyone! Everyone thought we were having a boy, and Justin and I had even been referring to the baby as “him.” But when the technician put the wand on my belly, he said, “Well, it’s a girl!”

March 19
My baby shower was held in a beautiful tearoom, complete with scones, tea sandwiches and an adorable ladybug-shaped cake. It was so nice to visit with my family, many of whom I hadn’t seen since I’d found out I was pregnant. We got amazing gifts for our little girl; I was overwhelmed by how generous everyone was. It was the perfect day!

May 12
Justin and I arrived at the hospital at 10 p.m. My blood pressure was high, so I had to wait to get an epidural until my blood work results came back. My contractions were 90 seconds apart, and I was so overwhelmed with pain. Justin was super-supportive, constantly encouraging and reassuring me. Thankfully, once I got the epidural, there was less pain. At 6 a.m., it was time to push.

Everything was going great until my baby’s heart rate dropped—and wouldn’t come back up. I started to panic. How can this be happening? I thought. Luckily, the doctors were able to stabilize her within a few minutes, and Laine Gloria was born at 6:27 a.m. She was 7 pounds, 5 ounces, and 19.75 inches long. Fortunately, Laine was healthy—not to mention so beautiful! During the birth, I’d been terrified not knowing whether she was okay, but the second the nurse handed her to me, I was overcome with pure bliss. How could I possibly love someone this much?

>> Want to share the story of your pregnancy with TheBump? Email Bump Kathleen at kmulpeter@xogrp.com.

Sarah's Pregnancy Diary

2011-12-06T20:28:00Z

December 13

I’d miscarried in August, so my doctor was checking my progesterone levels—when he noticed they were high enough to indicate a pregnancy. I bought a test on my way home, but my extended family was in the house when I arrived, so I snuck upstairs to take it. It was positive! Once everyone left, I told my husband, Tom, the news. We were both elated, but because of our miscarriage, we knew anything could happen.

December 25

Tom and I decided to announce my pregnancy to my family on Christmas day at my parents’ home. I wanted to tell them in a special way, so I involved my friend Bev. We planned it so Bev was taking a family photo of us, when instead of saying “Say ‘cheese!’” she yelled, “Say, ‘Sarah’s pregnant!’” At first my family thought it was a joke, but once it sunk in, they hugged and kissed us.

January 6

I can’t even begin to describe the butterflies I felt on the day of my first ultrasound! I wanted to hear my baby’s heartbeat and be assured that my little one was healthy. After a few seconds (which felt like forever!), the image appeared on the screen: a beautiful flicker and my baby’s heartbeat! We were beyond excited.

March 10

My sister-in-law purchased a 4-D ultrasound for us so we could learn our baby’s gender at 16 weeks. After trying unsuccessfully for 20 minutes to determine the gender, the technicians suggested I stand up and move around. Finally, they froze the screen and asked if I knew what I was seeing. “Is it a boy?” I asked. It was! I had tears in my eyes; I was so thrilled and excited!

August 16

At my last prenatal appointment, when I was 38 weeks and 6 days pregnant, my doctor predicted that my baby would be born within 36 hours. Later that night, my contractions were measuring three minutes apart, so Tom and I drove to the hospital. Once we got there, a midwife suggested I walk around to speed up the contractions. Walking did the trick! Almost immediately, my contractions became stronger. By 9:40 p.m., I was 6 centimeters dilated and 100 percent effaced. I was taken to Labor & Delivery—coincidentally, to the same room where I’d given birth to my daughter, Jaelyn, 2 years and 10 months ago!

My birth experience was very calm. The room was dimly lit, and I was laid on my side to make my contractions more efficient. Once I started pushing, my son was born within 19 minutes! Logan arrived at 2:59 a.m. and weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and was 19 inches long. He was perfect!

>> Want to share the story of your pregnancy with TheBump? Email Bump Kathleen at kmulpeter@xogrp.com.

Sarah's Pregnancy Story

2011-10-13T15:57:00Z

July 18
When I woke up feeling a little “off,” my husband and I went to Walmart and bought a pregnancy test. It sounds cliché, but the three minutes after I took the test really did feel like the longest in my life! When I looked at the stick, my brain could only register one letter at a time until I read the full word: “pregnant.” I was in total shock!

August 6
When I was seven weeks pregnant, I had my first ultrasound appointment. It was so incredible—I loved being able to see and hear our baby’s heartbeat! The ultrasound helped my husband and I feel like the pregnancy was real. I couldn’t stop smiling; that little jelly-bean-shaped blob with a tiny, flickering heart was our baby! And in a matter of months, our little one would be in my arms.

November 18
I was 22 weeks pregnant, and we were very anxious to see how our baby was growing. At my second ultrasound, we were given the option of finding out the gender. We decided not to find out, but I have to say, it took a lot of willpower not to peek! My husband thought the baby would be a boy, but I had a feeling it was a girl.

February 18
My husband was offered a job in our home state. Since the salary would allow me to be a stay-at-home mom, it was wonderful—except the minor detail that I was only two weeks from being full-term! On February 18, when I was 35 weeks pregnant (and really uncomfortable!), we moved to our new home in a different state. Talk about messing with the “nesting instinct”!

March 9
At 38 weeks, I was diagnosed with preeclampsia, which can be life-threatening. So my doctor said my labor would need to be induced as soon as possible. On March 9, we arrived at the hospital, and they began the induction. After 12 hours, my doctor said my cervix wasn’t dilating enough and my blood pressure was out-of-control. When I wasn’t further along the next day, my doctor said she would allow me to get an early epidural to relax me and hopefully help me dilate.

Finally, at 9:06 a.m. on March 11, my beautiful daughter, Rylan Marie, was born. She was 6 pounds, 10.7 ounces, and measured 20.5 inches long. I feel incredibly blessed that both Rylan and I beat the odds—we had no complications and both ended up completely healthy. We’re so happy to have our perfect baby girl with us, and I’m so excited to be Rylan’s mom!

>> Do you want to share your pregnancy story with The Bump? Email Bump Kathleen at kmulpeter@theknot.com.

Tessa's Pregnancy Story

2011-10-05T16:17:00Z

March 24

After three months of endometriosis treatment, I was starting to get discouraged. One morning, I got up to go to the bathroom and decided to test. When I went back to check, I saw the test lying there—and there were two pink lines. I was in total disbelief and decided to take nine more tests to be sure. They were all positive! I rushed over to my husband, Joseph, to share the news. We cried and hugged. We felt so blessed to have been given this gift!

April 19

We were eager to see our baby at the first ultrasound appointment. My husband and I had tears of joy as we watched the Doppler beat away. It was the first time it finally hit us that we were going to be parents.

July 8

We were excited to find out the gender at the next ultrasound. My parents and sister decided to come along with me and my husband (it was a family affair, to say the least)—we all sat in the waiting room with bated breath awaiting our turn. The technician finally called us into the room. At first, the ultrasound technician couldn’t tell what the sex was—the baby wouldn’t sit still! A few minutes later, she checked again and announced that we’d be having a girl. We were ecstatic!

July 28

The first time I felt my baby moving was such a relief — she was healthy and okay. Some of my fondest moments were the nights we spent just leaving our hands on the top of my growing tummy, talking and singing to her as she tumbled around.

November 14

Time for my baby shower! A close friend organized and hosted the event at her home with delicious food and goodies. My family and friends gathered to celebrate our baby’s impending arrival. Everyone wanted to touch my belly and feel her move. We were so thankful to everyone who spoiled our little girl that day.

November 17

I woke up at 7:40 a.m. with abdominal pains. I rushed to the bathroom, at the same time yelling at my husband to wake up. Five minutes later, my water broke! I couldn’t believe it. We arrived at the hospital an hour later. My labor was progressing very quickly; the contractions were extremely strong. I finally got an epidural to ease some of the pain, but the midwife had to turn it off because it made pushing impossible (I couldn’t feel anything!). Once the epidural wore off, I pushed...and pushed...and pushed. Finally, at 6:01 p.m. Layla Grace was born into this world at 7 pounds, 12 ounces, and measuring 21 inches. She looked just like her father and was everything we thought she’d be, and more. We fell in love with her immediately and continue to fall in love over and over again every single day. Whenever anyone asks me if I remember life before Layla, I always say, “Yes, of course. But I couldn’t imagine my life without her now.”

>> Do you want to share the story of your pregnancy with The Bump? Email kmulpeter@theknot.com.

Elizabeth's Pregnancy Story

2011-09-20T21:27:00Z

August 27

I took a test early in the morning before I showered. It was negative. I got in the shower and cried. When I got out of the shower, I looked at the test again…there was a very faint line! When I woke up my husband, he said the line wasn’t dark enough to count, but I told him, “A line is a line.” Later, on my way to the blood lab, I stopped and bought a digital test. I took it in the bathroom of the blood lab. After three long minutes, the word “Pregnant” finally popped up! I was so excited that I called my husband right then and told him.

September 17

When I went to get the sonogram, my husband and I sat in the waiting room holding hands. We were so nervous we couldn’t talk. Finally, they called my name. As I walked to the ultrasound room, it felt like the hallway grew by 100 yards. It seemed to take forever. We got started, and finally, the technician said, “There’s a heartbeat.” A beautiful heartbeat of 106 beats per minute! I was in love.

December 6

At our 20-week ultrasound, my husband and I had the sonogram technician write the sex of the baby in an envelope. I held on to that envelope all day. That night, we went to the same restaurant where we’d had our first date. We gave the envelope to our waiter and asked him to take it to the bar and open it. We instructed him that if it said “boy,” he should bring us out a blue drink, and if it said “girl,” a pink drink. When the waiter came back to the table, he took the lid off the shaker and poured it—it was pink!

April 5

On Wednesday morning at the OB, my baby scored high on all of her tests, but she was measuring very small—in the third percentile—so my OB made us an appointment for a high-risk OB that afternoon. When we got there, the high-risk OB did a sonogram. He said that the baby looked good and that my fluid levels were a little low, but not bad. But he did say that my baby’s cord was constricted, so she was going to need to come out sooner rather than later. “What does ‘sooner’ mean?” my husband asked. The OB replied, “Oh…tonight!”

April 7

I was admitted to the hospital only hours after our appointment with the high-risk OB. In the operating room, they prepped me and gave me a spinal for my c-section. I could feel everything and was so worried I wasn’t going to go numb. I held my husband’s hands and stared at the ceiling. Finally, at 1:31 p.m., Katherine April was born. She weighed 4 pounds, 4 ounces, and was 18.5 inches long. She came out crying, and when I heard her, I started crying too. Katherine didn’t look anything like I had pictured, but she was so beautiful!

>> Want to share the story of your pregnancy? Email kmulpeter@theknot.com.

Jane's Pregnancy Story

2011-09-20T21:18:00Z

March 29
March 29 was the day after our one-year wedding anniversary. I woke up that morning expecting my period to start at any moment. When I still didn’t have it by noon, I decided to take a pregnancy test. I was by myself and fully expected a “negative”—but to my surprise, two lines appeared. The test was positive! I started jumping up and down, screaming and crying.

May 6
When I was nine weeks pregnant, I went to my first doctor’s appointment. I was excited but also nervous; with only the positive test for proof, my pregnancy didn’t feel real enough yet. I became even more anxious when the ultrasound technician had trouble finding our baby on the screen. Finally, she exclaimed, “Oh, there it is!” and pointed to a tiny blob. I couldn’t believe it—that blob was our baby! In that moment, it all became real.

July 2
My blood work suggested that our baby was at risk of having a disorder called trisomy 18. Although the chance was small, we rushed to the doctor’s office for an advanced ultrasound. I was in tears as I climbed onto the table. But as the ultrasound screen turned on, our baby pressed his hand up and “waved” with five outstretched fingers. It was incredible! Since clenched fists are a sign of trisomy 18, the wave meant that our baby was likely healthy.

July 15
Because only an amniocentesis could tell us for certain that our baby was fine, we scheduled one for two weeks later. My husband held my hand as the doctor inserted a giant needle into my belly. A strange, rolling sensation spread across my stomach. During the procedure, I watched, amazed, as our baby moved around on the monitor. It was incredible—I could simultaneously see and feel him moving inside of me. Thankfully, my amniocentesis came back normal!

October 24
When I was 33 weeks pregnant, my best friend threw me a beautiful baby shower at my favorite restaurant. It was a luncheon with brunch, cupcakes and bottomless champagne (virgin champagne for me, of course!). Chatting with my girlfriends and anticipating the arrival of my new baby was absolute bliss. I had no idea that I would give birth just four weeks later!

November 18
At 3 p.m. on November 18, I felt my first contraction. I couldn’t believe it—I was only at 37 weeks, so I’d expected to have more time. Little did I know that my baby had his own plan! My water broke at 10 p.m. that evening, and we headed to the hospital. At 3 a.m., I was still only dilated 1 centimeter. This is going to take forever, I thought.

At 5 a.m., after the most excruciating couple hours of my life, I was 10 centimeters dilated and ready to push. At 8:21 a.m. on November 19, Griffin Elliot Katz finally arrived! He weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and had a full head of dark hair and beautiful dimples. We were absolutely overwhelmed with emotion. When I held my gorgeous baby boy in my arms, I felt exhausted, excited and, most of all, thankful. He was perfect.

>> Want to share the story of your pregnancy? Email kmulpeter@theknot.com.

Heather's Pregnancy Story

2011-09-20T20:52:00Z

July 12
We got our BFP the day after my oldest son Finn’s third birthday. Our family was in town for the party, and they were getting ready to leave when we revealed the news. Before our second son, Riley, was born, my husband and I had put Finn in a shirt that read: “I’m going to be a big brother!” This time, we put the shirt on Riley. It didn’t take my mother-in-law very long to see Riley’s shirt and understand what was going on!

September 13
When I was 12 weeks pregnant, we made the announcement to our friends. I decided to post a funny picture of myself on Facebook to reveal the big news. In the picture, I had a protruding belly, my thumbs were up, and the caption said: “What has two thumbs and a baby in its belly? This girl!” It felt good to have the secret out!

October 29
When I showed my sons the ultrasound pictures, Finn was convinced that the baby was a girl. When I pointed out the baby’s different features, he asked, “Where’s her arm, Momma? Where’s her face?” He wanted to know why the picture was so dark, so I explained that the doctors used a machine to look inside my belly. “The baby is inside a machine?” Finn asked.

March 6
Since we were having our third baby, to say we didn’t need anything is an understatement! So instead of a shower, one of my girlfriends threw me a “Pamperpalooza” at a neighborhood restaurant. All the guests brought diapers for the new baby. The invitations were so cute and said: “Will she need pink? Will she need blue? No one is certain, but this much is true: She’s gonna need a lot of diapers for all of the poo!”

March 23
Todd and I arrived at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. on the morning of my scheduled c-section, and once we were there, everything moved at warp speed! I was given an epidural, and within seconds, my lower half was numb. Unlike my other births, I wasn’t sick and I didn’t have the shakes—it was bliss! Todd was enthusiastically snapping pictures and narrating to me what was going on when, all of the sudden—was that crying? “Uh, sorry, that’s my phone,” said our doctor, who apparently had a giggling baby ringtone!

Before I knew it, the baby was out. Todd exclaimed, “We’ve got a Kellen!” They brought him over to me wrapped up so I could kiss his little face. Once he was on my chest, he immediately lifted his head and looked up at me. Kellen Lincoln Lakes was 8 pounds, 8 ounces, and 21 inches long. We are so in love with our new little man!

>> Want to share the story of your pregnancy? Email kmulpeter@theknot.com.

Danielle's Pregnancy Story

2011-09-20T20:44:00Z

December 22

Eight days after my husband and I tried to conceive, I started spotting. I thought it was my period. I was disappointed, of course, but I knew that getting pregnant could be a long road. Two days later, the spotting slowed down and eventually stopped. I decided to take a test. The line was ever-so-slight; I wasn’t sure if I was seeing things! I took another test, and the line was much darker—I was pregnant!

January 15

When I was seven weeks pregnant, we went for an ultrasound to see our baby’s heartbeat. I remember being so nervous—I just wanted everything to be okay. The ultrasound technician found the heartbeat right away; it was a small but strong flicker on the screen. Up until then, we’d kept the pregnancy a secret, but seeing our little one’s heartbeat made us want to tell our family. That night was my mom’s birthday, so the news was a great present for her!

March 24

I’d gotten some worrisome results about my baby’s risk of Down syndrome from my AFP blood work, so I chose to have an amniocentesis done. As a result, the anatomy scan happened earlier than we’d planned. I was terrified of the amniocentesis, but it made it better that I got to see my baby on the screen for 20 minutes before the procedure! Luckily, when we got our results back, everything was okay.

May 21–24

My husband and I went on a babymoon in Amelia Island, Florida, and stayed in a quaint B&B. It was incredible to get away, just the two of us. We spent our days reading on the beach and went out for delicious dinners at night. The best part of the babymoon was the massages—they were so relaxing!

July 10

I feel lucky to have had three baby showers. My baby shower with my family was extra-special because my mom planned it all by herself. I know that it meant so much to her; I’m an only child, and my mom was just as excited to celebrate this baby as I was!

September 8

My due date was August 31—that day came and went. On September 7, a full week later, the doctor did some tests to make sure the baby was still doing well. He gave me strict “orders” to eat a spicy meal and have sex that night, and I was hopeful that those things might help move the baby along. I woke up at 2:30 a.m. with what I thought was a stomachache—but then I realized that the ache was moving in consistent waves. I was having contractions!

We got to the hospital around 4:30 a.m., and by that point, my contractions were pretty intense. I was given an epidural around 7 a.m., and about three hours later, I was ready to start pushing. My very last push was a big one, and Gabrielle literally flew out of me! She was 8 pounds, 1 ounce, and 20 inches long—and so beautiful.

>> Want to share the story of your pregnancy? Email kmulpeter@theknot.com.