Last year I felt the maternal tug again, and started hounding my hubby about getting pregnant. He finally agreed in March this year. A month after I took my last pill, I did a home pregnancy test twice but both came out negative. I started researching online about how long it takes approximately for women to get pregnant after they start trying, and was horrified to learn that the pill actually makes your body think it is in menopause, and so will not produce eggs. There were sad stories of women who tried for years and years and who had to resort to fertility drugs to concieve. So I thought then that I should be prepared for that eventuality, though I hadn't been on the pill that long.
In early May, I took a couple of days off work for severe heartburn, exhaustion and dizziness, and it didn't even occur to me! I took some Zantac for the heartburn and lay on the couch all day. My hubby then said, "Maybe you're pregnant?" I scoffed at him and said, "No way." He made me get an HPT kit anyway. On May 7 while he was making breakfast, I came out of the bathroom into the kitchen waving the stick, and casually said, "So do you want to save this for the baby book?" Yup, we were pregnant!
I did a second test that same day and went to the walk-in clinic on the weekend --both tests were positive. After two weeks I went to see a maternity doctor for the first time, got all preliminary bloodwork done, and because there was a confusion as to my due date, she had me scheduled for an ultrasound scan. It was to be either December 2010 or January 2011. (Hubby would like the baby to come in January so "he" wouldn't be the runt in the hockey team.)*
The days that followed were filled with library books about eating healthy, lots of time online window-shopping for baby stuff and creating ridiculously early baby registries, and frustration at not being able to announce because one, we wanted to make sure of the due date first, and two, I was stupidly waiting for the first trimester to be over, and the supposed dangers of miscarriage will have lessened by then. I quit caffeine, had a relatively short bout of headaches and extreme tiredness, was constantly eating but thank goodness, not putting on weight, and even went shopping for gently used maternity pants, already! Then I couldn't stand it anymore--we had to tell our families, and Big J especially. We'd gotten her a 'big sister' shirt, and when she opened the package, she didn't understand at first. When she finally clued in, she was so happy and excited She ran up and down the hallway screaming and jumping up and down! Then she wore the shirt to hubby's parents' house, and it was funny and heartwarming all at the same time seeing their reactions. It took Grandpa a while to realize the meaning of the shirt, Grandma lost her composure but in fairness did not cry, aunties and uncle were happy and excited, and Great Grandma was rendered speechless for half an hour. Big J also broke the news to my parents over the phone and they were happy too, and already planning the big trip across the ocean!
After all this, one night I sat on the couch and told hubby that I still could not believe it. Imagine getting pregnant within two months of trying, and for a while there I thought we would have to wait a long time. And because it's early in the pregnancy and my symptoms had virtually disappeared, I kept thinking it was all false alarm, a big joke, that maybe I had some kind of condition that made the tests appear positive. To humour me, hubby went to the pharmacy and got me another HPT kit (and a bag of cheezies at my request). Still positive. How many tests do I need to do? And I mean, my tummy looks like it's getting bigger. Thank God after another couple of weeks, people at work started noticing and asking. Phew, it must be real then. Hubby thinks I'm nuts.
Yesterday we finally went for the ultrasound scan. Hubby had this wonderful, idiotic grin on his face as we saw our peanut already doing somersaults at 5cm! It's so amazing how something so tiny can be so complete, so perfectly formed--arms and legs that were busy kicking and waving around, a heart rate of 160bpm. I'm only sad because kids are not allowed in the room, because I think Big J would have loved seeing baby brother or sister inside the tummy like that. She had to make do with pictures, and then she couldn't stop giggling when I described to her how the baby was rolling around.
(Pic 1. Peanut as seen sideways, just perfect. Pic 2, Looking down on Peanut's head, arms are crossed in front of him.)
And so now the scan has put my due date somewhere in the second half of December. Hubby's colleague at work joked that at least there's nothing going on that time of the year. Hubby tells his mom, either we have a brand new baby or a hugely pregnant lady on Christmas, or be opening presents at the hospital. For me, the only present that will matter then is the bundle of squirmy baby I will be holding in my arms.
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