Parents: Welcome to my blog section. I am a new mommy-to-be and I am so excited to share my journey with you all. I look forward to hearing your stories about motherhood/fatherhood.
Educators: I look forward to learning from other educators. This page is meant for collaboration, networking, and supporting one another so please do not hesitate to reach out if you need ideas to support your CPL, or strategies you can use in your classroom.
The day I realized I was pregnant is always a fun story to tell. For a couple weeks I had pondered the idea of what it would be like to get pregnant since my husband (fiancé at the time) and I have always discussed starting a family and knew that it was something we had both always wanted.
I knew a few weeks before that I had been feeling different, but I just brushed it off because I thought it was stress related, as our wedding was soon approaching. When I brought up my concerns to my cousin one night, who was already a few weeks pregnant at the time, she advised me to take a pregnancy test which I took comfort in having with me, but never in a million years did I think I would be a pregnant bride.
Knowing that the pregnancy test was in my purse that night and the next day made me question it more and more and I knew I had to take it and find out once and for all. Of course, when I did, I had no idea what I was even looking at. I immediately sent my cousin a message asking her for her opinion. I distinctively remember her saying “even if there’s a faded plus sign, it’s still positive.” That’s exactly what I was looking at when I read those words and I went into a slight state of panic. She asked me to send her a picture and when I did, the first words she typed back were “I’m going to throw up.” I remember running to the pharmacy to pickup a digital test and driving straight to her place. I still had no idea what was going on, or maybe I did but I needed to hear her say it. The digital test confirmed how far along I was. I remember asking, “why have I heard about false positives? What does that mean?” She said there were no false positives and that I was going to have a baby. We spent the remainder of the evening laughing and crying together. I thought, at least I had my best friend with me to go through this experience with.
I was really nervous but excited at the same time to share the news with my husband and I decided to share it with him by wrapping up the pregnancy test in a baby onesie. He took the news well after going outside for fresh air. When he came back in, he laughed and said “I’m going to be a daddy!” Preparing for a baby for the first time had us filled with so many emotions. For myself, I was happy to share the news with our friends and family, I was feeling a connection to the baby from the very beginning. The first trimester brought on some nausea, fatigue, and I could not handle smelling anything. I couldn’t believe how much I could smell from a distance and how much it affected me. The exhaustion I experienced was alien to me and I understood then what “zombie mode” truly meant. My energy and appetite came back in the 2nd trimester thankfully but that’s also when I experienced the worst mood swings. I would cry almost everyday and I couldn’t explain why expect that it was a very emotional and insecure time for me. My energy returned to me in time for our wedding and it was a magical day. I know everyone says that about their own wedding day, but on what was supposed to be a rainy day, it stopped just in time for my walk down the aisle at our outdoor ceremony. I think it had a lot to do with my attitude and how relaxed I felt. There was no need to be a bridezilla, I let the little tings go, and I spent most of that morning relaxing with a cup of tea and watching Hallmark movies while I got my hair and makeup done.
Now I’m sitting at my kitchen table writing this post just shy of 33 weeks. I shared those details about my wedding day because that’s how I am feeling now. Instead of feeling insecure, unprepared, and afraid, I am feeling powerful, positive, and I know my family and I are in good hands. The things that I should be struggling with now and would normally stress me out, are not. I have friends and family telling me what I need, what the baby will need. I have friends donating items to me that they no longer want. Everyone has their opinion which I can appreciate. Every parent has their own way of coping with the joys and challenges of altering their lives to make room for their precious baby. While we are still in the process of decluttering and just beginning to work on the nursery, while I still have many items on my registry that I have no clue if my baby or I will actually need it, and I’m slowly running out of energy and ready to throw in the towel, I actually take time for myself to sit and do nothing. I enjoy doing prenatal stretches and meditation to relax my body and to create those connections with my baby. Instead of scrambling around frantically about what has yet to be done, I am connecting with myself and changing the way I think. Instead of reading the 8 books that I got for Christmas about pregnancy and labour, I am feeling more prepared by going through the experience myself and reading material for my own pleasure. It doesn’t distract me from what’s about to come, but it helps me feel like I can do anything. I have learned to manifest my thoughts and I repeat to myself daily that I am grateful, my body is meant for this, and I can do this. For all the mommies to be who are reading this, you are meant for this, you are strong, and you are ready. You’ve got this.
I will keep you posted with my journey as often as I can. I am excited to share my challenges and my triumphs, and I can’t wait to connect with other mothers in the area. I have some fun ideas planned for outings with the kids in the summer and discussion topics for our monthly meetings. Keep breathing, you’re doing a great job.
