The First Preggo Post
As of today--based on the first day of my last cycle--I am 6 weeks and 3-4 days pregnant! I've only told a handful of people, which is why I probably won't publish this post publicly any time soon, but I still want to chronicle the pregnancy anyway, as it is my first...ever.
What has surprised me most about being pregnant is the amalgam of emotions. I range from gleeful and happy to worried and terrified. I'm also anxious about all the changes to my body that have already started, excited about going through such an amazing milestone, and eager to meet our little one. I have been addicted to reading baby websites to track the progress of the little bean's development and what to expect from body for this week. I am very much looking forward to seeing the little bean on the ultrasound, and I hope everyday for a healthy baby and easy pregnancy. When I think about the actual process of childbirth, it terrifies me as the unknown always does. This is slightly different since I know that extreme pain is involved, but there isn't really any turning back now. As with everything else, I don't like letting fear of something drive my decisions, so for the time being, I will live in denial of the pain to come, and deal with it when I get to that bridge. It is still 8-9 months away, which is (hopefully) ample time for me to become mentally prepared. Being 6 weeks preggo is really early to be worried about contractions, dilation, and pushing.
Dave & I had agreed to keep the pregnancy quiet for a while because we are a little worried about miscarriage. I have a friend who told me she was pregnant at 5 weeks, but within 3 weeks or she she had miscarried. I was so sad for her and had no words of comfort to offer, as I could not imagine what that would feel like. Watching her go through that has made me a little more tight-lipped about announcing our news than I would otherwise. It is in my nature to tell everyone, but in the event that we have to deal with a miscarriage, I don't want to have to tell everyone the bad news repeatedly. However, as I told Dana, the people that I have told thus far are the ones that would probably be my support network if something like that happens, so I don't regret sharing with the few that know. Our parents will be told next, and the only reason we haven't told them yet is 1) we want to share the news in person; and 2) I would like to have the first ultrasound pictures to give them when we tell. #2 isn't really required, but if the timing of my appointment coincides with when his parents will be in town, then why not? I want to tell my mom sooner than later, but knowing her, she won't want to keep it a secret. If all her friends really do ask her if we're pregnant yet as much as she says, then I don't want her to have to lie since we won't publicly announce it for another month-and-a-half or so.
After my maternity leave, I plan to quit my job to be with my family. I do not want to give up the few short years of his/her/their childhood. Being in an office just doesn't seem as important to me. It's definitely not something I'm going to look back on and regret missing. Life in that office hasn't changed much in the last 10 years (trust me--I know...I was there), so I feel confident in saying that I probably won't be missing anything by choosing to be with my family but I would definitely regret missing my kid(s) growing up.
Right now, I look around my house and see so many things that want to be different. I'd like to paint and decorate the living room and kitchen, finish painting the loft, set up a nursery for the baby, etc., but when I think about how much my life is going to change, I find that I have to weigh exactly which things are important to me before the baby arrives.
I definitely want to put up a backsplash in the kitchen. Once the baby is born, I highly doubt that I will spare the time or money to do it and having it would make my clean-the-kitchen chore much easier. I also want to paint the loft and set up the green room as the nursery. It's already an appropriate color whether the baby is a boy or a girl, and the accent colors will probably determine how feminine or masculine the room ends up being. Aside from that, there are some picture frames I want to fill and hang and some furniture I want to get to replace what we have. The painting of the living room and kitchen aren't really all that necessary, so if there is time, inclination, and/or money for it, it'll get done.
When I asked Dave what he thought about setting up a nursery, it didn't seem like something we *have* to do. He made the point that the baby will probably be sleeping in our room for a long while, so rushing to set up a room for the baby isn't really a high priority. After he put it in those terms, I think I agree with that perspective. Quite honestly, the baby will probably be in our room for a while, but I think it's important to have a room for the baby. We will have a place to put all the baby's clothes, diapers, toys, books, etc. The few things I will insist on getting are a stroller, carseat, crib (that can be converted to a bed), changing table, and Diaper Genie. Other than that, everything else will really be superfluous.
What has surprised me most about being pregnant is the amalgam of emotions. I range from gleeful and happy to worried and terrified. I'm also anxious about all the changes to my body that have already started, excited about going through such an amazing milestone, and eager to meet our little one. I have been addicted to reading baby websites to track the progress of the little bean's development and what to expect from body for this week. I am very much looking forward to seeing the little bean on the ultrasound, and I hope everyday for a healthy baby and easy pregnancy. When I think about the actual process of childbirth, it terrifies me as the unknown always does. This is slightly different since I know that extreme pain is involved, but there isn't really any turning back now. As with everything else, I don't like letting fear of something drive my decisions, so for the time being, I will live in denial of the pain to come, and deal with it when I get to that bridge. It is still 8-9 months away, which is (hopefully) ample time for me to become mentally prepared. Being 6 weeks preggo is really early to be worried about contractions, dilation, and pushing.
Dave & I had agreed to keep the pregnancy quiet for a while because we are a little worried about miscarriage. I have a friend who told me she was pregnant at 5 weeks, but within 3 weeks or she she had miscarried. I was so sad for her and had no words of comfort to offer, as I could not imagine what that would feel like. Watching her go through that has made me a little more tight-lipped about announcing our news than I would otherwise. It is in my nature to tell everyone, but in the event that we have to deal with a miscarriage, I don't want to have to tell everyone the bad news repeatedly. However, as I told Dana, the people that I have told thus far are the ones that would probably be my support network if something like that happens, so I don't regret sharing with the few that know. Our parents will be told next, and the only reason we haven't told them yet is 1) we want to share the news in person; and 2) I would like to have the first ultrasound pictures to give them when we tell. #2 isn't really required, but if the timing of my appointment coincides with when his parents will be in town, then why not? I want to tell my mom sooner than later, but knowing her, she won't want to keep it a secret. If all her friends really do ask her if we're pregnant yet as much as she says, then I don't want her to have to lie since we won't publicly announce it for another month-and-a-half or so.
After my maternity leave, I plan to quit my job to be with my family. I do not want to give up the few short years of his/her/their childhood. Being in an office just doesn't seem as important to me. It's definitely not something I'm going to look back on and regret missing. Life in that office hasn't changed much in the last 10 years (trust me--I know...I was there), so I feel confident in saying that I probably won't be missing anything by choosing to be with my family but I would definitely regret missing my kid(s) growing up.
Right now, I look around my house and see so many things that want to be different. I'd like to paint and decorate the living room and kitchen, finish painting the loft, set up a nursery for the baby, etc., but when I think about how much my life is going to change, I find that I have to weigh exactly which things are important to me before the baby arrives.
I definitely want to put up a backsplash in the kitchen. Once the baby is born, I highly doubt that I will spare the time or money to do it and having it would make my clean-the-kitchen chore much easier. I also want to paint the loft and set up the green room as the nursery. It's already an appropriate color whether the baby is a boy or a girl, and the accent colors will probably determine how feminine or masculine the room ends up being. Aside from that, there are some picture frames I want to fill and hang and some furniture I want to get to replace what we have. The painting of the living room and kitchen aren't really all that necessary, so if there is time, inclination, and/or money for it, it'll get done.
When I asked Dave what he thought about setting up a nursery, it didn't seem like something we *have* to do. He made the point that the baby will probably be sleeping in our room for a long while, so rushing to set up a room for the baby isn't really a high priority. After he put it in those terms, I think I agree with that perspective. Quite honestly, the baby will probably be in our room for a while, but I think it's important to have a room for the baby. We will have a place to put all the baby's clothes, diapers, toys, books, etc. The few things I will insist on getting are a stroller, carseat, crib (that can be converted to a bed), changing table, and Diaper Genie. Other than that, everything else will really be superfluous.
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