I am adding a new section to my blog for pregnancy and first time Moms as I go through the same journey! My husband and I are pregnant for the first time with a baby girl! I am hoping to add some useful posts and share our experiences to help others going through a similar time in their life.
When I first took the pregnancy test and saw a double line, I told my husband who was then still asleep I “may” be pregnant! He wondered how I could “maybe” be pregnant. Ladies, as I am sure many of you are aware especially when trying to get pregnant and having those times where you almost imagine the second line showing, you don’t want to get your hopes up unless you for sure know you are pregnant! Well this test was one of those maybes… a faint second line.
I always chose the early result tests, so I could find out as soon as possible and adjust myself to the healthiest diet possible. Well, early result tests are more expensive and the ones that clearly lay our “Pregnant” or “Not Pregnant”, while still being early result are even more expensive. If trying to conceive for awhile this will make an impact on your wallet, which you don’t need when saving for the new baby. Long and short I went to the store and splurged on the more expensive, very clear test which sure enough verified we were indeed “Pregnant.”
When you first find out you are pregnant it is such an exciting yet nerve wrecking time. Many questions may race through your head…. Whose family should I tell first? When should we tell them? How should we tell them? When do I let my friends know? When do I tell my coworkers? What dietary restrictions do I need to follow? What do I need to stop doing? Can I continue to exercise? When should I schedule my first Doctor appointment? How can we be good parents? It can all become a blur, as you try to sort everything out. Over the next several posts I plan to go into more details on personal experience and suggestions.
Take a deep breath in and then out. Celebrate and enjoy this precious time! Try to relax and put aside some of the many questions bombarding your head. You will make great parents and you have plenty of time to make the many decisions in the next 9 months.
Tell your family in your own time. We chose to tell both of our families immediately as we wanted them to be a part of every moment, even taking the chance we could have some hard news to share later if anything unexpected happened.
Take your time telling friends and coworkers. We waited until about 15 weeks to tell friends and coworkers our exciting news. While this seemed like a long time, since it was our first pregnancy we wanted to wait awhile to be sure our baby made it through the first trimester and even a little beyond.
Talk to your Doctor about exercise and the activities you can continue to do. As long as you are having a healthy pregnancy they typically allow you to continue exercises/ activities (within reason) that you were doing before. Listen to your body, it will let you know when you need to slow down. I was an avid runner prior to pregnancy, running several races a year. I continued running beyond 30 weeks, however my pace and length dramatically slowed down by the end of those 30 weeks. I always spoke to my Doctor at each appointment just confirming I was good to go on anything I had upcoming, which I recommend to anyone pregnant. This week I am 33 weeks pregnant and I plan to walk a 5K on Thanksgiving. I plan to continue being as active as my body will allow until I give birth, hoping it will help make the labor easier… We shall see!
Call your Doctor as soon as you find out your pregnant, some practices have different guidelines for when they want to set up your first appointment. My practice wanted to wait until 8-9 weeks since my LMP, as they wanted to be sure the ultrasound would show the embryo. It was nerve wrecking waiting for those 4-5 weeks after I found out we were pregnant to have the confirmation of pregnancy visit. Try to relax and enjoy this time as your body adjusts to all the upcoming changes.
Finally, congratulations on your journey! It is truly a miracle!