One Preggo Mama

So, I'm pregnant. And I'm 23 weeks pregnant. And I only found out 4 days ago. Yikes! The baby is due July 30, 2014, and while we are absolutely over the moon, it only gives us a mere 4 months to prepare. Baby weighs just over a pound, and is the size of a large mango/grapefruit. AHHH!

With a 1 lb mango for comparison!

First, we want to give total honor and glory to God for this amazing opportunity. While finding out this late is certainly not ideal, He had a reason for everything happening the way it did, and we are so thankful and grateful for His provision and safe-keeping for the past five months. God has blessed us with our very own one-of-a-kind miracle, and we will never be able to thank Him enough for the privilege to raise this child together.

On Monday, I felt God nudging me to go take a pregnancy test. I was absolutely baffled, but I went to Shoppers and bought the cheapest test humanly possible (that being an $11.49 Life brand test on sale... holy moley, are pregnancy tests expensive!). I actually took the test in the washroom at my office, and lo! A positive test. That being said, I noticed that something weird was going on with my body. In the past week I'd 'bloated' really bad, and it wouldn't go away. I mean, I eat the same thing every day, never exceed 1000 mg of sodium in a day, and drink tons of water. So the bloating was very strange to me... In addition, I'd been feeling 'movement' in my tummy - not gas bubbles, but something different, and I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. After I took the HPT, I went to the doctor and took a test, and the confirmed that I was pregnant. They gave me a requisition for an ultrasound, and home I went. I had originally booked the ultrasound for Monday, April 7, and then decided I was too impatient to wait, so we rescheduled for Wednesday this week and got the shock of our lives when the ultrasound technician told us that I was 23 weeks along, and due around July 30th. 

A lot of people are probably wondering how I managed to make it this far without realizing I was pregnant. If any of you figure it out, please let me know - I'm dying to know how I missed a fetus taking up space in my body for the past 5 months as well... Haha, but no seriously. The long and short of it is that I have a ton of health issues - for anyone who knows me, they know I'm a walking disaster. The weight I've lost has been hugely beneficial, but has also thrown my body into shock - as it tried to normalize and function the way a 'healthy' weighted body should function. 

That being said, back in early- to mid-October, I thought I was pregnant. I took a bunch of tests, even went for an ultrasound, just to make sure I wasn't getting false negatives. The thing was, at that time, I was exhibiting every stereotypical pregnancy symptom known to man, with no explanation. Mere weeks later, we conceived - unbeknownst to us - and so the pregnancy symptoms that I'd been experiencing earlier in October continued, even though this time, I actually was pregnant. I had NO clue.

I was nauseous October/November, but that subsided soon thereafter. I was very hungry earlier this year, and couldn't figure out why - and while I never refused myself food when I was hungry, I can't believe I maintained such huge self-control considering the fact that my body was making a baby the whole time. That would also explain why I was so tired earlier this year - to the point of physical exhaustion - I could sleep anywhere at any time. In January, I started experiencing severe sinus issues - despite flushing my sinuses with a saline solution twice a day, nothing helped. Every day (even now), I experience headaches - which are untouched by medication. Currently, I only experience mild nausea when the baby squishes my stomach - especially after eating. Over the past two weeks, I've noticed an incredible increase in frequency and intensity of movement - this little one takes after his active father, that's fo sho. And it's only been in the past week and a half that I've actually started to show - but every day I wake up and my 'baby bump' is larger than the previous day. That being said, I definitely do not look like I'm harboring a 23-week baby in my stomach. In my opinion, it looks like I got a little cray cray eating cheesecake and other such indulgent food.

 

 

I haven't had many cravings over the past 5 months... when I first got pregnant, I was on an apple kick. I would eat about 8 apples a day, and couldn't get enough of them. Around February, I lost myself in melons - watermelons, cantaloupes, and honeydew. And recently I've really had a hankering for eggs. Over the past week, I've found myself craving lactose-free, sugar-free vanilla ice cream.

Some people are probably worried about how the baby is doing considering my lifestyle and diet. The baby is perfectly fine - developmentally on track, as far as the ultrasound goes. I've spoken to my doctor and naturopathic doctor about my diet and lifestyle, and both are in full agreement that not only has the weight loss significantly benefited my pregnancy, but in not knowing I was pregnant for so long, my diet is probably one of the only things that has kept the baby as healthy as it is, considering the lack of medical care and intervention I've had. Again, I never starved myself - any time I was hungry, I ate. I did not overindulge, but I satisfied my hunger with healthy and nutritious alternatives. I drink more than enough water, and take vitamins and supplements daily to supplement those nutrients that I don't get through my diet. Since finding out that I'm pregnant, I have started taking a prenatal vitamin, and I've also allowed myself an extra 300 calories per day to accommodate the rapidly growing baby in my belly. That being said, most days I'm not hungry enough to eat all 300 extra... but I do my best to accommodate my hunger and my baby. My weight is where it should be at this point in the pregnancy, and from here on I'll be gaining weight with the growing baby - and that's okay with me :)

We could have found out the gender of the baby on Wednesday at the ultrasound, but were unable to as the baby was extremely active. We're hoping to find out at the next ultrasound :)

Like I mentioned earlier, Josh and I are still in shock, but we're over the moon. Anyone who knows me knows that my life-long dream has been to be a mom, and the discouragement and frustration I've experienced over the past couple of years in not having the opportunity fall into my lap has been really hard. I'm elated that my time has finally come, and that after years of knowing what I wanted to do in life, I actually get to DO it. It's hard watching everyone else go to school and graduate and get jobs in their fields of choice, knowing what careers they want to pursue and achieving them. For so long I have known that my career in life is to be a mom, and I finally get to be one!! And while I'm sure the magnitude of how our lives are going to change in a matter of months hasn't fully hit us yet, Josh and I are elated to be parents.

I'm so honored, privileged and humbled to be the mother of Josh's child. I couldn't ask for a better husband, friend or partner in this very wild, crazy, and unexpected adventure - and I know he's going to be an amazing father to any and all children God blesses us with.

So that sort of wraps up our story in a very small nutshell. If you have more questions or want to chat about it, please come and chat with us or give us a call or drop us an email. Yay! Babies everywhere!