My pregnancy

I found out I was pregnant on April 1, 2012. April Fools!!! Well, not quite. It definitely came as a surprise. I was already almost 2 months in. After getting over the shock (well, having some of it wear off at least) I went to the doctor and was told I would be getting the first ultrasound that day. That caught me off guard a bit, but it was a great experience. I heard the heartbeat, and it was precious...and incredibly fast! From there I had a pretty decent pregnancy experience. I didn't have much morning sickness. I mainly just dry heaved a lot, especially when brushing my teeth. TMI?? Sorry! (By the way, that will probably happen a lot in this blog! I like to give the true account of what happens.)

The biggest change I had during my pregnancy was definitely my breasts getting bigger. I mean 2+ cup sizes bigger! See? I told you, TMI! But this was a pretty big adjustment for a girl that by no means had the problem of being too big before getting pregnant. Surprisingly, my belly is the thing that did not get bigger. Not for quite some time at least. I was a good 7 months in before you could really tell I was pregnant. Thankfully, that meant I didn't have to deal with as many strangers assuming that I was okay with having no personal space anymore just because I was pregnant. People were usually surprised if I actually told them I was pregnant!

I also didn't have too many cravings. I mainly just wanted cucumber and tomato salad a lot. (It's just cucumbers, tomatoes, seasonings, and Italian dressing, but it's quite tasty.) This was the biggest surprise food wise because before being pregnant, I wouldn't touch the stuff! The only other main thing I craved for a while was brunswick stew. But I love brunswick stew, so I was okay with that. My appetite didn't increase too much actually. I only gained 25lbs throughout the pregnancy. I knew that weight had to come off at some point, so I tried to be conscious of what and how much I ate.

The biggest scare I had during my pregnancy was definitely sun poisoning. I went to the beach for my birthday (which is in the middle of July), and I thought I was being cautious of the sun. Apparently, not cautious enough. I am really fair-skinned, so sunburns have always been something I have dealt with. But I had never had anything like this. I was in so much pain, I was sick to my stomach, my enitre body was shaking, my lips became covered in blisters, and my legs turned purple (like Barney purple!). I ended up going to the hospital because I was concerned it could have something to do with my circulation (the purple color went away when my legs were elevated). But after dealing with the rudest doctor I have ever encountered I was told it was just sun poisoning. As the doctor put it, "You are pale, so haven't you ever had a sunburn before?!?" I was so irritated by that. I told him that I had had more than my fair share but never one that involved purple legs!! Rude doctor! The affects of the poisoning eventually faded, but they definitely took some time.

The worst parts of being pregnant?

• My hair falling out. I did not experience the lustrous locks everyone raves about! Nor did I have the famed pregnancy glow!
• The out-of-control emotional roller coaster. One minute I was jumping for joy and the next I was balling my eyes out.
• Some of the more unpleasant side affects that happen to your body such as loss of your belly button (mine still doesn't look the same), the line that goes from your belly button down (it appeared during the last 2 weeks of pregnancy and still won't go away), and let's just say bodily fluids are just not the same when you are pregnant.
• Getting exhausted so easily! No more 6hr shopping trips for me.

The best parts of being pregnant?

• Being able to bond with my child in a way that no one else in the world will ever be able to do!
• Feeling her kick and move for the first time and every time after that. Even when it feels like she is trying to kick her way out.
• Getting to break out the "But I'm pregnant!" excuse! LOL, not that I did that or anything!!  :)
• Having KT feel my tummy to feel her kick and watching this big smile spread across his face. I knew then he would be a great Daddy, and he is!!

Everything else went pretty normal. The third trimester was absolutely the worst. I was exhausted, sick to my stomach, dry heaving again, and just flat out over being pregnant. My doctor (she was amazing, by the way!) warned me it would just get worse until it was over, and she was 100% right! So finally, the week of my due date, November 11, came and my doctor offered to induce me the Friday before my due date. This was November 9. Due to the convenience of it for all of our family out of town, I agreed to be induced...

Skip on over to "My Delivery" to find out how my labor and delivery went. Although, if you are about to have a baby you may not want to read. I warn you I did not have the easiest of deliveries.