Week 22

Week 20 and 21 went by so fast with the Christmas holidays that I completely forgot to blog. I feel like I completely missed 2 weeks of my pregnancy. The great thing is, we're that much closer to meeting our baby!

How Far Along: 22 Weeks

Baby Size: Papaya

Symptoms: Low blood pressure, fatigue, some back and hip aches

Weight Gain: 8 lbs total

Sleep: Starting to really need the body pillow. Everything feels more comfortable with it. Can't sleep on my back at all because I get short of breath

Best Moment of the Week: Having family want to feel kicks. Seeing the baby move my belly!

Worst Moment of the Week: Being so tired and not getting to sleep in.

Any cravings or aversions: Really digging guacamole right now.

Wedding ring on or off: On

Belly button In or Out: In

What I'm looking forward to: Sleeping! Christmas was so busy I'm looking forward to sleeping in.

What I miss: Putting my shoes on and off without having to sit. Putting my socks on without doing a tree yoga pose

Emotions: Excited and nervous. We are getting closer and closer

Nursery: Moved everything out that wasn't nursery related. It's ready for painting.

Shopping: Haven't done anything. 

To-do: Go to bed earlier

Week 19

How Far Along: 19 Weeks

Baby Size: Mango.

Symptoms: 
Low blood pressure. Feeling dizzy but this is getting less and less.
Frequent urination. Somedays it feels like all the time, other days not as much. I think it all depends where baby is sitting.
Fetal Movement. I can feel the baby move all the time. Love the little kicks or punches and rolling feeling

Weight Gain: Up 4.5lbs!

Sleep: I'm having trouble getting comfortable to fall asleep, but once I do I'm out until I wake up to pee. Sleeping solidly between those breaks.

Best Moment of the Week: Gilles feeling the baby kick! It was amazing to see his face. Hearing the heartbeat at 157. Realizing the baby responds to deep voices. Gilles has a deeper voice and I've noticed I get kicks more often when we're relaxing and talking.

Worst Moment of the Week: Feeling dizzy

Any cravings or aversions: Nothing strong

Wedding ring on or off: On. My hands are so cold my rings still feel big on me

Belly button In or Out: In

What I'm looking forward to: Our ultrasound on Saturday. Can't wait to see the baby and have Gilles there

What I miss:  Watching a movie without having to pause.

Emotions: Elated. We're reaching the halfway point. Most people can notice I'm pregnant now. My bump is much bigger and I'm still so excited. I love every change, every feeling and know that although this is temporary, I'm doing something amazing.

Nursery: Gilles set up our dresser. Took him a long time with all the pieces, but it's done! We also started researching ideas for the wall colours.

Shopping: Bought a video monitor on sale.

To-do: Relax and enjoy this week. 

Week 18

How Far Along: 18 Weeks

Baby Size: Sweet Potato or Papaya or Pickle. I have three different apps that tell me different food.

Symptoms: Low blood pressure, I think. I've been really faint the last few days and having to lie down a lot.

Weight Gain: Up 3 lbs since prepregnancy.

Sleep: Still sleeping soundly. Getting harder to flip over.

Best Moment of the Week: Feeling more kicks. Having someone notice my belly!

Worst Moment of the Week: Feeling faint a lot

Any cravings or aversions: Nothing this week

Wedding ring on or off: On

Belly Button In or Out: In

What I'm looking forward to: Feeling more movement

What I miss: Sleeping on my back as an option

Emotions: Happy. I love being pregnant and all the changes

Nursery: Our crib, dresser and stroller came in on Friday. Set up the stroller already and will check the boxes for the rest. Can't set up the nursery until after Christmas but nice to have most of what we need

Shopping: I bought 2 dresses on consignment. Wore one to a Christmas party

To-do: Prenatal appointment this week. I also need to start doing my workout more consistently

To Doula or not to Doula?

When we first got pregnant, the one thing I wanted to research right away, was a doula. I knew that I wanted one there for our first child and birth experience. My oldest sister had one with her last of 3 kids and had a natural birth. The research supporting the success of having a natural birth with a doula is enough to convince me it is worth every penny.

I had to convince Gilles that a doula is not a replacement for him. He is my main support, my rock and the one I want by my side through the birth. A doula is simply there to help him, me and remind us of the decisions we intended to make. They've been there, they have experience.

I went through the doula websites in our area of the city as a way to narrow down the search. I found one website that just felt like "the one". At around 8 weeks I emailed to get a meeting/interview with them. I fully intended to make more meetings with a few others, but after we ended up talking for so long with the duo and being kicked out of Starbucks because it was closing, we knew we'd found the right team.

The Serene Mama Doula team is great. We essentially get 2 doulas for the price of one. We meet with them both for all our meetings and on the day our baby comes, one of them will be there with us. They are each others back up and we get to know them both.

We get support through the moment we hire them to a few days after we get home with our new bundle. They will go through everything from nutrition, tips for exercise and relaxation, a lending library of books, videos and just a quick call to reassure me when I have questions. They help us picture our perfect birth, and help us achieve it. They also talk with us about realistic expectations. They don't shy away from the details or the things no one talks about.

For us and our birth plan, we are planning to be in a hospital. From experience with my sisters and reading books, I feel like having a resource there for the duration that knows what is going on and provide support is key. The OB or Dr comes in infrequently and really only when it's time to push or there is something wrong. Nurses can be great, but depending on how long your labour is, you may see a number of different ones. Having Gilles and a doula there as constant support is priceless.

Week 17

How Far Along: 17 Weeks

Baby Size: Onion, 5 Inches long

Symptoms: Stuffy nose. Hungrier a lot more, but having to eat smaller meals. My back has started to breakout a little which I haven't had since high school. Hopefully that stops soon. It could be due to dairy intake, so I'll play with that a little. I have about a two hour window before I have to pee. Back aches if I walk too much or sit too long.

Weight Gain: Up 2 lbs from prepregnancy weight

Sleep: Definitely side sleeping permanently now. I have to get up 1-2 times a night to pee now.

Best Moment of the Week: Feeling more movement from baby.

Worst Moment of the Week: Feeling irritated for no reason

Any cravings or aversions: Milk. I love just having a glass.

Wedding ring on or off: On

Belly Button In or Out: In

What I'm looking forward to: Gilles being able to feel the baby.

What I miss: Relaxing on my back

Emotions: Alternating between being super happy and content to irritated.

Nursery: Went through everything that we have for baby already and did inventory. I didn't think we had much left to register for, but we will have plenty. 

Shopping: I bought a two new shirts this week. One is sparkly for Gilles Christmas party this weekend, and the other was 50% off. Also picked up new undies!

To-do checks: Blood tests Tuesday. Prenatal appointment Friday

Week 16

How Far Along: 16 Weeks

Baby Size: Avocado

Symptoms: Back ache, Round Ligament Pain - had really researched this much but wow can it smart a little. I had some pain while sitting at dinner in a restaurant one night. I had one day of morning sickness that hit me hard. Thought I was rid of it, but apparently not.

Weight Gain: Nothing this week. Still up 1lb.

Sleep: I dug out the wedge to have under my belly when I sleep on my side. It's not always needed, but helps sometimes when I'm having trouble getting comfortable. Still sleeping like a rock.

Best Moment of the Week: Gilles telling me about a dream he had about our future baby. I'll leave the sweet details out, but it was the best thing to hear. Fitting into my first pair of maternity jeans!
Feeling flutters! Very soft, but definitely flutters.

Worst Moment of the Week: Morning sickness coming back for a day

Any cravings or aversions: not feeling chicken wings at all. Tim Horton's breakfast sandwich.

Wedding ring on or off: On

What I'm looking forward to: Feeling stronger movements

What I miss: Shrimp

Emotions: Excited still. I'm still loving being pregnant and enjoying all the changes

Nursery: We bought a crib, dresser, stroller/carseat and bedding this weekend! They will be delivered after Christmas - by choice - so we can get it, set it up and not have to store it while we host family over the holidays. At least I think it will. The confirmation email said next Friday, so we'll see when we actually get it.
We also got a Pack 'n' Play that we'll wrap up for Christmas. My mom is giving it to us as a gift, but I picked it up on sale now. 

Shopping: I bought new bras and underwear and a new pair of tights. 

To-do checks: Go for blood tests.

Week 15

How Far Along: 15 Weeks

Baby Size: Naval Orange. 2.5 ounces, 4 inches

Symptoms: I'm starting to feel amazing with more energy and have a bump to show. I still have the stuffy nose feeling but that could be the cold I'm starting to catch. I'm having moments of shortness of breath. Digestion is starting to slow down.

Weight Gain: Gained 1 lb

Sleep: It's uncomfortable to sleep on my back so an elaborate pillow system is set up in bed now. Still sleeping soundly and only having to wake up once to pee.

Best Moment of the Week: The house got cleaned by Gilles. I popped. Definitely have a bump now!

Worst Moment of the Week: Back pain. Hoping that working out will help make my back stronger and ache less

Any cravings or aversions: McDonald's Cheeseburger. I felt disgusting eating it, but it tasted SO GOOD

Wedding ring on or off: On

What I'm looking forward to: Prenatal massage Friday

What I miss: Nothing this week. I had that "I love being pregnant" moment this week

Emotions: Happy, Excited

Nursery: Nada. 

Shopping: Bought some new bras and underwear. Things are expanding!

To-do checks: Get blood tests done, book next prenatal appointment, book 18-20 week ultrasound

Week 14

How Far Along:  14 Weeks

Baby Size: Length of a lemon

Symptoms: M/S seems to be gone. I'm getting hungrier. Definitely always thirsty, but I'm finding that drinking water all day I start to get sick of it and then feel yucky. Stuffy nose, but I'm pretty sure it's not from a cold

Weight Gain: 

Sleep: I have a huge body pillow that is working great for hugging between my knees. It relieves some pressure and I can sleep on my side really well. I'm starting to get cramping in my hands when I wake up which sucks.

Best Moment of the Week: Got to hear the HB for the first time. Gilles was there and heard it too. Getting to Second Trimester

Worst Moment of the Week: Dry heaving from having to clean up our dogs puke

Any cravings or aversions: I craved a Tim Horton's Breakfast sandwich one day. It was delicious

Wedding ring on or off: On and it's turning lots now that snow/winter has settled. My hands get so cold my rings always feel big

What I'm looking forward to: Having my bump grow

What I miss: Eating whenever rather than RIGHT NOW

Emotions: Excited. Calm. Powerful

Nursery: Looked around in Sears and liked what they had. Still just window shopping

Shopping: Ordered some BumGenius cloth diapers. A store in Calgary had a Buy 6 get 2 Free sale.

To-do checks: Nothing baby related. Focus on teaching and studying this week

Week 13

How Far Along: 13 Weeks, which by some books/apps is 2nd trimester, and others it's still first.

Baby Size: Peach

Symptoms: Morning sickness came back a couple days last week. Most of the time it had to do with smells. My sense of smell is much much stronger lately. I'm getting a little more energy back.

Weight Gain: I am -l lb from pre-pregnancy weight. Happy my body is gaining weight! Most people hate gaining weight, but for me it's the one thing I have always struggled with, so losing weight is ALWAYS a concern to me, and now being pregnant, it's an even bigger worry, even though I know it is normal in the first trimester. I'm happy to be gaining weight back and according to some charts, I should be gaining about 1 - 1.5 lbs a week from now until the end.

Sleep: Horrible sleep last night, but the rest of the week was great. I'm starting to sleep on my sides because it's not comfortable on my back anymore.

Best Moment of the Week:  Being able to workout. Feeling like I have a belly. I had a black shirt on this week and Gilles said he could definitely tell there is a bump

Worst Moment of the Week: Getting sick a few mornings and being really run down after doing too much in one day

Any cravings or aversions: Nothing this week.

Wedding ring on or off: On

What I'm looking forward to: Hearing the heartbeat this week (hopefully) and having my belly show more

What I miss: Prepregnancy pants. Still not big enough for maternity pants yet, so I'm at that awkward in between phase. Tights and tunics.

Emotions: Had a good week emotionally. I was very stressed at the beginning of the week, but feeling much better and happier

Nursery: Nothing yet. Just more research.

Shopping: Haven't bought anything, but I did receive quite a bit this week. I got my nursing cover, pads and bracelet from the uddercovers.com website. Received my carseat canopy from a similar website. Got a bag from SIL that has a Moby wrap, a superman costume, Oilers booties and a boppy head rest for baby in the carseat. I'm keeping the Oilers boots for Gilles stocking for Christmas

To-do checks: Meeting with the doulas Wednesday. Prenatal appointment Friday morning. Should be able to hear the heartbeat this time so Gilles is coming with.

12 Weeks

How Far Along: 12 Weeks

Baby Size: Plum

Symptoms: Backache. The top of IT band is really sore, but I think it's from overdoing it on a long walk.

Weight Gain: Sadly lost 6 lbs in a week. I think it might have just been the day, but who knows :(

Sleep: Can't sleep on my back. Ache sets in

Best Moment of the Week: Revealing on Facebook we're going to be parents. It took me a few tries to get the dogs both sitting and looking at me, but I love the picture. They are going to be big sisters!

Worst Moment of the Week: Throwing up due to the dogs food. Opened up a new can for Beta and the smell hit me. Having 3 meltdowns in one day. I've been overwhelmed with a lot lately and the littlest thing has me in tears. I'm hoping this passes.

Any cravings or aversions: Milk. I crave milk.

Wedding ring on or off: On

What I'm looking forward to: No more nausea. This week and last week I've been feeling so much better. I'm hoping that fatigue is on it's way out the door

What I miss: Running. Fall is when I started running the first time and the cold air makes me miss it. I know it's safe to run, but I'm not comfortable doing it.

Emotions: Excited. Nervous. We now wait until 20 weeks to peak at the little one again.

Nursery: Researched cribs but won't be buying anything until after Christmas. The Man Cave on the other hand is coming nicely.

Shopping: Nothing this week

To-do checks: Take a bath and relax. Start prenatal yoga. Start my prenatal workout DVD

Week 11

How Far Along: 11 Weeks

Baby Size: Lime!

Symptoms: Morning sickness is starting to disappear. I'm feeling more like me now. I am pregnant yes, but I'm still me and I'm starting to get back to my old routine. Things are slower because I tire more easily.

Weight Gain: 115.8 lbs

Sleep: Every couple nights I have a rough sleep. Most of the time I sleep in too late, but I must need it

Best Moment of the Week: Telling our parents they can share the news with family now. Booking our Doulas!! We met with a duo on Friday and loved them both. Booked them on the weekend and have our next meeting in a couple weeks.

Worst Moment of the Week: none of my pre-pregnancy pants fit without a bella band. And the band is uncomfortable. 

Any cravings or aversions: Milk. I am drinking so much milk now. Sadly my acne is acting up because of the increase in dairy

Wedding ring on or off: On

What I'm looking forward to:  Baby Expo this weekend with Gilles.

What I miss: My regular pants fitting

Emotions: The more I read about birth and labour, the more excited I get. And yes, excited about the labour part and all it's pain and glory.

Nursery: Nothing.

Shopping: Had to go to Target to get a couple more tunics. Since tights are the only things that seem to fit I needed some more long shirts to wear.

To-do checks: Doula booked. Tickets to the baby expo in hand!

Bump Day - 10 Weeks

10 Weeks!

Since it's hump day, it's bump day!
I'm pretty fit, so my stomach is usually flat with visible abs. I may only be 10 weeks, but I'm starting to show a little! For the past couple weeks it was mostly just bloating after eating, but this is definitely sticking around all day. I love all the changes that are happening to my body and look forward to growing. Baby will likely go straight out like a basketball if I'm anything like my siblings.

I've included my 5 week "bump" photo for comparison.

5 Weeks Pregnant
BFP

10 Weeks Pregnant

Week 10

How Far Along: 10 Weeks

Baby Size: Prune

Symptoms: Morning sickness is just nausea now as long as I eat well before going to bed. Exhausted all the time. Vision is a little blurry

Weight Gain: 115.8 lbs. Up 2 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight

Sleep: Sleeping well. Crazy vivid dreams

Best Moment of the Week: Gilles telling me that he thinks it's a baby bump and not bloating. Thinking of names

Worst Moment of the Week: Not being able to eat much at one time.

Any cravings or aversions: Loving apples. Still can't have yogurt in the morning.

Wedding ring on or off: On

What I'm looking forward to: Making a photo for Facebook to tell everyone

What I miss: Eating consistently rather than constantly

Emotions: Excited. Feel like I'm in a lull

Nursery: Pinned a bunch of stuff

Shopping: No shopping

To-do checks: Blood tests this week. Meeting to interview a doula on Friday. I'm really excited and hope that we click!

Week 9

How Far Along: 9 Weeks

Baby Size: Grape

Symptoms: Morning SICKness this week. Since we got back from our trip Tuesday I've been either puking or nauseous in the mornings. Some days the afternoons are great, but I think I overdo it making up for lost time and then feel crappy the next day

Weight Gain: weighed myself this morning and I'm at my pre-pregnancy weight!

Sleep: Still sleeping pretty good. I've woken up a couple times early morning to have some crackers

Best Moment of the Week: Shared the great news with Gilles last siblings. They were really excited. Now the immediate family knows. The rest will find out after Thanksgiving.
My sister gave me two bins of clothes. One for maternity and one for nursing. I found a few things that fit now which is great and a lot for when I start to grow.

Worst Moment of the Week: Actually getting sick in the mornings.

Any cravings or aversions: Orange Juice tastes like gin. Gross. Still no yogurt in the mornings. Genisoy bars from Costco are amazing. They are SO good and since they are meal replacement bars, they are perfect for getting me through to the next lunch or dinner.

Wedding ring on or off: On

What I'm looking forward to: Morning sickness passing.

What I miss: Yogurt in the morning for breakfast. My pants fitting well. Everything feels so tight.

Emotions: Excited that first trimester is more than half done. Thinking how crazy it will be to have a belly!

Nursery: Nothing

Shopping: Nothing this week.

To-do checks: Prenatal appointment this week

Week 8

How Far Along: 8 Weeks

Baby Size: Raspberry

Symptoms: I felt ok this past week. I had a few nauseous days and some heartburn.

Weight Gain: Still down 7 but holding.

Sleep: Still sleeping great. I've gotten up a couple times to pee during the week.

Best Moment of the Week: Going to our first NFL game. We went to San Fran and enjoyed the weekend so much. I was feeling fantastic but hungry and tired after walking all day.

Worst Moment of the Week: bloating and looking further along than I am. 

Any cravings or aversions: Yogurt and dairy is a no go for me in the mornings.

Wedding ring on or off: On

What I'm looking forward to: Telling the last of husbands immediate family

What I miss: WINE

Emotions: Happy. Excited. Settled

Nursery: Nothing. Looked up how to make a chair cover for the glider. I think I will sew a cover that I can wash

Shopping: Husband Coached Childbirth book for the Bradley Method

To-do checks: Get back to studying!

Week 7

(A lot of these week posts are going to be written and posted long before I revealed I'm pregnant on my blog)

How Far Along: 7 Weeks

Symptoms: "Morning sickness" is all day with nausea. I went to the Dr and got some Diclectin today to help so I can eat.

Weight Gain: I've lost 7 pounds. :(

Sleep: Still sleeping great. I've started putting a pillow between my knees for comfort.

Best Moment of the Week: Shared the great news with my dad, my oldest sister. Told Husbands parents and oldest brother.
Ultrasound! I went for an u/s at 7 weeks and 1 day and got to see our little bean.

Worst Moment of the Week: morning sickness setting in for a long haul.

Any cravings or aversions: nothing new. I'm really loving bananas.

Wedding ring on or off: On

What I'm looking forward to: Going to my first NFL game this weekend!

What I miss: springing out of bed feeling great.

Emotions: Happy. Even though I don't feel good I'd rather feel this way then nothing.

Nursery: My oldest sister has saved us a bassinet that will be in our room for the first while.

Shopping: A pair of pants.

To-do checks: Pack a lot of extra food for our weekend trip to San Francisco for an NFL game!

Week 6

(A lot of these week posts are going to be written and posted long before I revealed I'm pregnant on my blog)

How Far Along: 6 Weeks

Symptoms: Nausea is starting to set in. Still haven't gotten physically sick. I'm also really tired.

Weight Gain: I've actually lost 3 pounds. :(

Sleep: Still sleeping great

Best Moment of the Week: Telling my mom! I met her at the mall. We went to Toys R Us for a birthday gift for my niece and I asked her what she was going to by for us for May. She looked confused and then got all teary eyed and asked if I was pregnant. We hugged in the aisle and cried together. 

Any cravings or aversions: No more 3 Tulsi (Holy Basil) tea for me. I also had the best banana ever this week. Just tasted really amazing.

Wedding ring on or off: On

What I'm looking forward to: 

What I miss: My super tight jeans.

Emotions: Happy. I tear up when I think about how our families reacted.

Nursery: Won't be going back to this for a long while. Still decluttering the house

Shopping: I bought some Earth Mama Angel Baby First Trimester tea. So far it's great. I also bought a belly band and I bought one BumGenius 4.0 Diaper.

To-do checks: Had my first prenatal appointment with the Dr. It was quick. I now have some blood tests booked a couple weeks from now and an ultra sound Tuesday next week.

Week 5

(A lot of these week posts are going to be written and posted long before I revealed I'm pregnant on my blog)

How Far Along: 5 Weeks

Symptoms: I had one wave of nausea when I was waiting at the dentist. I think I was just too warm. I've felt bloated and had a bit of cramping, but nothing like period cramping.

Weight Gain: Nothing

Sleep: I've been sleeping great. Waking up excited and happy is ruining my sleep ins though.

Best Moment of the Week: Telling our families. Feeling blessed. Knowing that God's timing is always perfect.

Worst Moment of the Week: Trying to keep it a secret! 

Any cravings or aversions: Nothing I've noticed

Wedding ring on or off: On

What I'm looking forward to: More pregnancy symptoms. I haven't had any, but I know they are coming. I haven't had sore boobs like all the resources say are a sure sign.

What I miss: Wine. Any and all kinds of wine. Champagne.

Emotions: Ecstatic! Scared! Happy! Relieved. I am relieved because of all the stress I've had this year, I thought it would take us longer.

Nursery: Picked the room and starting to declutter. Our office will be turned into a spare bedroom, so that the spare bedroom will be the Nursery. I want to declutter and organize at the same time so I might as well get started.

Shopping: I bought myself a pregnancy book (two actually)

To-do checks: Made an appointment with my Dr.

The wait is over...

AND IT WAS POSITIVE!!!

I was watching my temperature every morning like a hawk. My ovulation day was either cycle day (CD)15 or CD 17. It was hard to tell. So when I tested, I was either 14 days past ovulation (dpo) or 16 dpo. Either I should have been getting my period that day, or I was 2 days late. Because my temperature was high for all of those days, I went with CD15 and assumed I was 16 dpo. I was a little unsure of what my cycle was going to do this time around because I had stopped taking Vitex at the beginning of it.  

I was going to wait to test until I had 18 high temps. In my NFP class, they taught us that 18 is a sign you're pregnant. I was doing my best to wait and be patient. The dollar store had been out of cheap tests for a couple weeks and I took it as a sign to practice patience. 

I couldn't wait. 

In the afternoon on August 28, 2013, I peed on a stick. I watched. I waited. I WAS SHOCKED. I looked the test windows and thought that can't be right. I checked the box, Yes, a + and a - in the windows is a positive. I snapped a picture, then another one. I cried a couple tears from feeling so elated. I waited for 3 HOURS for Husband to get home from work so I could share the amazing news. 

His reaction: "Oh shit!" with the biggest grin on his face. He said later when we were making dinner he knew we were trying and that there was a possibility but couldn't believe it actually happened. Me either huney!

We tried for 3 cycles. The first one, we were travelling and there was a lot of stress right before leaving. The second cycle, there was a lot of work stress including me being put on anti-depressants and sick leave. The third one, I had made the decision to quit my job, mentally checked out and life was going in a new direction. God's timing is perfect as always.

I can't wait to document all the weeks, blessings, frustrations and share this journey with you.

Envious or Happy?

When you see a pregnant woman, are you happy for them or do you wish that was you and seethe jealousy that it's not?

I am happy for people. It takes a lot of work, and a lot of miracle to make a baby. I have two friends that are pregnant and due in September. When I found out, I was excited for both of them. One told me in person, the other I found out on Facebook.

I haven't exactly kept in touch with them both because life is busy and we live in different parts of the city. It's hard to get together and their life is changing dramatically.

I got the opportunity to go to one friends baby shower. She did hers a couple weeks ago and looks so beautiful pregnant. She was relaxed, happy and waiting. I made a point to get to her shower and be there to support her. She has such a sweet soul. We played a few new games I hadn't played before, and it was great to catch up with her.  I asked her all sorts of birthing questions and what her plans were. Who better to learn from than someone going through it? We are very similar so it was great to hear what she was planning and know that I could get information from her when our time comes.

My other friend had a surprise at 35 weeks. Her baby girl (they didn't know the sex at the time) wanted to meet them sooner than expected. I still don't have all the details as I think they are swamped and need some time. Their daughter is in the NICU for a week or so because she was early, but from what I have seen and heard from them, everyone is doing well.

It makes you see how different every pregnancy is. Every mom, every dad, every baby.

I love feeling joy for friends and smiling at strangers. There is something magical about that.

The Two Week Wait

Two weeks is such a short time in our busy lives. In reality, it is. We can accomplish a lot in 2 weeks. That's two weekends to enjoy. 10 days of work. But when you are waiting for those two weeks to end so you can pee on a stick, they are LOOOONNNGGGG!

Charting makes the Two Week Wait (TWW) better and worse at the same time. Every day I get another high temperature after ovulation, I do a little skip for joy. Another day closer. It also makes it worse. You have an exact date of when you can test and when you are "late". When you know what day past ovulation you are, it makes the weeks longer. Plus you are used to charting all your symptoms. The worst part is that PMS and pregnancy share a lot of the same signs. Frustrating!

The new home pregnancy tests say you can test up to 4 days before your expected period. I know exactly when that is! But do you really want to spend $20+ on a test that may/may not give you an accurate result, when a missed period will tell you pretty much everything you need to know? I thought so last cycle. Husband thought it was too early, and it was.

We ended up not conceiving last cycle, and that's ok. God's timing wasn't right for us. There was a lot going on stress wise and I'm not surprised it didn't happen. Sad at seeing a Big Fat Negative (BFN) but also felt a little relief that we get to try again. This time is special and bringing us closer together as a couple.

Having been the crazy TWW lady that analysed every single "symptom" and used up 3 home pregnancy tests, I feel like this time around I'm more relaxed. I have faith that it will either happen, or won't. Either way, it's the divine plan.

Does me being more relaxed mean I won't pee on a stick at 12 days past ovulation? Likely not. Who wouldn't want to know as early as possible? Thank you dollar store for having cheap pink dye tests.

Stress

Stress. It's a nasty word that can mean something different for every single person. For me, it's a horrible thing that I deal with and has significant consequences to my health and family.

I have been through a lot of health issues, and I am now a firm believer that they all relate to stress and my inability to deal with a lot of it. Stress can be good and bad. Stress of a wedding = good! Stress of a job issue = bad. Stress of a new puppy = good. Stress of a death in the family = bad. And on we go. Stress can be good or bad but to your body, it's all the same. The chemical reaction inside is the same.

Last November, I noticed my charts went completely out of the norm and I was able to know that something wasn't right. I was losing focus, couldn't concentrate, was having really crazy cycles, temperatures and a general feeling of unwellness. I was sure that I was suffering from depression but reluctant to go on anti-depressants. My medical doctor at the time didn't think there was anything wrong with me, ran some tests and found nothing out of the ordinary. We were avoiding conception and therefore it was not a huge deal if I wasn't ovulating properly or had a long enough luteal phase to potentially allow implantation of a fertilized egg.

I sought a second opinion from a Naturopath. She sent me to a new Dr to get a series of blood tests that were far more in-depth and was able to determine my hormones were completely out of sync. Low progesterone, low iron (anemic levels) and a few vitamin deficiencies. She looked at my charts, and put me on a plan to get my hormones back into sync, assist my depression and help me relax.
The reason they were whacky? Stress, depression, anxiety.

It took about 3 months of supplements for everything to start functioning better. I was still having a few cycle issues, but things were starting to even out. Depression/Anxiety was still a problem that would need some serious intervention on my part. I wasn't ready to make the decisions I needed to make yet, so all we could do was support my overstressed body.

My Naturopath was aware of our future plans for a family and was in agreement that it's important to get things working BEFORE trying to conceive. When your body is in a state of extreme stress, the chances of getting pregnant is low. The chances of keeping a pregnancy is lower. As I was told, the chances of my body having a miscarriage are high because of my stress, depression and hormone levels. This isn't something you want to hear, but it sure makes you take stock of your life and start to eliminate things that are unnecessary.

Natural Family Planning - To avoid and to conceive

I've been charting for 30 cycles. We started charting because after 10 years on the birth control pill, I and my husband (Frenchie) were thinking I'd gone crazy. The pill is supposed to level your moods, help with acne, and keep your period coming every 28 or so days. So what happens when your moods go all over, you breakout consistently and you're getting more than one period in 28 days? You start looking for alternatives.

My Dr had put me on 3 different pills in the 2 years I was having trouble. Every 4 months or so we would change to another one because of side effects, or there being no improvement. Finally, my husband (fiancé at the time) said enough. He said get off the pills, we'll figure something out.

I turned to Natural Family Planning (NFP) as our alternative. I was tired of stopping my body from doing what it was meant to do. I wanted to stop putting fake hormones in my body and allow it to rest and return to it's natural state. I read the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility front to back. We took the plunge and started charting to avoid pregnancy. We did two months on our own, and then went to a teaching couple I found through Serena Alberta.

The couple was amazing. A husband and wife team taught us everything we needed to know to avoid pregnancy, and how to, when the time came, switch to trying to conceive. The thing I loved was that the husband of the pair of them talked directly to mine. He was adamant that Frenchie learn all the rules and how to read my charts just as well as me. I didn't want to be the "gate keeper" so he needed to know by looking at my chart when we could and couldn't do the deed.

We successfully avoided getting pregnant for almost 3 years. It wasn't hard to do, and although at times it was frustrating, it's a wonderful way to be on the same page. You learn to be more intimate with each other in more ways and enjoy the "honeymoon" phase every cycle.

Fast forward to now. We have now flipped our charts to try and conceive. All those times we avoided, we now look forward to.

I have learned a lot about my cycles and about me as a person. I have learned how stress affects me, that not everyone is an "ovulation at 14 days and period at 28" person. I have learned to see how my cycles change with certain times of life and able to figure out when something isn't quite right. I am so thankful we switched to NFP and I can't see us ever doing anything else.

Preconception: What we thought about

Husband and I have been together for 6 years, married for 2. When we got married we wanted to wait a bit before starting a family. Just be married, enjoy being husband and wife and do a lot of things you can't do once baby comes. Not saying you CAN'T do what we had planned, it's just more difficult, and different.

We looked at our finances.
We started taking my entire salary and putting it into savings and living on his to see how we would do. What we saved we would use for travel and lump sum payments on anything (Car, Mortgage, Loans etc) We made a "baby fund". I made a budget for how much things would approximately cost for the first year of having a child. I also made a budget for being a working mom outside the home, inside the home or not working at all. I'm thorough and Husband likes data.

We made a "Baby Bucket List"
These were things we wanted to do before we were blessed with a baby.
Most of them were traveling or hanging out with friends. Our biggest thing was France. We wanted to go, not worry about being away for close to 3 weeks. Enjoy drinking as much wine, eating as much cheese and seeing all the sights without towing a kid around. That trip, for me, was our "last hoorah" before settling down.
We went to almost everywhere on our list, except a few that we decided we could do with kids.

We started looking after ourselves.
Husband and I are each 50% of the DNA that makes a child. We both need to be healthy by eating a balanced diet, exercising and taking care of our emotional well-being.
For me, my emotional well-being is the biggest place I have trouble. I am a stress case. I have had mild depression and frequent anxiety attacks that were quite debilitating. It takes a strong person to be selfish and do the right thing for themselves.

We started charting using NFP (Natural Family Planning)
I'll have a special post on this entirely, but a quick summary here. We started using NFP long before wanting to start a family. (Yes, it works!) I was tired of hormones being put into my body and wanted it to function on it's own. This allowed us to see exactly how I was affected by stress, changes, anxiety and led us to be preventative about health rather than waiting for "something to be wrong". It also brought us closer as a couple and allowed us to be more involved in how my body, a future mother, works.

We started training the dogs
I'm not saying they weren't trained before, they were. This is a different kind of training.
We never really thought about how the dogs are with kids until we thought about the "what ifs" of having a child and two dogs.
I have several nieces and my sisters are wonderful to help us with the dogs. They would bring their children and allow us to see how the dogs interacted in a VERY supervised environment and did so frequently in order to get them used to these small creatures that move fast and make high pitched sounds. We have a trainer as well that is giving us life long skills to train them. The great thing about him is he will come back and train us as our life changes.

What things did you think about before trying to conceive?

Why "makes five" ?

You're probably wondering why the title is "And Bébé Makes Five"
Well, we have two children of the fur variety. Adding a baby would make us a family of 5.

Beta and Taylor are our two dogs. 

Beta we have had since she was 2 months old. We adopted her from a rescue society and she's been in our family for 4.5 years. She'll turn 5 December 2013.

Taylor is our newest addition. We adopted her from a friend in January 2013. Our friend was leaving for a school term in Europe and unable to take Taylor with her. The adoption was great and she fit right into our family, making us four. A dog for each of us! Taylor will turn 5 in August 2013.

We've been married for 2 years. We've done a lot of travelling and it's finally time. We pray to God that he will bless us with a life (or two!) to cherish and raise.

I hope you will join me on my blog as I post about preconception, trying to conceive, pregnancy, birth, and our growing family.