September 6
When I woke up at 4 a.m. feeling slightly sick, I decided to take a pregnancy test. I had taken one two days before, but it had been negative. Regardless, I took the last one in the pack—just to be sure. When the word “yes” appeared, I screamed to Justin, my sleeping husband, “It says yes!” Later in the morning, I went to Target and bought five more pregnancy tests...all of which were also positive! I was so excited—I was going to be a mom!
October 1
I’m a preschool teacher, so I told my class, “I have a baby in my belly!” Some of my students understood, although others were confused. They all were very excited, though, and eagerly discussed what the baby could be doing inside my bump. They said that my baby might be playing with trains, watching Dora the Explorer or doing puzzles.
December 20
I scheduled an ultrasound the day before Justin and I would be traveling to visit my family for Christmas. We couldn’t wait to find out the baby’s gender so we could tell everyone! Everyone thought we were having a boy, and Justin and I had even been referring to the baby as “him.” But when the technician put the wand on my belly, he said, “Well, it’s a girl!”
March 19
My baby shower was held in a beautiful tearoom, complete with scones, tea sandwiches and an adorable ladybug-shaped cake. It was so nice to visit with my family, many of whom I hadn’t seen since I’d found out I was pregnant. We got amazing gifts for our little girl; I was overwhelmed by how generous everyone was. It was the perfect day!
May 12
Justin and I arrived at the hospital at 10 p.m. My blood pressure was high, so I had to wait to get an epidural until my blood work results came back. My contractions were 90 seconds apart, and I was so overwhelmed with pain. Justin was super-supportive, constantly encouraging and reassuring me. Thankfully, once I got the epidural, there was less pain. At 6 a.m., it was time to push.
Everything was going great until my baby’s heart rate dropped—and wouldn’t come back up. I started to panic. How can this be happening? I thought. Luckily, the doctors were able to stabilize her within a few minutes, and Laine Gloria was born at 6:27 a.m. She was 7 pounds, 5 ounces, and 19.75 inches long. Fortunately, Laine was healthy—not to mention so beautiful! During the birth, I’d been terrified not knowing whether she was okay, but the second the nurse handed her to me, I was overcome with pure bliss. How could I possibly love someone this much?
>> Want to share the story of your pregnancy with TheBump? Email Bump Kathleen at kmulpeter@xogrp.com.
