Dress: I scored this on sale at the Zimmerman Outlet 2 years ago in NYC
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*Before you start reading, it's 5am and I'm quickly typing this out. Please excuse any grammar or spelling errors. How Did you Find Out You Were Pregnant? In early November I was needing to make an appointment to get more botox in my jaw to freeze that muscle. I clench my jaw all night long when I sleep and it gives me super bad headaches. I started getting the botox in my jaw over a year ago and it works! I go about every 4 months. My injector always has me test before I make an appointment just to make sure I’m not pregnant. I took the test solely for that appointment, I would have never dreamed it would be positive as we had been trying for well over a year and had been undergoing unsuccessful fertility treatments and meds in the months prior. I was absolutely shocked! The month I stopped tracking and worrying to take a break to gear up for IVF is the month I finally got pregnant! So grateful! How Did you Break the News to Drew? Bear was in the bathroom with me when I took the test (no privacy as a mom haha). As he picked it up, I saw the two dark lines. I was so shocked I didn't even know what to think- I told him to go hand it to his daddy. Drew was so confused and asked me if it was a joke at first. Then once the news set it, we were all jumping up and down and screaming! Best Part of the First Trimester: Finding out I was pregnant and hearing baby's heart beat!! Such an unforgettable experience. Worst Part of the First Trimester: The constant morning sickness that lasted all. day. long. It was brutal but worth it! Those first 12 weeks felt like an eternity and truthfully, were completely miserable! First Trimester Food Cravings: Bread, Oatmeal, PB&J. I actually lost weight in the first trimester. I couldn't keep anything down and nothing sounded good. Best Part of the Second Trimester: Gaining my energy and appetite back! Feeling the baby start to kick! I always feel the best towards the end of the second trimester. Worst Part of the Second Trimester: Still feeling nauseas here and there. This pregnancy the aches and pains started towards the end of the second trimester which surprised me. I got big fast with this pregnancy! Second Trimester Food Cravings: Apples, Grapes, Strawberries, BBQ chips. Best Part of Third Trimester: Feeling the baby squirm and wiggle inside of me. Finally not feeling nauseas!!!! Worst Part of Third Trimester: The stress of delivering in a pandemic!! For the hospital I delivered at, I had to take a mandatory covid test 72 hrs before my scheduled c-section. I was so nervous about the test, I heard it was painful and I was worried it would come back positive and that Drew wouldn't be able to come in the hospital with me. The thought of undergoing a c-section alone or having my baby taken away from me was almost too much for me to bare. My mind would race at night, I was so worried about it. Two days before the test, I came down with a sore throat!!! I was beside myself. On the drive to the hospital to be tested, I sobbed worried of what the results would be. I waited in my car in the testing line and was a ball of anxiety. I took the test and what I heard was right, SO uncomfortable/painful!! As I drove home I was making myself sick thinking of all the worst case scenarios. As I was pulling into my driveway I got a call from the hospital lab...the man on the other end of the phone said "Hi, Rachel this is the lab, I'm so sorry...." long pause!!! (I thought he was telling me my test was positive) "the nurse who took your swab dropped it and we can't use it, you'll have to come back and retest." So then I sobbed the entire car ride back to the hospital. I was a nervous wreck for the results and couldn't believe I had to take that test again. The nurse who came to swab me for the second time was so sweet, she works in labor and delivery and reassured me everything would be ok. She told me they wouldn't take my baby away from me no matter the result and was patient until I could get my tears under control. I got my results back the next morning, thankfully it was NEGATIVE! We had a massive fire near our home a few days prior, on top of all the firework shows from the Fourth of July. We think all the smoke and bad air quality from the fires irritated my throat. Bringing a life into the world during a pandemic with a lot of unknowns was stressful. However, I worked myself up for no reason, my test was negative, the hospital was quiet and peaceful. Third Trimester Food Cravings: Chick-Fil-A Fries, Oatmeal w/strawberries, Waffle Love. Are you happy you waited to find out the gender? Yes! Towards the end I started to get a little impatient but it was absolutely magical when I heard my baby cry for the first time and then I heard my husband tell me it's a boy. I can't even describe that moment. So much happiness I couldn't hold back the tears. So grateful for my Stanford. He is absolutely the sweetest and is such a good baby. So blessed to be his mama! You can see my maternity photos and bits from my pregnancy with Isla Rose here and Bear here.
