The Binky Bitch wrote a post about how she found out she was pregnant. So did Karly at Wiping Up Snot. They were both inspired (or was it ordered?) to do so by Swistle (somehow I had never read her blog before, unfortunately). Anyway, since I am nothing if not a bandwagon jumper (except for Uggs, of course) I decided to share my story too.
When I got pregnant with Ironflower, Hubby and I were living together. We had just gotten engaged but had no intention of doing the whole formal wedding thing, so we hadn’t bothered announcing the engagement yet. We got lax about birth control, but I figured that as a thirty-two year old smoker my chances of getting pregnant were very slim at best.
So three months after the birth control rule relaxation, imagine my shock at my late period. Not-Hubby-Yet hardly reacted. He calmly suggested that a buy a test. I bought a two pack. I did it one morning before work, as Not-Hubby-Yet slept upstairs. It was positive.
I did the other one just to be sure. I didn’t know what to do. When we talked about it theoretically, he’d been excited. When I’d told him my period was late, he’d seemed pretty reserved. I left the tests in the trash and went to work. I spent the day trying not to cry tears of joy and terror. I wondered if he’d noticed the tests. I wondered what his reaction would be.
I came home to a clean house and a lovely dinner. Apparently, he knew exactly when it happened and hadn’t been at all surprised. Unlike me, for example. I was flabbergasted. I went to Borders that night, hoping some reading material would turn me from a thirty-two year old party girl into a responsible mom-to-be. Sometimes I think I must have skipped a few chapters.
With Lovebug it was even more of a shock.
I didn’t realize I was pregnant until I was four and a half months along.
No, I’m not kidding.
I breastfed Ironflower. My period didn’t return in any normal way during the months I breastfed. A GP told me that it could take a month after I stopped breastfeeding to get my period. So the lack of period didn’t clue me in.
I hit a plateau of losing baby weight. Nothing seemed to work on the last ten pounds. When I went back to teaching, I was so stressed out that I turned to one of my favorite comforts - food. Even as I gained weight, I just assumed it was because of my lack of self-control and the fact that I’d had a baby in my thirties. I even assumed the belly was because of how Ironflower had stretched me out.
I didn’t feel especially tired and I never felt nauseous.
The strange flutterings in my stomach did freak me out a few times, but I assumed they were gas - that’s what all the early movements felt like to me.
We had not been lax about birth control.
When I got pneumonia, Hubby took me to the ER. Before they took me for my X-ray, they asked if I could be pregnant. Thanks to an incident two weeks prior, I said there was a slight chance. They did a test. It was positive. Hubby and I stared at each other, panicked. Ironflower was only 11 months old.
Later they did an ultrasound to see how far along I was. And there was a twenty week old Lovebug, showing off his penis to us all. And I fell in love. When they returned me to my room at the hospital (something about making the pregnant woman with pneumonia actually rest and get lots of antibiotics), my OB-GYN was there, laughing at me.
Sometimes I want to have another baby just so I could the whole thing with INTENT.
14 responses so far ↓
Swistle // January 10, 2008 at 4:26 pm
That is SO CRAZY AND WONDERFUL! I LOVE “already 4-1/2 months along”-type stories. LOVE! It just seems so amazing and exciting.
Dory // January 10, 2008 at 5:40 pm
What a great story! I’ll have to blog mine later!
Dory
Colleen_Katana // January 10, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Awww, so cute! You remind me a lot of myself! Granted, I’m not married and do not have any children yet…but when I do, I see myself being a lot like yourself!
Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah // January 10, 2008 at 10:02 pm
My story of how I found out I was pregnant isn’t that interesting, but my story of finding out there were two is.
Maybe I’ll write something about it soon.
jennifer // January 10, 2008 at 10:10 pm
That’s a fantastic story! I can’t imagine not knowing, but if you weren’t sick, how would you even know!
And you MUST add Swistle to your blogroll. REally! She is my absolute favorite blogger, so funny!
Life As I Know It // January 10, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Oh, that is funny! I WISH I hadn’t known until the 4th month, but unfortunately, I was throwing up 3x a day for the first 16 weeks with both my kids. And I’m thinking about doing it again…good times.
AnGlOpHiLe FoOtBaLl FaNaTiC // January 11, 2008 at 1:31 am
WOW! That is so amazing that you found out your were pregnant and found out the sex on the same day. Wonderful!
Suzanne // January 11, 2008 at 4:53 am
My first two were also wonderfully “by accident”.
One of my resolutions this year is to get pregnant, on purpose this time… but of course now that I WANT to get pregnant, it’s difficult.
What’s up with that??
Merry Monteleone // January 11, 2008 at 5:16 am
What a great idea for a post - I can’t blame you for not knowing about your littlest, my period took at least four months to become close to regular after breastfeeding, it could easily have happend to me… you know, except I’m always ridiculously tired in the first months of pregnancy…
None of my three were planned. At the time we found out we were pregnant with the baby, my husband actually had a vasectomy scheduled for the following December. I was immediately thrilled, he was thrilled after a few months. We both adore the littlest one, of course, but pre-pregnancy, my hubby was really worried about how the heck we’ll get three of them through college… still worried about it, but it’s worth the extra worry and work, for sure.
Marci B. // January 11, 2008 at 2:22 pm
How wonderful! They are like delightful little gifts that you didn’t know were on their way
Thanks for the smile!!
Jerseygirl89 // January 11, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Swistle - Thanks for the inspiration!
Dory - Please share. They have been so fun to read.
Colleen - I wish you many happy surprises.
Sarah - You definitely should!
Jennifer - Thank you for introducing me to Swistle!
Life - The first 16 weeks? You poor thing. Maybe the next time around will be better. My second time was a lot easier.
AFF - At the time I was just reeling in shock.
Suzanne - That seems typical doesn’t it? I’ll probably be like that too if we ever try for a third.
Merry - It’s been so fun. And I think I was tired, but Ironflower was still so young I was used to being tired.
Marci - Absolutely!
Laura McIntyre // January 12, 2008 at 7:57 am
Great stories, i was in such a similar situation with my second but was only about 10 weeks when i found out but only because my sister somehow insisted i was pregnant again.
I would love to do the whole planning thing one day
Jerseygirl89 // January 12, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Laura - You’re lucky to have such an observant and honest sister! Apparently some people “knew” I was pregnant, but they never said anything!
Leslie // January 14, 2008 at 1:47 am
Julia was a complete surpise. I was even on birth control! But what wonderful surprises, huh?
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