Originally Posted June 2014
While I sit here in my new upholstered nursery glider that I brought home last Tuesday strapped to the back of my Nissan Sentra with bungee cords, I am thinking of the things, good and bad, that have happened in the almost-year (8-9 months is a REALLY long time) that I've been pregnant.
First, we tried for a baby. This was our FIRST try, so we were very proud and I was thrilled when the stick had a Plus Sign 2-3 weeks later. Senthil had come home to visit from his out-of-state start-up project based on the timing of the ovulation cycle app on my phone just to get things going. This was still a huge shock since we anticipated it taking about six months, the average length of most couples. Go us!
Telling family early - it can be rough. The reaction at that early stage when you want to tell everyone can be not as enthusiastic as you might think. People are hesitant to celebrate early.
Weeks 6 through 16 were really bad. Note for the next child - this was the worst time ever. Nothing helps, and it is Always Sickness, not "morning sickness." I didn't vomit, but I wanted to. The whole time.
At 13 weeks, that first ultrasound made me cry and laugh - baby, you were real and visible and doing little flips and kicks in there and looked so human! Nothing could have prepared me for that. Senthil's face looked stunned, like it was not all just a possibility, but a real thing, a real baby - for real!
I went through a phase where I really liked lemon ice water.
We picked the name "Koral Ella" really early - we had it by week 12. We had not decided fully on a boy name, so it was great to find out she was a girl. (My choice for a boy name was Asher Sharm. Sharm is my dad's name, and I have loved the name Asher since reading "The Giver.")
I chose the name Koral because I love the ocean, think the word itself is so pretty, and made it with a "k" not only to match my own, but because it makes it a little unique. This was also the first name Senthil and I liked together! Ella comes from the many variations of the "Cinderella" books I have read, such as "Ella Enchanted." Senthil had no choice on the middle name. (Note: Ella Enchanted is an excellent book and a horrible, horrible movie. Do not watch the movie.)
Moving during the first trimester was horrible. Moving during the third trimester was also horrible.
Koral was in a sideways position for part of the second trimester, and the kicks really hurt! Later she settled into head-down and then it was all fine.
I was great with walking four miles a day until week 35. Then my feet suddenly got sore right on the heels. In the middle. Like bone pressing into the skin. I think I just got to heavy!
Nesting IS fun. Yes, it's a lot of online comparison shopping in the middle of the night, reading articles about exceptional toys with rave reviews, googling pictures of nurseries, etc. (I wonder what the new word for "googling" will be when Koral is having her first child?)
Unfortunately, pregnancy classes with Senthil were not very fun for me. I got really frustrated about his lack of involvement up until that point. He still doesn't know most of what we've got prepared and plans to learn later as it comes - so it was all on me to research, gather, etc. He won't be able to tell you where anything is kept or what things are called right now. He calls the car seat and anything else that holds a baby the "baby holder." However, he did help me put the crib together last week and I know he's learning as he goes. Love him.
Just found out recently at our last class that breast feeding requires my commitment every 2 hours. No joke. Including nights. That basically means there are no nights. Because, you know, you have to get up every two hours at least. Ha. No wonder mothers get a little crazy. That's INSANE. Yet formula is shockingly horrible for babies in comparison. Marketing will tell you different, but after much research, Senthil and I both want to try to use human milk for the first year. Only 1% of women can't give milk for medical reasons. Everyone else just needs to do it often enough that they don't run out. So, that basically means the mother is a prisoner to milking for a really long time. This is really the most scary part for me - and something Senthil is really glad he doesn't have to do. I love my eight hours of sleep. Things are going to get messy.
While I sit here in my new upholstered nursery glider that I brought home last Tuesday strapped to the back of my Nissan Sentra with bungee cords, I am thinking of the things, good and bad, that have happened in the almost-year (8-9 months is a REALLY long time) that I've been pregnant.
First, we tried for a baby. This was our FIRST try, so we were very proud and I was thrilled when the stick had a Plus Sign 2-3 weeks later. Senthil had come home to visit from his out-of-state start-up project based on the timing of the ovulation cycle app on my phone just to get things going. This was still a huge shock since we anticipated it taking about six months, the average length of most couples. Go us!
Telling family early - it can be rough. The reaction at that early stage when you want to tell everyone can be not as enthusiastic as you might think. People are hesitant to celebrate early.
Weeks 6 through 16 were really bad. Note for the next child - this was the worst time ever. Nothing helps, and it is Always Sickness, not "morning sickness." I didn't vomit, but I wanted to. The whole time.
At 13 weeks, that first ultrasound made me cry and laugh - baby, you were real and visible and doing little flips and kicks in there and looked so human! Nothing could have prepared me for that. Senthil's face looked stunned, like it was not all just a possibility, but a real thing, a real baby - for real!
I went through a phase where I really liked lemon ice water.
We picked the name "Koral Ella" really early - we had it by week 12. We had not decided fully on a boy name, so it was great to find out she was a girl. (My choice for a boy name was Asher Sharm. Sharm is my dad's name, and I have loved the name Asher since reading "The Giver.")
I chose the name Koral because I love the ocean, think the word itself is so pretty, and made it with a "k" not only to match my own, but because it makes it a little unique. This was also the first name Senthil and I liked together! Ella comes from the many variations of the "Cinderella" books I have read, such as "Ella Enchanted." Senthil had no choice on the middle name. (Note: Ella Enchanted is an excellent book and a horrible, horrible movie. Do not watch the movie.)
Moving during the first trimester was horrible. Moving during the third trimester was also horrible.
Koral was in a sideways position for part of the second trimester, and the kicks really hurt! Later she settled into head-down and then it was all fine.
I was great with walking four miles a day until week 35. Then my feet suddenly got sore right on the heels. In the middle. Like bone pressing into the skin. I think I just got to heavy!
Nesting IS fun. Yes, it's a lot of online comparison shopping in the middle of the night, reading articles about exceptional toys with rave reviews, googling pictures of nurseries, etc. (I wonder what the new word for "googling" will be when Koral is having her first child?)
Unfortunately, pregnancy classes with Senthil were not very fun for me. I got really frustrated about his lack of involvement up until that point. He still doesn't know most of what we've got prepared and plans to learn later as it comes - so it was all on me to research, gather, etc. He won't be able to tell you where anything is kept or what things are called right now. He calls the car seat and anything else that holds a baby the "baby holder." However, he did help me put the crib together last week and I know he's learning as he goes. Love him.
Just found out recently at our last class that breast feeding requires my commitment every 2 hours. No joke. Including nights. That basically means there are no nights. Because, you know, you have to get up every two hours at least. Ha. No wonder mothers get a little crazy. That's INSANE. Yet formula is shockingly horrible for babies in comparison. Marketing will tell you different, but after much research, Senthil and I both want to try to use human milk for the first year. Only 1% of women can't give milk for medical reasons. Everyone else just needs to do it often enough that they don't run out. So, that basically means the mother is a prisoner to milking for a really long time. This is really the most scary part for me - and something Senthil is really glad he doesn't have to do. I love my eight hours of sleep. Things are going to get messy.
No comments:
Post a Comment