New Pregnancy, Different Outlook

After thinking I was done with pregnancy and babies after having my two boys, here I am writing to you 13 weeks pregnant. Somewhere between my youngest son's 2nd birthday and last fall, I began to feel that my family wasn't complete; that I wasn't done with the process of creating new life. And so I began conversations to convince my husband that I wanted -- that we needed -- another child in our family. Mind you, this is after I had sold and given away nearly all of my baby and maternity clothes and baby gear. Whoops! After some initial hesitation, my husband climbed on the baby-making wagon, and the rest, well, I'm sure you can figure it out.With this being my third pregnancy, you might think it's "old hat." But this pregnancy is so different. Not that it physically feels different -- I have had the same first trimester exhaustion, the same intense hunger and similar mild nausea. The difference is that I feel as though I've been given a gift. A third child wasn't something that we had originally planned for in our family, but when we changed course, I wanted it so badly. I had also never expected to be able to share a pregnancy with my children when they were at an age to comprehend. Now, I get to talk to both boys about "the new baby." My oldest is excited; he wants a little girl. My youngest is just worried about the baby sleeping in his bed. And lastly, with all that I have learned and embraced in the last six years of working with Lamaze, it's so wonderful to be going through the very stage in life for which I spend so much time advocating.As my pregnancy progresses, I'll keep you updated. I also plan to share some of my thoughts and plans for birth, and why it will look different than my last two births. For now I don't yet have a belly shot, by I do have a 12 week ultrasound pic to share. I normally just have one ultrasound at 20 weeks, but my OB had a hard time hearing fetal tones at my last appointment. She sent me in for ultrasound to make sure everything was ok. The first thing we saw on the monitor was a cute little baby bouncing up and down in my uterus! It was a relief for sure, and such a joy to see this new life growing inside of me.

Published: February 10, 2011

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