"Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together" -Liz Taylor
"Matt! Come here! Oh My God... I'm pregnant". That is pretty much how it went down for telling my husband I was pregnant.
It was a Tuesday night and my period was due in 2 days. I was sitting on the couch watching the Big Bang Theory (one of my favorites) and all of the sudden I felt this very odd throbbing sensation in my uterus. It was much different then period cramps it was a very defined throbbing sensation and it actually hurt. I sat there thinking to myself, "well that is odd what the heck was that?" I sat there for a bit longer thinking.
The week leading up to that night I had a regular appointment to see my endocrinologist and had my typical labs drawn. My doctor called me and told me that my blood levels came back all sorts of crazy.
Side Note:
I had been off my birth control because my dear husband and I had been planning to start trying sometime after our first wedding anniversary which would be June 2013. So we "pulled the goalie" so to speak. I was monitoring ovulation by tracking my cycles. I was slightly concerned about getting pregnant due to having hypothyroidism which I was diagnosed with in 2009.
I will save all that info for another post. My endocrinologist said that it can sometimes take longer to get pregnant with the condition. So I came off the BC and waited to see what my cycle would do. To my surprise it was completely normal.
Any-who, I was kind of worried about these abnormal levels. I work in women's health and asked our OBGYN what she thought about the crazy levels I received. She thought about it and then asked me, "is there any way you are pregnant?" I said "no... I don't think so?" So flash forward to that Tuesday night on my couch and I felt that sensation and wondered. I kept thinking could I really be pregnant? I did have some weird lab values and the strange feeling in my uterus that I have never felt before. So I got up off the couch (Matt was studying for his license for professional engineering so he was in his own world) and I went to the bathroom and dug through my draw and found a pregnancy test. I tend to have a few around because I am a neurotic. Every time that I go out for drinks or sushi I randomly pee on a stick. So I took the test. Normally you have to wait for a few minutes to see the result but I found out in mid stream. I looked down and saw a big fat POSITIVE. I took a closer look and there was no denying it. I immediately start yelling for Matt. He comes over hearing the panic in my voice and said, "oh my gosh...what?" I showed him the test and started shaking uncontrollably to the point that Matt had to grab a hold of me to calm me down. I said, "I can't believe it! How did this happen?" I of course know how it happens... but never thought it could be for real.
I return to consciousness from my news and pulled myself together and really wanted a glass of wine. Don't get me wrong I was so happy to find out we are going to be parents. However I had emotions of being confused, petrified, and happy all at the same time. The next morning I called my Endocrinologist. She always told me that if I get pregnant I need to be seen ASAP to monitor my thyroid function. I told her I was pregnant and she was relieved to hear that. It helped explain my very low TSH levels she had received the week before. So I went in that day and had more labs drawn and then I called and made an OB visit. The receptionist answered and I said, "Um Hi, I took an at home pregnancy last night and this morning and they are positive. But I am still really shocked I am pregnant what should I do?" She told me that the home pregnancy test would suffice and that I am indeed pregnant. I did need not to have HCG levels measured in my blood (the pregnancy hormone). I asked her "are you sure... there is nothing else I should be doing?" Her answer was, "no. sleep, eat and take your vitamins and we will see you when you are 8 weeks!" It was odd because she was so nonchalant about it all. Then I reflected about how I conduct myself in our clinic, I see positive pregnancy tests all the time at work. I am pretty nonchalant about the whole thing too. I just think okay my patient is pregnant, moving on. For the receptionist it was just another phone call. However, for me, it was the start of something big! I was given an appointment for a viability ultrasound and visit on March 18th. So until the I waited, and waited, and waited.
Those are long few weeks waiting to see the doctor for the first time. In the meantime I ended up telling our parents 2 days after I found out. I swore them to secrecy and that they could not even tell our siblings until after the doctor appointment. I did end up telling my our siblings when I was around 6 weeks. We told them to keep it under wraps. I told my close college friends in that time period because we all went on a trip to St. Louis for the Creighton basketball games. I knew they would figure it out since I was so tired, nauseated, and not having any brew-skies at the game. They all kept it under wraps for me as well. I was afraid to tell too many people because I wanted a visual confirmation. I needed to see a heartbeat. In the meantime I took a total of 8 pregnancy tests all different brands just to make sure that I really was pregnant. It was odd because I didn't really have crazy symptoms. I would have nausea, but not throwing-up every morning like I have heard from many others. In fact I only threw up in my first trimester four times total. I would also only get sick at night which I found odd. The only major symptom I had was fatigue! I could sleep all day, any day, anywhere!!! I literally could not stay awake and I am not a napping type of person. I also started to get acne and not just on my face but on my back and upper arms. I craved fruit especially mangoes for 3 weeks straight. I was not a big mango eater before so I found that to be totally weird. Overall, I was feeling pretty good. Just kinda felt like I had a possible flu coming on.
Then finally came March 18th! That would be day we would see a heartbeat and confirm a viable pregnancy. Well, let me tell you, I have never had a doctor's appointment like the one I was about to have.
It was a Tuesday night and my period was due in 2 days. I was sitting on the couch watching the Big Bang Theory (one of my favorites) and all of the sudden I felt this very odd throbbing sensation in my uterus. It was much different then period cramps it was a very defined throbbing sensation and it actually hurt. I sat there thinking to myself, "well that is odd what the heck was that?" I sat there for a bit longer thinking.
The week leading up to that night I had a regular appointment to see my endocrinologist and had my typical labs drawn. My doctor called me and told me that my blood levels came back all sorts of crazy.
Side Note:
I had been off my birth control because my dear husband and I had been planning to start trying sometime after our first wedding anniversary which would be June 2013. So we "pulled the goalie" so to speak. I was monitoring ovulation by tracking my cycles. I was slightly concerned about getting pregnant due to having hypothyroidism which I was diagnosed with in 2009.
I will save all that info for another post. My endocrinologist said that it can sometimes take longer to get pregnant with the condition. So I came off the BC and waited to see what my cycle would do. To my surprise it was completely normal.
Any-who, I was kind of worried about these abnormal levels. I work in women's health and asked our OBGYN what she thought about the crazy levels I received. She thought about it and then asked me, "is there any way you are pregnant?" I said "no... I don't think so?" So flash forward to that Tuesday night on my couch and I felt that sensation and wondered. I kept thinking could I really be pregnant? I did have some weird lab values and the strange feeling in my uterus that I have never felt before. So I got up off the couch (Matt was studying for his license for professional engineering so he was in his own world) and I went to the bathroom and dug through my draw and found a pregnancy test. I tend to have a few around because I am a neurotic. Every time that I go out for drinks or sushi I randomly pee on a stick. So I took the test. Normally you have to wait for a few minutes to see the result but I found out in mid stream. I looked down and saw a big fat POSITIVE. I took a closer look and there was no denying it. I immediately start yelling for Matt. He comes over hearing the panic in my voice and said, "oh my gosh...what?" I showed him the test and started shaking uncontrollably to the point that Matt had to grab a hold of me to calm me down. I said, "I can't believe it! How did this happen?" I of course know how it happens... but never thought it could be for real.
I return to consciousness from my news and pulled myself together and really wanted a glass of wine. Don't get me wrong I was so happy to find out we are going to be parents. However I had emotions of being confused, petrified, and happy all at the same time. The next morning I called my Endocrinologist. She always told me that if I get pregnant I need to be seen ASAP to monitor my thyroid function. I told her I was pregnant and she was relieved to hear that. It helped explain my very low TSH levels she had received the week before. So I went in that day and had more labs drawn and then I called and made an OB visit. The receptionist answered and I said, "Um Hi, I took an at home pregnancy last night and this morning and they are positive. But I am still really shocked I am pregnant what should I do?" She told me that the home pregnancy test would suffice and that I am indeed pregnant. I did need not to have HCG levels measured in my blood (the pregnancy hormone). I asked her "are you sure... there is nothing else I should be doing?" Her answer was, "no. sleep, eat and take your vitamins and we will see you when you are 8 weeks!" It was odd because she was so nonchalant about it all. Then I reflected about how I conduct myself in our clinic, I see positive pregnancy tests all the time at work. I am pretty nonchalant about the whole thing too. I just think okay my patient is pregnant, moving on. For the receptionist it was just another phone call. However, for me, it was the start of something big! I was given an appointment for a viability ultrasound and visit on March 18th. So until the I waited, and waited, and waited.
Those are long few weeks waiting to see the doctor for the first time. In the meantime I ended up telling our parents 2 days after I found out. I swore them to secrecy and that they could not even tell our siblings until after the doctor appointment. I did end up telling my our siblings when I was around 6 weeks. We told them to keep it under wraps. I told my close college friends in that time period because we all went on a trip to St. Louis for the Creighton basketball games. I knew they would figure it out since I was so tired, nauseated, and not having any brew-skies at the game. They all kept it under wraps for me as well. I was afraid to tell too many people because I wanted a visual confirmation. I needed to see a heartbeat. In the meantime I took a total of 8 pregnancy tests all different brands just to make sure that I really was pregnant. It was odd because I didn't really have crazy symptoms. I would have nausea, but not throwing-up every morning like I have heard from many others. In fact I only threw up in my first trimester four times total. I would also only get sick at night which I found odd. The only major symptom I had was fatigue! I could sleep all day, any day, anywhere!!! I literally could not stay awake and I am not a napping type of person. I also started to get acne and not just on my face but on my back and upper arms. I craved fruit especially mangoes for 3 weeks straight. I was not a big mango eater before so I found that to be totally weird. Overall, I was feeling pretty good. Just kinda felt like I had a possible flu coming on.
Then finally came March 18th! That would be day we would see a heartbeat and confirm a viable pregnancy. Well, let me tell you, I have never had a doctor's appointment like the one I was about to have.