So you missed your period and you’re like ‘oh my gosh is this even real?’ Even though I knew we were trying to get pregnant, it still seemed so surreal. I knew we were trying but I had expected for it to take a while. Listen, I know I learned in elementary school that it can happen easily. I’m not sure about you but after being on birth control for as long as I was, I just thought it would be a lot more difficult (MYTH- yes, the birth control thing is actually a myth, but I still think there are lot of issues with BC and what it does to your body long-term… but lets just table that for another day). Anyway, I had convinced myself that it would take months to get pregnant. So when my husband was anxious on our honeymoon to know if we were or not, it took six pregnancy tests to convince me that it could be possible. Yes, six! Even then, I went to my doctor’s right when I returned home from our honeymoon and asked if I should get a blood test to confirm. He gently told me that he felt that the six pregnancy tests were a good enough indication that I was indeed pregnant. I had stopped my birth control pills about 6 months before our wedding, just to try to cycle it out of my body. I could instantly feel the changes in my body when I stopped taking the pill but gradually I became a bit more used to the unregulated hormones and uneasiness of never fully knowing when I was going to get my period. Originally, my husband and I decided that we would wait a bit before trying to start a family. We moved to our delayed new build home within a month of our wedding, and that was a very stressful situation overall. We wanted to enjoy married life for a bit and the new home and get settled in. However, after the wedding, through further conversations and reflecting on some of our other friend’s experiences, we started to wonder how long it would actually take to get pregnant. We knew that we would have no idea until we tried and there was this ever-looming fear of not being able to get pregnant. So, we decided to let fate decide and begin trying. Somehow it happened on our first time trying, and honestly, we could not feel more blessed that we were so fortunate. It is also very scary, because, wow, it’s happening… right away! So what’s next? You find out you’re growing a little human inside of you and now you’re solely responsible for taking care of this little human, and everything you feel and do with your body is now impacting another human and their ability to survive. No presh, right? Well, this is my story, with some tips and tricks and sheer honesty along the way. Hopefully some of my experiences will help you with your journey, because I am not going to lie, there were many aspects of pregnancy that I was not prepared for, especially in regards to how my body would feel pregnant. In addition to this, I just want to say, that no matter what the outcome of your pregnancy is, it is to be recognized that when you receive a positive on your pregnancy test, you forever will be changed. Not only emotionally but physically, as well. The role transition is something that many women are not prepared for because really, how do you know until you become a mom. But I also feel that the role transition occurs from the moment you find out that you were pregnant because really, that is a moment that will forever be a part of your story.
To start off this blog on the right foot, I want to acknowledge that some topics are more difficult for some than others. Everyone has different experiences during their pregnancy and postnatal period, therefore, I do my best to give a little overview of the content as a means of being trauma-informed. This is a word we use in the social work field to identify that we recognize some content or discussions can cause you to feel triggered. This can occur even through an unconscious experience. So if you find that you are reacting to certain posts due to your own experiences, I encourage you to talk to someone about this. I do have resources on the website that will allow you to access services that may be helpful. Overall, I do my best to be sensitive to everyone but, like anything else, if we have experienced trauma in various areas of our lives, sometimes other people’s stories can impact us. It may not be acknowledged as much as it should be but there is trauma in pregnancy, labour, delivery and postpartum, it is important that we recognize that and support those who need it.
In case someone hasn’t told you already today, you are amazing, Momma!
Lisha xo
