First of all, thank you guys SO much for all your love and sweet comments and messages about our newest addition. As I mentioned in a recent post, I had some hesitations about sharing this news because I know how painful it can be to be on the receiving end of a pregnancy announcement.
But, thank you for rallying with us. We feel so blessed to share this news and this journey with all of you! Recently, on Instagram, I asked for your pregnancy questions. So, here are the answers to (most) of them. If you don’t see your question answered, I promise I’m answering it in an upcoming post!
When is your due date?
I’m due on Valentine’s Day!
Baby name yet?
I think we have one! But, like we did with Roman, we’re planning to keep his name kind of quiet. Why? Honestly, I don’t want anyone’s opinion to change how we feel about it. We’ll share it in February when he arrives!
How is this pregnancy different?
So far, this pregnancy has had only a couple of minor bumps. My pregnancy with Roman was a BREEZE, so I expected a few hurdles this go around. At one of my first ultrasounds, my doc told me that I had a very small subchorionic hemorrhage. That’s a fancy way of saying there was a blood clot in the placenta. After two weeks of a “no exercise” order, I went back in and the clot was gone. Praise the Lord!
Also, similar to my last pregnancy, I had low progesterone levels. Your body produces progesterone to maintain a viable pregnancy, and if levels are too low, it could result in a miscarriage. So, from the time I found out I was pregnant through the remaining part of the first trimester, I was on a super high dose of oral progesterone supplements. Spoiler alert: These pills turn you into a nauseous zombie. But, now I’m off them, and feeling like a human again!
How is it being pregnant while you have a toddler?
Not terrible! The first trimester was a bit tough, just because I was tired. But, I’m bouncing back and able to chase wild Roman around much better these days. My next question is: How will it be having a newborn and a toddler? TBD. Send me good vibes, ha!
Did you go through fertility treatment this time?
We had 100% planned to go through fertility treatment to get pregnant again. If you’re familiar with our story, you know that our path to parenthood wasn’t the easiest.
Here’s the crazy part: We didn’t go through treatment this time. We started trying in March, and I got pregnant in May. With zero medical intervention whatsoever. I know. I’m shocked, too!
I am not a doctor, but I have to wonder if a change to my diet may have helped. Because I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), I had started reading up on this condition. And I had heard of some fertility protocols that included going gluten free. Oddly enough, I had been battling off-and-on digestive issues for what seemed like forever. After a consult with my doctor, he suggested I try going gluten free. Two months later, I was pregnant.
Now, I’m not saying this is 100% the reason for my quick pregnancy this time. But, I have reason to believe it certainly didn’t hurt my chances! For some people, gluten can cause inflammation and toxins in the body, which I believe can only hinder pregnancy. This is my personal opinion!
How did your joy differ with this pregnancy?
I’ll be honest, I spent the first trimester waiting for the other shoe to drop with this pregnancy. It happened too easily, too quickly compared to last time. So, I’ve had a hard time bonding with this pregnancy/baby thus far, simply out of fear of losing the baby. But, now that I’m in the second trimester, I’m starting to get more comfortable with the idea of a perfectly healthy pregnancy.
How did you remain hopeful while trying to conceive?
Again, we fully anticipated going through treatment again. One thing I learned when going through fertility treatment was that NOTHING happens fast. So, I just tried to settle into the idea that it would more than likely take a while this time, and I just tried to be ok with that. I figured that if I got pregnant once (well, twice, including my miscarriage before Roman), I assumed it would happen again. But, God would have to be in charge of the timing. So, I tried to listen to His direction, and He told me not to jump to treatment just yet. And I’m so happy we tried on our own.
How did you find out you were pregnant?
Get this: I found out I was pregnant on Father’s Day! I got up super early to go to the store to grab cards for our dads (because, last-minute is how I roll). I had been feeling chunky for the previous few weeks, and I’d taken pregnancy tests, but they’d all been negative. I honestly thought my thyroid or something was off again, so I figured I’d better just do one last double-check and be sure I wasn’t pregnant.
I snagged a pregnancy test and figured it’d be another negative. When I got home with the groceries, we had about five minutes before we had to scoot out the door for a visit to Alex’s parents house for Father’s Day. I snuck into the bathroom to take the test without Alex noticing, then went back to the kitchen to put away the groceries. I even muttered, “No way it’s positive,” as I walked away and waited for the results.
When I came back a minute or two later, my heart just about beat out of my chest. I could NOT believe I was reading PREGNANT! I was in absolute shock. I tried to calmly walk back to the kitchen and hide my surprise from Alex. When I whipped the test out of my pocket and said, “Happy Father’s Day!” to Alex, I think he nearly freaked out, too. Talk about an unexpected gift!
Did you REALLY not know what color was inside your gender reveal cupcakes?
Truly, we did not! I was soo paranoid I’d see a filling color inside our sweet cupcakes from Smallcakes Greenwood. I even had nightmares about it the night before our reveal party! Smallcakes did a great job, though, and they sure surprised us with the blue filling inside!
Highly recommend Smallcakes for your cake/cupcake needs! And they have gluten free/dairy free options available on the weekends, which is awesome.
What did you crave with Roman and what are your cravings so far with this pregnancy?
With Roman, I craved breakfast food. But, I really only craved certain foods in the first trimester. With this pregnancy, I’ve craved breakfast food, too….and fries…and gluten. Currently, I’m on a soup kick and I’m loving me some Diet Coke. Oh, and I simply cannot drink coffee at home. It just sounds gross. So, I’ve been frequenting the local Starbucks every day. Send help!
How did you feel when you found out you were having a second boy?
Honestly, it was such a mixed bag of emotions! At first, I was in absolute shock. Like, “No way is there blue in here!” In fact, if you watched our LIVE video from the gender reveal, you’ll see that Roman’s cupcake fell on the floor and I didn’t believe there was blue inside. So, I went and tore open another one, just to be sure, haha!
But, truly, I am soo excited that I get to be a boy mama all over again. I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy at heart, and I just know I was meant to be a boy mom. I can’t wait to watch these guys grow up together.
Tell me what you want to read
I’m so excited to bring you along on this journey as we prepare to welcome our second little guy. Tell me in the comments below what kind of pregnancy/maternity content you want to read or what questions you want answered!
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