Pregnancy

December 3, 2012 was the day that my life officially changed. It is the day that I found out we were about to become an actual family, not just the two of us.  I remember it like it was yesterday…..

I had called off from work because I was having horrible stomach pains. I figured it had to be some sort of bug that was going around. Working in a school, you get those a lot. Joe went into work as normal and I stayed lying in our bed.  It wasn't long before I knew I had to throw up. I was just feeling pretty gross. For some reason, I had this nagging thought in the back of my mind that it was not a stomach bug. I decided, just for fun, that I would take a pregnancy test.  I took the test… and I swore time stood still.  I was pacing the bathroom thinking of what I wanted the test to say. I always knew I wanted to be a younger mom, so it being positive would be such an amazing blessing. I would finally have the family I dreamed of since I was a little girl. However, my husband and I were not in a place where we felt financially comfortable enough to start a family.

The alarm on my cell phone went off and it was time for me to turn over the test! I couldn't believe what it said. Holy cow... I was pregnant! After only five short, but sweet, months of being married we were going to be quickly moving into the next chapter of our lives as parents.  I called Joe at work, and thankfully he was able to answer. The conversation went a little something like this:

Me: Joe, you need to come home right now.

Joe: Kels, I can’t I am at work. Is everything okay?

Me: (not wanting to tell him the amazing news over the phone) .. um.. im just really sick and I need you to take me to the doctors.

Joe: I can’t.

Me: (realizing that I had no other choice to get him home, I had to spill the beans) Joe, I’m pregnant.

Joe: I’ll be right home.

Ha! I love that man. When he got home, I took what seemed like a million more pregnancy tests just to make sure. Every single one said the same thing, pregnant. J

We decided we wanted to wait until Christmas to let anyone know the news. I felt like I was going to burst holding in something so exciting, but my big mouth managed to stay shut!

The months seemed to fly by! I can honestly say I had a pretty great pregnancy. During the first trimester I never threw up, but I was always nauseous (I don’t know which is better). It seemed like the exact day the second trimester came everything was wonderful. I didn't feel sick and I had a lot more energy. Then… the third trimester came. For me, it was the worst of the three. I felt huge, and because it was so hot I could not get comfortable! I loved feeling Anthony kick and move around inside me, but it became pretty painful when he would crush my lungs, take a couple karate kicks at my ribs, or act like my bladder was a punching bag!

During my pregnancy I knew that I wanted to do everything naturally. I did not take any medication (not even Tylenol), did not get any vaccinations, and was planning on having a drug free delivery.  The no medication was pretty tough especially after my car accident. I was rear-ended when I was 14 weeks pregnant. The headaches were horrible! But, I suffered through them because I wanted to make sure my baby was as healthy as possible.   

Anthony came a few weeks early (I was 37 weeks pregnant). His original due date was August 12^th. (One doctor even said in the beginning that it was supposed to be August 17^th). The week that Anthony was born was so crazy. Saturday July 20^th Joe was in Baltimore for a Bachelor party that he planned as the best man. I was in OCNJ for Night in Venice. We probably shouldn't have traveled anywhere this late in my pregnancy, especially not together… but we did. My contractions started on the drive down to OCNJ. They were about 15 minutes apart. Fast forward a few hours, I was in a lot of pain that moved around to my back and the contractions were 5 minutes apart. My doctor advised me to stay in OCNJ and check into the hospital there. I started to panic because there was no way that I was going to abandon my birth plan of going to a familiar hospital where I felt very comfortable. My amazing parents (and sister) drove me an hour and a half back to PA through a horrible thunderstorm to make it to my hospital. My husband had to leave the fun he was having at the bachelor party and meet me there. He was not so happy about that!

Turns out, it was the beginning of labor, but I was not going home with a baby that night. I was two centimeters dilated and having what I thought were pretty bad contractions. They put me on an IV and my contractions slowed down and became less intense. Joe and I were sent home and told to call the next time my contractions were five minutes apart.

Fast forward to Wednesday the 24^th at 3:00 in the morning. I was having contractions all through the day and into the night. When they were five minutes apart, we decided to labor a little at home. I walked around, took a shower, put on my makeup, finished packing last minute things into our bag… and took a video. When we called, the doctor told us to come on in. On our way, my husband decided he needed a pick-me-up, so he stopped at WAWA to get a coffee. We walked into the hospital with smiles on our faces, suitcases in hand. The nurse immediately said, you’re not having the baby today you’re way too happy.  I dismissed what she said because I was certain that Anthony was going to come today! Turns out… it was false labor again. We were sent home looking a little crazy wheeling the suitcases behind us.

It was Thursday the 25^th and around bed time my contractions were getting pretty bad again. Joe had to wake up for work so I decided to go downstairs because I was screaming a lot with each contraction. He would have gotten no sleep.  These contractions seemed a whole lot more painful than before, almost unbearable. I remember going to the bathroom to pee, like I did every five minutes. When I came back out to sit on the couch I felt a pop and then some water fell on the carpet. I started screaming to Joe. He rushed to gather the last few things we needed, while I was screaming my head off. Poor guy! Unlike the night before, I didn’t care at all what I looked like. I was in so much pain, and I just wanted to get to the hospital. When we got to the hospital, I saw the same nurse as the night before. I looked at her and said “I’m not happy tonight!” She laughed, and sure enough, July 25, 2013 was Anthony’s birthday. (Read the birth story for what happens next!)