So for this blog post, I decided to make a list of Q&A’s everyone has been asking me since I became pregnant. There have been quite a few, but if I missed any, let me know!
Q: How are you feeling? Did you get morning sickness?
A: I feel great! Besides getting tired earlier than usual
(I’m fighting to stay awake at 9:30pm, and it’s harder to wake up in the
morning even after 8-10hours of sleep), and I don’t really feel pregnant at all. I
never had morning sickness (such a blessing), but I did feel sleepy and bloated
for a while. Now I just feel “bigger” (you can definitely feel when you’ve put
on baby weight…your body just feels bigger).
Q: Are you nervous at all?
A: Patrick and I both aren’t nervous at all! We both have
our parents here to help just in case, and we also have his brother and
sister-in-law to help us with new baby questions. His grandparents are all here
as well. We just aren’t nervous at all to become parents…we both know we
are as ready as we can be!
Q: What do you miss most while you’re pregnant?
A: Being able to drink when we go out with friends, and
eating certain foods. I know you can have “one or two drinks” throughout the
week, but I really just have avoided it all together. Whenever I “try” to have
one drink (which happens maybe once every couple of weeks), I don’t even finish
it. Also, I have really missed sushi and raw oysters (you’re not supposed to
have raw fish) and I am a freak about cheese. There are “certain cheeses” you
shouldn’t eat….but I LOVE cheese. So I’ve stuck with the basics (American,
Swiss, & Provolone) but it makes it hard when I want to try new cheeses
because other than those, I really don’t know what ones are “off-limits” since
there are so many!
Q: How is it working while pregnant?
A: It’s great! My company is super accepting with doctor
appointments, and they have told me if I “don’t feel well” or anything to let
them know and they will accommodate me. Luckily, I have had an easy pregnancy so far
(knock on wood!). I really do work for such a great company, and I will
definitely work up until I pop! I want the longest maternity leave I can have
with the baby (12 weeks is the standard by law). My company is very
family-oriented, and what we do makes it easier to work from home if necessary.
Q: Are you going to go back to work or be a stay-at-home?
A: The plan is to go back to work after maternity leave, but really that is a question we can’t answer until the baby
is here. I have no idea how much work goes into being a mom, as well as
balancing work & baby. Once I get into a routine and feel adjusted, Patrick
and I can make that decision ourselves. We also have to take our finances into
account at that time, and especially with a little one in the family. Luckily,
like I said earlier, all of our family is in the area, which will make going
back to work easier like we plan. I really love where I work, and I'd love to stay after maternity leave, so we will see what happens!
Q: How did you react when you found out you were
pregnant? How did everyone else react?
A: I think I put this in an earlier post (maybe the baby
announcement one?), but we were very shocked, and not at all worried. I knew
both of us were in a good place (both graduated college, both working full-time
with fantastic jobs), and that we knew we were meant for each other. I did cry
at first, but it was just an, “oh my gosh, I am shocked this is happening!”
kind of thing. Patrick was very supportive and very positive, and we knew our
families would be supportive and positive as well since they both love us
together.
Q: What are your cravings?
A: I haven’t really had any cravings besides chocolate
and fried chicken (thank God for Chicken Mini’s from Chik-Fil-A). For
chocolate, is that really even a craving? I feel like I craved that before I
was pregnant. However, I really love homemade chocolate cookies and Ghirardelli
brownies, and decaf Starbucks Chocolate Mochas with extra chocolate sauce.
However, I’ve just recently cut out my soda addiction (I was drinking decaf for
the pregnancy), and I’ve cut down on the chocolate cravings (stupid Girl Scout cookies...). Any time I crave
some kind of candy/chocolate, I’ve been eating fruit instead. I’ve also been
making healthier breakfast/lunch/dinner choices, too.
Q: Have you been working out at all?
A: Yes! Well….I try to! I have a pregnancy workout DVD,
and this girl kicks my butt and she’s 8 months pregnant in it! It definitely
gets me sweating. We also have an elliptical/bike combo I try to use as well. I
have a pregnancy yoga DVD, but I haven’t tried it yet. I may do that tonight! I
kind of prefer the workouts over yoga, though. I definitely try to take Sadie
and Max on walks (Sadie on the longer ones) just because I sit in an office
cube all day while she is at home, so we both need to get out!
Q: Have you felt the baby kick yet? How big is she?
A: Yes! And she can KICK! Sometimes I think I did
something to make her want to kick and punch me so hard. Patrick and my mom
have both felt my stomach when she kicks. It’s a very cool feeling. I can also
tell when she is going to kick because I can kind of feel her moving around. It’s
a nice sign to know how active the baby is. When I’m sitting down or not moving
is when she is active, because when you walk around or are active, the uterus
moving rocks her to sleep. Also, my pregnancy app says she is about the size of
a spaghetti squash and is 8in long and weighs about 1 lb.
And finally, YES. The baby will 100% be ALL VOL. Not that that was even a question ;)
