pregnancy

Growing your family, one baby bump at a time. All about the ups and downs of nature's 9 month miracle.

My Story
Monday the 3rd was my 29th birthday. The weekend before my big day was AMAZING! I received so many thoughtful and wonderful gifts. The day of my birthday was even better.. well I thought it was. I was supposed to start my period that day.
By Kayla6 years ago in Families
Postpartum Depression
Having a baby is usually an exciting and joy filled time for women, but some women don’t get to experience the common euphoria; instead they get postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is depression experienced by new mothers after having their baby. It can strike immediately, or all of a sudden attack months or even years later.
By Inactive6 years ago in Families
Becoming A Mom
So my Fiance and I were kind of trying for a baby but not really at the same time. Whatever happens happens you know? But as soon as I found out that I was pregnant I obviously told him first. He was excited, I was excited it was just all around joy. It was a huge surprise to his parents, when I told my mom I thought she was going to faint. She has been waiting so long to be a grandma it's crazy. His parents are already grandparents but they were still excited. This was my moms first grand baby so I could see how she was ecstatic.
By Chels6 years ago in Families
Not Exactly Glowing
"She's not a unicorns and rainbows pregnant lady". I was dropping off something at a family friend's house when she asked me how I was feeling and how far along I was now. Before I could answer, a beam of that rainbow-ish and high pitched positivity blinded and stopped me in my verbal tracks.
By Hannah B6 years ago in Families
The Inside of a Woman’s Mind: The Pregnancy Test
The following is a text message I sent to my boyfriend in that moment I found out I wasn’t pregnant: “Is it wrong? I have an amazing family surrounding me, one that I do not appreciate very often but am slowly learning to, one that I love unconditionally and strive so hard to make happy, one that motivates me to do well in all areas of my life, one that I would love to make bigger one day.
By Brown Eyed Girl6 years ago in Families
Being Pregnant in Post-Colonial Nigeria: Are the Fears Justified?
I’m about to walk you through my personal experience with pregnancy in Nigeria. From giving birth in Nigeria to maternal health in Nigeria, I’m going to share everything with you, right up to family planning after pregnancy in Nigeria!
By Elizabeth Barletta6 years ago in Families
TSC: Pregnancy, Family Planning, and Coping with the Reality of Things
In general, most people that want to start a family, can just have sex and then hope for the best. But what about the people who have disorders that love children with all of their hearts, but worry they will struggle to have a child of their own? Well, now that I've introduced you to the depressing disorder Tuberous Sclerosis Complex itself, I am going to explore the idea of pregnancy and planning a family while living with TSC. First off, I have never been pregnant, but I've thought about what would happen when I discover I am expecting.
By Jennifer McIntosh6 years ago in Families
Benefits of Meditation During Pregnancy
Meditation is simply the exercise of training your mind to redirect your thoughts and focus. Practicing mindfulness has many more benefits in the form of positive mood alleviation, healthy sleep, pain tolerance, and self-discipline. According to a study published by National Center for Biotechnology Information, mindfulness does not only have a positive effect on stress reduction in specific populations, such as those with maternal health and pain, but can be beneficial for healthy individuals, emphasizing mindfulness as a promising intervention to improve stress levels. Furthermore, mindfulness-based stress reduction was found to reduce ruminative thinking and trait anxiety, as well as increase empathy and self-compassion, suggesting that mindfulness-based interventions are also able to reduce stress levels in healthy people.
By Dibyendu Halder6 years ago in Families
Take Charge of Your Postpartum Health
Pregnancy is a time with many restrictions and rules to ensure the health of you and your baby. You can’t drink alcohol or eat some foods, you need to do certain exercises and you have to avoid some types of activities. However, taking care of yourself doesn’t stop when you give birth. Follow these tips to help your body heal from pregnancy, labor and delivery.
By Paisley Hansen6 years ago in Families
The Day I Became Infertile
TW: This story involves a discussion of medical details such as bleeding, surgery, and infertility. On November 11th, 2017, at 16 days postpartum, I had an emergency, life-saving hysterectomy. I had no warning signs, no symptoms, and no knowledge of just how serious postpartum complications are. My story is not an anomaly.
By Jessica Grace Raso6 years ago in Families
I Almost Died During Childbirth
Firstly, let me just start off by saying that I'm the most atrocious writer in the history of man. EVER EVER LOL, so bare with me lovelies!
By Milcah kelly6 years ago in Families
Birth Story
I am a first time mom and I recently gave birth to my first son in July 2018. I was not prepared for what was about to happen next. I am the type of person that thinks that she knows everything so I thought that I had this in the bag and I was going to be the type of mom that had her life together, and it was going to be easy. The day I gave birth—my water broke at 3 AM and I didn't know what my water breaking would feel like, so I thought I had peed myself, changed, and went back to sleep. I woke up again to the thought that I had peed myself again. I got worried and sent my mom a text asking her what your water breaking felt like, and sure enough she assured me that my water had broke. I woke my husband up to tell him that it was time to head to the hospital and he decides to jump in the shower and start SHAVING!!!!! I was wondering why he decided to start getting ready like if we were going out and he said, "I have to get ready to look nice for the hospital pictures." I was so worried and scared that I couldn't even bring myself to laugh. I was ripping open the box that contained the car seat and stroller that we had not assembled yet. I was also sad cause I wanted to do my hair so that I could look nice in the hospital photos too. He finished showering and getting ready and we got in the car while I wrapped a towel around my legs and put it on the seat so I didn't dirty the seat, and we arrived at 4:15 AM. Once we arrived we were so confused, because nobody was around until we saw a nurse and my husband is very impatient and kept telling me to ask the nurse if I was in labor because he had to go into work at 8 AM the following day. Once it was confirmed that I was in labor I thought I was a badass, 'cause I kept thinking to myself 'I don't even feel any type of pain, I totally got this.' WOW!!! I was totally wrong!!! They gave me medication to speed up my contractions, and when I got to five centimeters dilated I was in tears because I could not handle the pain. I did not want to get the epidural but I really could not handle the pain, so I got it and when I tell you that saying it was the best four hour nap that I have had in my whole nine months of my pregnancy was an understatement. After waking up and feeling just pressure the epidural started wearing off, and I found myself trembling a lot. I kept getting asked if I was cold, but I wasn't—it was the fact that my body was starting to feel the pain. Finally, it was time to push, and finally my son came out and I could not contain my excitement—I was beyond blessed. I was crying because I could not believe that I was able to do what I just did. Being a mom is super scary, especially giving birth at such a young age and not knowing what's in store for you. I love being a mom and I have so much respect for moms now because of what they go through on a daily basis. We experience something so beautiful yet so dangerous, that I feel is amazing; women are amazing.
By Delilah6 years ago in Families