So you found out you're pregnant...

Hello! My name is Julia and I used to be in charge of my daily life. Then I found out I was pregnant. And all that changed.

Don’t get me wrong! I am so thankful and so excited for this new chapter of life, but, boy, do I miss eating hamburgers.

As of right now I am between 9 and 10 weeks along in my first pregnancy and officially going through it. How do I not know the exact weeks? Because I have yet to figure out how I’m supposed to even count the weeks! I can’t be the only one confused with when the ‘official’ start date is?

So far: My body seems to only want to sleep during the day, my sickness isn’t only in the morning, and forget about eating for two. I can barely eat for one!

There is so much I couldn’t know about pregnancy without going through it myself.  I knew that every pregnancy is different.  Now I know so much more, though it is always a bonding experience to complain about heartburn and exhaustion with other new moms. There is something in the way women come together to swap tips on how not to throw up in the car that is truly heartwarming. And like me, these wonderful mama’s have no clue what’s going on! But you know what? That’s okay.

Not going to lie, if someone had handed me a guidebook about what it’s really like, I could have maybe been a bit more prepared. Though who’s to say if it would have actually helped. We always joke in store that you could write hundreds of books about what the doctor doesn’t tell you. Some of it, most of it, you find out on your own.

What I’ve learned most in my short time as an expecting mother is this:

• You’re never just kind of pregnant. As soon as that test says yes, congratulations! Celebrate that time because it is beautiful and yours. Do the elaborate reveals or just send out a mass text. Whatever you want, but it’s a thing that is now happening. I, personally, have yet to reach the stage of glowing pregnancy, but just because I’m not feeling radiant doesn’t mean it’s not a pregnancy.
• You’re not the only one who feels bloated instead of pregnant. There’s a middle stage between not showing and showing that we lovingly call the “big lunch” stage. You feel big, but not in the maternity sense of the word. That’s okay. It’s just another thing that’s happening, another step in the road. It’s a universal feeling no matter if it’s your first or third baby. You don’t have to embrace it, just remember that its normal. The new normal.
• You’re not the boss anymore. Like I mentioned, I haven’t been able to do what I would normally since I found out I was pregnant. Can’t sleep how I used to for fear of heartburn. Can’t eat what I used to because I have such a texture aversion now and smells! Smells are intense! My baby has my heart in its little hand…as well as my stomach, lower back, and sinuses. From the moment of conception, your little bundle of joy is pulling all the strings. Totally normal to surrender control until you feel yourself again.
• Advice is great, but you don’t always have to take it. The only one who can really tell you how your pregnancy should go and what you should do is your doctor. It’s easy to get bombarded with words of advice from parents, grandparents, in-laws, strangers on the street, a lady writing a blog, but it’s super okay to just say “thanks!” and let it flow in one ear and out the other. Yes, sometimes it can be helpful. Sometimes. Not always.

There is a whole new world opening up with just the beginning of a pregnancy. As someone who is currently experiencing it for the first time, I can tell you how not normal it feels. But as someone who has worked here at Mom’s the Word for some time, I can tell you it totally is. All the cravings, all the weird sensations and little ticks you have. Normal! It’s a bit like riding a roller coaster with a blindfold on. It might make you sick, and you can only really guess at when you’ll be able to get off, but you’ll get used to it. At least let’s hope so! Fingers crossed, ladies!