Chicago Universe ✔️

Pregnancy Alphabet

A= Announcement (When/How do you announce your pregnant to you boss, co-workers, friends?):

Matt and I decided to keep the pregnancy quite for a while. The only people who know are Will, Nat and Kelly.
When we do decide to announce the pregnancy I'm already 6 months pregnant. We decide to tell everyone at once while we're all at Mollys. Matt also rings his mom and his sister who are both excited.

B= Baby Predictions (Who will the baby be more like?):

Neither of us have made any predictions just because of how nervous we have both been.

C= Cravings (What cravings do you have? ):

McDonald's McFlurrys with chips dipped in. Or chicken nuggets dipped in.

D= Due Date (When is the Due date?):

Due date is the 15th March.

E= Emergencies (How do they act when something happens during the pregnancy?):

Any time I get a headache or feel dizzy Matt worries because of the preeclampsia. I can't just say Matt because I worry and so does Kelly. I'm made to take everything easy while Matt asks me every few minutes if I'm ok. Being a doctor does have its good points, but Matt knows doctors downplay their illnesses so Will is usually called over or I'm taken to Med.

F= Falling (How do they react you falling or about to fall?):

Due to the preeclampsia I get dizzy so sometimes when I'm going down the stairs I may miss a few steps. One time, early in the pregnancy I slip and fall down a couple of steps. Matt rushes me into Med wanting to make sure both me and the baby are ok.

G= Gender(s) (What gender do they want the baby to be?):

Neither of us care, but Kelly wants the baby to be a boy to teach him sport then he quickly realised that he could do sport with a girl.

H= Hands (Do they like to place their hands on your tummy? Do you place your hands on your tummy?):

Yes. Matt is always placing his hands on my stomach even before I had a bump, so am I just hoping that we will be able to feel the baby move.

I= Illness (How do they react when you get sick?):

Other than preeclampsia, anxiety and anaemia I also ended up with shingles which meant a stay at the hospital to keep an eye on the baby. Matt of course is loosing his mind so ends up taking some leave from the firehouse until he knows we're both ok. During this time we both decided after this little one we wouldn't have anymore children through me, we would adopt.

J= Job (Do you stay at work? Are you allowed to stay at work?):

No. I am put on sick leave, while this meant little money coming in we knew it was better for me and the baby.

K= Kisses (Do they like kissing your bump?):

100% yes.

L= Life (How has life changed while your pregnant?):

Life is pretty difficult as I'm not working and I'm having to be monitored so much. Not only are we both anxious, we're also pretty stressed. I'm so grateful that we have Kelly to support us, we definitely need to make him godfather for everything he has done for us.

M= Movement (How do they react to feeling the baby move? How do they react to the sight of the baby kicking?):

When I feel the baby move it's like a huge sense of relief washes over me. Of course Matt also feels this relief when he feels the baby move.
We both kinda get freaked out about seeing a foot, but then we remind ourselves that everything is ok and even allow ourselves to get excited.

N= Nesting (Do you start nesting? When do you start nesting?):

As much as I would like to clean, I have to take things easy, so I have to trust Kelly and Matt that they are keeping the place clean and tidy.

O= Outfits (When do you start buying maternity clothes? When do you start buying outfits for the baby?):

I didn't allow myself to by maternity clothes because of being so scared of losing the baby. In the end Nat ends up giving me some of her maternity clothes because she's fed up of seeing me in leggings that are too small and a top that either belongs to Matt or Kelly.

P= Parents (Do they give advice? Is it good advice?):

Matts mom gives some advice, but I mainly speak to Nat about different things and she gives me quite a bit of advice which is pretty useful to know.

Q= Questions (Do they ask the midwife a lot of questions. Do they keep asking if your ok?):

No. He asks me a lot of questions, but I know it's just because he wants to know what's happening to my body and what's going to happen during birth. Matt also likes to tell me what size the baby is and what the baby's millstone of the week is.

R= Risk (Is there any risks during the pregnancy?):

A lot of risks during this pregnancy, but we're working through it.

S= Sickness (Do they you have much morning sickness? When does it start? When does it stop?):

No thankfully, grateful I don't have to add that onto the long list of risks and illnesses during this pregnancy.

T= Talking to the Baby (Do they talk to the bump? Do you talk to the bump?):

Not at first as neither of us wanted to get attached, but after I hit 6 months Matt would start saying little things like say good morning or goodnight to the baby.

U= Upset (How do they act when your upset? Why do you cry over most?)

Matt just reassures me whenever I'm upset because it's usually over if I'm going to loose the baby or if I will do something to harm the baby while pregnant.

V= Vision as in Supervision (Do they keep a close eye on you? Do they make sure someone's always with you?):

Yes. Either I'm with Matt, Kelly, Will or Natalie. I'm never left alone just in case.

W= What's the plan? (What is the birthing plan?):

I'm having a planned C-section as soon as the baby is fully developed.

X= Xray or Ultrasound (How do they react to seeing an x-ray of the baby. Do they tear up when they see the ultrasound?):

Matt cries whenever he sees the baby's ultrasound or when he hears the babies heartbeat, in fact we both do feeling relief that the baby is healthy.

Y= Yearning (How do they truly feel about having a child? Do they feel as though they are ready for a baby?):

Nervous, but excited. We feel as prepared as we can do, we have everything we need. Just waiting for little one now to make an appearance.

Z= ZZZ (How much sleep do they get during the pregnancy? How much sleep do you get?):

It takes me a while to fall asleep because I'm worrying most of the time, but when I do fall asleep I luckily stay asleep until the morning. Matt sleeps absolutely fine.