If you follow me on social media, you’ve already seen this, but… we’re having a baby! I’m currently in my second trimester and am 22 weeks pregnant.
My husband and I found out before Christmas, so it was kind of like a Christmas present to ourselves 😉 I let family and close friends know in February at 14 weeks, and in March around 18 weeks, I let my coworkers know since I was starting to have a baby bump and couldn’t really hide it much longer.
And yes, we do know the gender! Thanks to the wonders of science and technology, you can find out via blood test at 10 weeks. (It uses my blood, by the way, not the baby’s.) I had it done to find out the baby’s sex, check for chromosomal abnormalities (like Down’s Syndrome), and to see if I’m a carrier of any genetic disorders from a list of over 100. Things came back fine! (Well, I tested positive for Alpha Thalassemia which is common among Asians, but my husband was negative for it, so there’s no issue.)
As for the gender… *drum roll*… We’re keeping it a secret. Sorry, that was probably super anticlimactic. Our reasons are:
- It’s kind of nice to have a secret about the baby that is just between my husband and I.
- It pretty much guarantees gender neutral gifts. I don’t mind some gender specific things, but I feel like people can go overboard with it when it comes to babies. Like, yes, pink and blue are nice colors, but I don’t need everything in those colors.
So far, this pregnancy has been pretty smooth. Last time, it took us 7 months to conceive before it ended in a miscarriage. This time, it only took 3 months. Maybe it’s because I understood my ovulation cycle better, or maybe it was the diet changes I made, or maybe we were just plain lucky, who knows!
I’ve also been lucky on symptoms because I’ve only had minor ones. In the first trimester, I had a bit of nausea, but never enough to vomit. It was annoying though because I’d get hungry easily, and then after eating, I’d get hit with nausea. Excuse me body, can you please make up your mind?
I’m not dealing with that anymore in the second trimester, but I have the symptoms that come with a growing baby. Like, there is a baby literally crushing my bladder, which makes me need to go frequently and sometimes accidentally pee myself a bit. (Yes, I’m sure you all wanted to know that.) I’ve also found that I need to watch how much I eat at once because if it’s too much, I have difficulties breathing. Apparently there isn’t enough room for both a food baby and a real baby.
I will say that pregnancy is overwhelming for a first-timer though. You’re hit with a ton of information in the beginning about what to expect, how to care for yourself, and a long list of dos and don’ts. Even now, I feel overwhelmed when I think about how much I still need to do. I recently pre-registered at the hospital I’ll be delivering at, but I haven’t toured it yet nor picked a pediatrician. Our nursery is still empty, and I don’t know what I should be putting in the baby registry. I feel lost trying to pick a childbirth class. It’s a lot to take in.
I also entered the pregnancy with a lot of paranoia and anxiety due to the previous miscarriage. During my entire first trimester, I was afraid I’d miscarry again. As I entered the second trimester, I bought a fetal heartbeat monitor for home-use, so I could ease that paranoia between doctor visits. Sometimes I’m suddenly hit with the reality of what’s happening. Holy crap, are we really doing this? Are we really ready to have a baby?
So when people ask if I’m excited, I feel weird because I’m not sure what to say. Truth be told, I’m kind of freaking out. Of course, we are happy though! This is something my husband and I have been trying for and wanting for months. It’s just… a lot you know?
But enough rambling from me. Now that the “secret” is out, it makes some things easier to talk about… like my recent vacation to Hawaii! Expect entries for that soon 😉
OMG CAT!!!! I am so excited to hear this exciting news!!! When you said you had news to share, I was hoping it’d be this and it is!!! I’m so happy that you’re 22 weeks in and seeing some good news with those blood tests! I like the idea of having gender-neutral gifts. Maybe you’ll start seeing some green and orange gifts!
It’s great that it took three months to conceive. It’s pretty cool to learn from your experience so far. I can totally imagine the rush of feelings you’re experiencing with this being a first-time experience! I’m rooting for you and your hubby, Cat! Sending you all of the good vibes and positive wishes throughout your pregnancy.
Go you!
I had no idea you guys lost a baby before. I am so glad everything has been going well for you! First trimester was scary for me too, but enjoy the second trimester – before you know it you’ll be holding your sweet baby!!!
I am soooo excited for you both! I love that you’re keeping the baby gender to yourselves! I tried asking people to do gender neutral items/colors but my latino family unloaded lots of pink tutus for our daughter. The joke is on them….she is now a super tom boy and only wants her baseball cap and to run around outside.
I am so excited for you guys! Sending you guys lots of love and if you ever need anything please text me!!! <3 <3
I am so happy and excited for you guys! I have Emma, but other than that 2 miscarriages, and my husband cannot have children, so she will be my only one despite me considering wanting another.
I’m strangely at peace with it now though.
Keeping the gender secret for yourself is definitely okay! I actually admire you for being able to keep it a secret! I tried with my kiddo, but accidentally let it slip when I was about 24 weeks along xD
Sending my prayers and good vibes for you for an easy pregnancy!!
I’m so happy for you! I will be praying for a happy and healthy baby. ♥ I can only imagine the mixture between been happy and completely overwhelmed though. Honestly, I can’t see myself being pregnant. Talk about a huge but wonderful step in life. I wish you and your husband the best on this journey of pregnancy! ♥
That’s what I fear, too. That I would be bombarded with a lot of information when I get pregnant (in the future) and I can’t imagine how you feel about all that when you had that miscarriage 🙁 but I am so beyond happy that you’re pregnant and your pregnancy is going well~
Oh! Congratulations on the baby! 😀
Congratulations Cat!!! I’m so happy to hear that you’re having a baby! It sounds like quite the adventure but I’m glad that you and your baby are doing well <3 I’m so excited for you guys and I’m sending you lots of love and prayers :*
I remember seeing the picture above on social media and SCREAMING with happiness for you haha! I was with my boyfriend at the time and he was like, “WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED???” HAHA. I am SO happy for you, huge congratulations to both you and your husband!
I love how you’ve decided to keep the gender a secret so that gifts are gender-neutral, that’s such a fantastic idea! I personally prefer it because I also find that I may go over the top with gendered gifts… 😅
Sending you both positive vibes during your pregnancy! *big hugs*
Congratulations again Cat ☺️ I am so happy for you and your husband! I’m really happy that everything has worked out well thus far, given your unfortunate miscarriage last time.
I understand about keeping the gender secret – and honestly, I respect your decision 100%. Not only is it special and a secret between you two, but I feel even more excited for when you will reveal it! Gender-neutral gifts sound nice, too, because I’m against a lot of the stereotyping that happens with some children’s clothes and toys these days (doctor kits for boys and cooking stuff for girls – when reversing these roles in real life is completely normal!!) 😞 And I’m sure you are aware of that, too, and keeping the gender a secret is a good way to keep it at bay.
I thank you for sharing your experiences as a first-time mum-to-be and being honest about how it feels. I think that a lot of bloggers leave that out, and as a young woman who wants to be a mother *at some point – not soon lol*, it’s nice to know what to expect. You seem really optimistic about everything even though there has been some pain. I can imagine it must be overwhelming when it’s your first time too!
I’m so upset you can’t have a food baby and a real one at the same time haha!!
CONGRATULATIONS! I am so happy for you two! I am crossing my fingers for a complication-free pregnancy for you. I know it’s been rough when you’ve had that miscarriage, so hearing that you’re pregnancy has been well so far makes me happy 🙂
I think it’s normal to feel like you’re freaking about this. It is really overwhelming to have a kid with so many physical and emotional changes going through you. Being pregnant is definitely not an easy thing, so it’s okay to feel the less positive emotions!
Anyway, I think it’s good you’re keeping the gender a secret :3 It’s totally your choice, so it’s understandable ^^ Can’t wait to find out when you have him/her!