I found out I was pregnant in July 2019 and I was surprised, pleasantly
surprised for that matter. We had been trying to conceive for the last one year
it just never happened. I remember a few months earlier I went to see a
gynaecologist for a pap smear and I also had a scan done to check if I had any
issues internally like uterine fibroids
or endometriosis and my results showed that
I was perfectly okay. So here I was looking at my positive pregnancy test
results with mixed emotions, I was happy that finally our prayers were answered
we were pregnant and at the same time I was scared of a miscarriage because I
had gone through it before.
Having gone through a dark time when I had a miscarriage was one
of the reasons I kept my pregnancy under wraps for a while. I wasn’t ready to
tell everyone so only my family and close friends knew about it until when the
bump started showing in the second trimester that is when I confidently talked
about it.
So now that I’m ready to talk about it, I’ve briefly summarized
the memorable moments of each trimester.
First trimester
I went for my first clinic at 8 weeks and we were not able to hear
the heartbeat because it was still early and I was told to go back for the
fetal heart beat scan at 12 weeks. During my this trimester I struggled with morning sickness
and by that I don’t mean throwing up early in the morning, in fact most times I
would wake up very fresh and fun fact, I never threw up throughout the entire
pregnancy. My morning sickness i.e. fatigue would strike in the afternoon. I
used to get really exhausted, hungry and sleepy in the afternoon until in the
evening. I really struggled with it at work.
I also had my fair share of extreme mood swings, I remember one
time I couldn’t sleep at night and in the middle of the night I started crying
because I was so nervous and worried about us being a parents. My emotions were
all over the place that night, I was worried that maybe we were not ready to
raise a human and I also got overwhelmed by the changes I was going through
both emotional and physical.
Advice
·
The
moment you find out your pregnant start shopping for clothes a size bigger and
also invest in good maternity dresses that you can still wear after giving
birth
·
Download
pregnancy apps that will help you keep track of your baby as he or she develops
i.e Ovia, baby center, what to expect
·
Relax
and let everything fall into place
·
Start
taking folic acid as soon as you find out you are pregnant
·
Start
applying stretch marks cream from the first trimester even though you don’t
have stretch marks yet.
Second Trimester
I heard my babys heart beat for the first time at 12 weeks and I
felt so happy and blessed. Crossing the 13th week mark cleared all
my lingering doubts of a miscarriage and I started being attached to my unborn
child. I remember shopping for maternity clothes at thrift stores and online Instagram
shops like queen classy their dresses were a life saver. At this point I found
it difficult shopping for outfits because I didn’t know my exact size and even
worse I didn’t know how to dress my new body. One day I was size 8 the next day
I’m a size 10 big. It might seem like its easy to dress up a baby bump but
trust me it’s not. Eventually I got a hang of it and I realized the trick to
choosing maternity clothes is to look for the ones that are stretchy i.e dresses,
tops and pants.
Feeling the baby kick for the first time was one of my pregnancy
highs. Those tiny kicks felt like butterflies in my stomach. Each pregnancy
milestone gave me hope that I would carry it to term. When you are pregnant
especially in the first and mid second trimester, you are always at a high risk
of losing the baby. I even experienced a pregnancy scare at around 16 weeks where
I started bleeding and thankfully my gynecologist assured me it was nothing to
worry about and I was given medication.
I also found out the gender of my baby at around 21 weeks. I did
so because I wanted to start buying his clothes and make all the necessary
arrangements for my child.
Advice
·
Take
your folic acid and satisfy your cravings
·
Start
exercising, simple exercises like swimming, join a prenatal yoga class as well
·
Start
planning your maternity leave it’s never too early
·
Start
shopping for the baby
·
Keep
going to the clinic and don’t forget to do your scan
Third trimester
This was the last lap reality checked in that I was going to give birth
soon and I immediately started doing research on the best hospitals in Nairobi
where I could give birth. I really wish there was enough info on Nairobi maternity
hospitals online; sadly very few hospitals have that information online in fact
Mp Shah was the only hospital that I saw had all their maternity charges and
details online. After thorough research and talking to my gynaecologist, visiting
some of the hospitals as well as consulting my insurance company. I ended up
settling for Mp Shah and that is where I gave birth to my son.
I also did last minute shopping for the baby and I bought his clothes
from thrift stores which were cheaper and unique as well as from different baby
shops in town like the ones along Biashara street and Aqua Baby in Parklands.
I discussed my birth plan with my doctor which was normal delivery
and a few weeks to my due date I had packed my hospital bag and I was ready to
meet my baby. I ended up going to the
hospital for an induction a few days after my due date because I was so tired
and I didn’t want to go through the risk of having complications.
Finally on March 11th 2020 at 6.16 a.m a very healthy baby B was born
through caesarian section weighing 4kgs and 54 cm. We thank God for our bundle of joy.
P.S I’ll share a separate post on my labour and delivery.
Advice
·
Do a
thorough research on the hospital you would want to give birth in
·
Discuss
your birth plan with your doctor and be open to last minute changes that may
happen
·
Don’t
bother packing too many stuff in your hospital bag, usually private hospitals
provide you with almost everything that you will need.
·
Listen
to your doctor’s advice
Congratulations vonnette!!!
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