My pregnancy journey



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 Ill 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

IF THERE IS ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT MY PREGNANCY JOURNEY, LET ME KNOW.

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