I feel like I can finally breath easy. It’s been pretty nonstop the past few weeks with getting back into the swing of things since traveling, having an ultrasound, booking my first official prenatal appointment, and filming and posting our gender reveal. If you somehow missed it, we are having a BOY!!!
I can’t tell you how excited we are and how cool it’s been to take you on this journey with us. This is the first blog post I’m writing that I get to hit “publish” on right away. Everything is out in the open, and there are no more major things to schedule out or announce. Here is our reveal on Instagram if you wanna see…
I feel a little more normal than I have in a while regarding my physical well being while pregnant and just the ability to mentally relax more.
God always gives me the strength that I need, and I can truly look back on some of the things I was able to do in the past few months and say “How in the world?! Only by God’s grace.”
Part of my delight has a lot to do with getting the results of our ultrasound. Since I was about 16, I’ve known this pregnancy would result in a son and I shared the whole story in a YouTube video because it’d take too long to write it all out.
It’s amazing how God works, right?! Like I mentioned, there are several testimonies I’m in the middle of that I can’t speak on, but it’s great to be able to share this. I’m encouraged so much because it’s hard NOT to doubt what God tells you. One of the major tactics of the enemy since Adam and Eve were in the garden is the phrase “Did God really say…?” If he can get you to question God’s voice, he can most likely get you to give up, forfeit, or delay God’s promise for you.
This really hits home because it’s hard not to compare my previous pregnancy with my daughter to this one as it pertains to how I’m feeling physically, BUT ALSO there were so many astounding and beautiful things happening in my life at that time back in 2014, too. Blessing after blessing kept finding me, and nowadays I see myself asking God “So, are you going to do the same this time around?”
I know that sounds really selfish in the current state of humanity, but I’m just being really honest and transparent here. I can’t help but to think of what’s going on in the world, what’s going on in my personal life and not feel some days how difficult it is to maintain a positive outlook. It’s hard enough with Jesus, I can’t imagine how much more difficult this time would be without His comfort.
That being said, I’ve really needed some signs to let me know it’s all going to be okay and that God will come through in the areas I need Him. Seeing our baby boy ignited such a hope in me that I can’t really put into words.
Like I mentioned in my video, it was a huge manifestation of a promise God had given me almost two decades ago. It helped me to remember how much He’s in control and that my worry really does nothing to help.
Other seemingly small things have also come up to build my faith. One of the things I told my midwife in our initial consultation was how important it was for me to have my husband and daughter involved every step of the way in the pregnancy and the actual birth.
When I talked to her about using the ultrasound technician within her private office, she said it might not be possible to bring my daughter in because of the technician’s preference in regards to the pandemic, but she recommended a place that was not only welcoming to children right now, but was also much cheaper since I was paying out of pocket. That might seem small, but it was huge to me. Honestly, to have someone remember my request and do what they can to make it happen means a lot right now.
I ended up going with my midwife’s recommendation at Ultrasound Services in Santa Ana, California. I wanted to share this business in case any of you are in SoCal and need someone who’s pleasant and cost effective for your ultrasound. The environment is very comfortable like a living room, and there’s a huge flatscreen TV that you watch your ultrasound on. We went with the 2D/3D/4D package and got a free DVD recording of the whole session just for checking in on Yelp. (Their reviews are amazing, by the way.)
The second thing to build my faith was having our first official appointment with the midwife and finding out that she had to turn down other women with a November due date because of a conflict in her schedule, but I somehow managed to still get her. When I share more about the location of her office and how I found her, it will make more sense that this is kind of a big deal. With the spread of COVID and things changing drastically with the healthcare system, apparently there was a huge influx of women who changed their choice of having a hospital birth and instead went the birthing center or home birth route because of the current restrictions of who you can have in a hospital with you during labor.
By waiting so long to contact anyone (I mentioned why in previous blog posts), I believe I avoided the frenzy and panic that must have ensued with many midwives becoming bombarded by requests from pregnant women who were changing their birth plan.
When I was pregnant with Petra, I went to a birthing center for a consultation during my last trimester to see if it was possible to birth there because of the research I had been doing on hospital births vs birth centers vs home births. Because of how late I was in my pregnancy and the cash I’d need to give within a week or two to the birth center, I felt like it was impossible and just went ahead with a hospital birth. Everything turned out fine, but I did always feel like I’d rather have been able to go the birth center route.
This time, I’ll be doing a home birth. I might go into detail on why me and my husband came to that decision, but today is not the day because it would take too long. Lol. I’ll just say be prayerful and make the right decision for your family. I don’t look down on any woman for how she chooses to birth her child.
Anyways, this is all for my ramblings. We can get to those stats now…
Age and size of baby:
24 weeks old, 11.5 inches long, 1.3 lb in weight.
Cravings:
I go up and down with cravings. I haven’t had many to speak of, I’m just trying to eat foods that are healthy as well as filling while also having a treat here and there. Sweets right now are a hit and miss. I’m mostly okay with chocolate, but if it’s candy or anything super sweet it kinda feels bad in my stomach after a while.
Morning sickness:
The hot weather we have right now isn’t awful, but some days it’s enough to make me feel nauseous. I’m just so glad that if I do end up throwing up, it’s once in a while and not the norm.
Stretch marks:
No stretch marks that I know of, but my belly does feel tight around the belly button area sometimes Especially after a big meal.
Crazy hormones:
I think the last time I cried was at my ultrasound appointment when I first saw our son on the screen. I feel him kicking very regularly, but something about seeing his little body made things so real. It’s really great to have the type of technology nowadays where you don’t have to imagine what your child looks like in the womb…you actually get to see it!
Sleeping habits:
The week after coming back from out of town, my back was hurting so bad it was hard to sit or lay down. I’m not sure if it was from the really long flight or from my belly getting bigger and getting my spine all out of whack. Either way, that made it hard to sleep. Currently, I’m not feeling that pain anymore, but I do have to lay down a few times throughout the day just to give myself a break from carrying the baby.
So, that’s that for now. Be blessed and take time to make your dreams into your reality.
-Kytia L’amour
itsonlyreality.com 