Finding Out I Was Pregnant:
We didn’t have to try very hard to conceive McKay. Our Heavenly Father wanted him to come sooner than later! I had a pretty strong feeling I was pregnant around Christmas Day 2010, although I didn’t know for sure. I knew once I took a pregnancy test I would tell Logan right away, so I decided to wait a week. Our anniversary is January 3rd and I figured this day would be perfect to find out if we were soon to be parents. On January 2nd I couldn't wait any longer. I took the pregnancy test, knowing in my heart it would be positive. I didn’t feel sick, I just felt different. It’s hard to explain. When I saw the positive symbol I felt a rush of emotions- mostly excitement and love for someone who wasn’t even the size of a marble. It didn’t feel like reality and I kept reassuring myself that yes, I was going to be a mother. I had to tell Logan right away the exciting news.
Telling Logan:
I wrapped the positive pregnancy test in a sexy Victoria Secret box sealed with a ribbon and bow. I was quite giddy when giving Logan this unexpected Anniversary present. He thought the box contained a cute little something! Surprise… When Logan saw the test inside he just stared at it for a minute and then with a big grin asked me if I was serious. I just smiled and said, “Looks like were going to be parents!” We didn’t know what to think or really say. We just kept smiling and saying remarks such as, “Wow” and “I don’t believe it”. We both knew are lives would never be same from this moment on. We were both very excited and a little nervous…
My First Doctor’s Appointment:
Working full-time as a dental hygienist, my schedule made it pretty difficult to schedule last minute doctor appointments. I didn’t want my office to know quite yet that I was pregnant. Since my hygiene schedule was always booked out six-eight weeks, I knew I needed to find a doctor quick and make all of my appointments far in advance. As a result the day after we found out I was pregnant, I went to the office of Dr. Chad Lunt, the most high-risk recommended doctor in town. I told the receptionist I knew I was pregnant and I needed to make all my appointments for the next eight months. She got a funny look on her face and said, “We don’t get that request very often!” I said, “I know, but I like to plan.” If only you could plan everything to the exact due date!
My first doctor’s appointment was on February 17, 2011 and I was over twelve weeks pregnant. We still hadn’t told anyone our exciting news. Reality hit when I first heard the heartbeat of our child. For the first time, I really felt pregnant. Our doctor said the chance of having a miscarriage was now less than 10%. After having this appointment, I really got ecstatic about being pregnant and anticipating the birth of our little child on August 30, 2011. The countdown now began!
Telling Our Families:
Originally my plan was to wait till April Fools Day to tell everyone our fun news. I’m not exactly sure why I wanted to wait so long. We were so excited! However, around the end of February I got really sick with the body flu. The only time in my entire pregnancy when I threw up was during this time. I was so sick I even threw up blood. Not being able to take any “real” medicine and being so sick, we decided we didn’t want to wait any longer to spread the news. And boy did the news spread like wildfire.
We decided to tell my family down in Las Vegas at my little brother, Kade’s, state championship basketball game. My other brother, Jared, was just about to come home from his church mission to Alaska and my mom asked if I could make an announcement to send out for his arrival. So, Logan made a missionary homecoming announcement as well as a “we’re excepting a baby” announcement. Prior to the game, all of my family went to Famous Dave’s Restaurant for dinner. When my mom was sorting through the options for my brothers announcement she came across our baby announcement with an ultrasound picture on it. My family was ecstatic with excitement! The news came very unexpected. Our child will be only the second grandchild for this side of the family.
So a little background on the Whatcott family; every Sunday afternoon Logan and I go over to his parents for dinner. Frequently funny things are said or someone starts laughing during the blessing on the food. So this particular Sunday when we all sat down to eat I asked my father in law if Logan could say the prayer because he needed the extra blessings! Everyone laughed and thought nothing of the simple request. At the end of the prayer Logan said, “And we would like to bless our soon to be baby.” The family all just stared at us in question. I just smiled and said, “It’s true, were having a baby.” Being the first grandbaby on this side of the family, they were all ecstatic as well. Throughout the rest of the night my father in law kept smiling and saying, “I’m going to be a grandpa!”
Telling my work and friends was pretty fun as well. Being so sick everyone was calling to ask how I was doing. They would ask what my symptoms were. I would begin to expound on my flu symptoms and end with, “And I’m pregnant”! It was quite funny to hear everyone’s reactions since the news was so unexpected. Everyone was shocked that I was 3 ½ months pregnant without anyone knowing.
Our First Ultrasound:
I could be four months pregnant all the time if I could get ultrasounds every day. They are so exciting, incredible, and special. In addition to feeling the baby move, ultrasounds were by far Logan’s favorite part of the pregnancy. Our first ultrasound was just considered a gender check and was done at 17 weeks on March 23rd. Gender checks are supposed to be rather quick and not as thorough as routine ultrasounds, however our little guy was super camera shy. He kept turning in circles and kept his legs together. When we finally had a good bum shot, he placed his hand in between his legs. We learned early on who’s going to boss in our new little family! Finally our little man decided to cooperate and we knew he was a boy! Prior to our appointment, both Logan and I thought he was a boy, and now we knew for sure and couldn’t be more thrilled. By the time we were finally able to see his “boy parts” we were able to see all of his body parts. The ultrasound technician was very friendly and informative, telling us in detail what everything was. This appointment was definitely one of the neatest experiences we’ve had.
Picking The Name McKay:
My mother’s maiden name is Wade, and for the longest time I always thought I would name my first son Wade after my Grandma Wade. However, my cousin beat me to it! As we were driving home from her son, Wade’s, baby blessing, the discussion came up as to what our first son would now be named. This night was only a few months before I became pregnant. Within ten minutes of discussing names we agreed on McKay! It’s funny because we never even seriously considered another name- it just seemed to fit and was perfect. Logan wanted to give McKay the middle name of Danger. He would say, “Think how cool it would be to say Danger is my middle name. No, seriously it is. Look at my birth certificate. I have sweet parents!” We really contemplated the name Danger but towards his arrival decided to be more traditional and give him the name of McKay Robert Whatcott. Logan’s official name is actually Robert Logan Whatcott. Logan’s fathers name is Robert Mac and so we decided to keep it in the family and name our son McKay Robert.
The First Time I Felt McKay Move:
It was the evening of April 20th when I first felt McKay move. It was the most special feeling; it’s hard to explain in words. Prior to this night I was starting to get a little antsy to feel him move. I knew it would be any time now, if I could just sit still long enough to feel it. Well this particular night I decided to drink some of Logan’s cream soda. I rarely drink soda, and I’m not sure if that had anything to do with it, but that night McKay decided to move and kick all night long. From this day forward I can honestly say McKay was a little mover. He would always be moving and would respond to stimuli such as dad poking him! Working as a dental hygienist, McKay even kicked many of my patient’s in the head. Luckily, he only kicked the older women who thought it was the sweetest thing possible. I personally loved feeling McKay move. His movement was the best memory I have of being pregnant!
How I Felt During The Pregnancy:
During the first trimester I felt pretty good compared to most. I had to hear McKay’s heart beat before I was fully convinced I was pregnant. I would get a little nauseous if I didn’t constantly eat something, but as long as I was always snacking I felt pretty good. However, I was extremely tired. I would get home from work and just crash. I could easily sleep 10-12 hours at a time.
During the second trimester I felt great. Being pregnant was actually pretty fun during this time. I wasn’t sick, I had a ton of energy, a cute little stomach, and I was super excited for the arrival of our little guy! If only the full ten months of pregnancy could be this great!
The third trimester was a little more challenging. It started out with bad upper back pain. I couldn’t sit in the same position very long without it starting to throb. At first I got really nervous thinking I still had two months to go and I was already so uncomfortable. Luckily, the back pain eased but I had a constant foot/ knee in my right rib for two months. My rib throbbed and felt like it was on fire. The closest thing I could describe the pain with was a very sore muscle that would get kicked all the time. Every time I sat down I could literally push McKay’s foot/knee away from my rib. My doctor said the burning feeling was my rib cage expanding. How awesome! There wasn’t anything I could do for the pain except deliver the child! Aside from my expanding rib cage, swollen ankles, and having to urinate all the time, the end of my pregnancy was better than expected. I was able to happily work till my due date, and I didn’t have too much to complain about. I was so blessed!
Getting Ready For McKay To Come:
I really wasn’t too nervous for McKay to arrive. Knowing about modern medical technology was so comforting. I prepared myself for a possible cesarean section, a preferred vaginal delivery that could last for hours, and all the body pain that comes with both. I have a family history of needing emergency cesarean sections because their bodies wouldn’t progress/ their hipbones were too small. Although I didn’t want a cesarean section, all I cared about was a healthy child- I didn’t care how he came! I was so excited to become a mother. It’s amazing how much you can love a child you haven’t even met yet. All I wanted to do when he arrived was cuddle and hold him for hours. I wasn’t nervous to become a mother; I knew I would absolutely love it. I was a little uneasy, however, knowing that everything in my life would change and never be the same. We could do anything we wanted at the spur of the moment, and now we would have to plan before going anywhere. It would be a big adjustment but totally worth it.
This might be to much information but I want to remember the details so here’s the story of the events leading up to the arrival of McKay. At week 36 I was checked and told I was only dilated to a one. (This was no shocker to me; I figured I wasn’t progressed any) At week 37, I was totally surprised to hear I was dilated to a two and 70% effaced. Not knowing much about progression during the birthing process I was thrilled, hoping if I could just dilate one centimeter a week, this baby would come sooner than anticipated. However after hearing the same news at week 38 and week 39, I became rather discouraged. The night of my due date, Logan and I had a long discussion about patience and I accepted the fact he wasn’t coming anytime soon. Think about all the fun things I could do while waiting! Here at the hospital in Saint George, they won't induce a first time mom until seven days past their due date or unless medically necessary. I’m such a planner, but here’s the real reason I wanted our child here sooner than later. My due date was on Tuesday August 30th. On Thursday September 1st, my doctor was leaving town for New York and wouldn’t be returning till September 8th. So, most likely, I wouldn’t be induced till 10 days past my due date! I would go crazy waiting that long! Already having my maternity leave scheduled, I would rather be at home with a baby versus waiting for one. Anyways, with that side note, I went to my doctor’s appointment on Wednesday August 31st at 7:30 AM expecting to hear the same news once again and then prepare to be induced on Sept. 8th. Boy was I wrong!
No comments:
Post a Comment