My Pregnancy Journey

Note: I have rebranded this blog from “The Purple Door” to “AROUND with Ash.”

Since the last time I posted about 9 months ago, a whole child could have been born… and that’s exactly what happened! My symptoms started pretty quickly and I just didn’t have the energy to do much of anything. Now, I’ve given birth and I’m on maternity leave from work. I’m writing this sitting on the couch with the My Brest Friend pillow around me and baby girl sleeping upright on my chest (who else knows the woes of reflux?).

Finding Out I Was Pregnant

Let me start by saying I was really in-tune with my cycle. For over three years, I had been charting it, and by the time we decided to start trying for a baby, I knew my cycle was pretty regular. I know that’s not always the case for everyone, so I felt fortunate for that and to have that insight. When my period was late by just a couple of days, I had a strong hunch I was pregnant.

It was the week before Christmas, and I wanted to use this as a special gift for my husband. So, I kept my hunch to myself. We had planned a trip to New York City to enjoy the magic of Christmas in the city, but the whole time, all I could think about was that I was probably pregnant. My mind was swirling with so many emotions—joy, excitement, anxiety, even a bit of fear—and it made it hard to focus on anything else.

On Christmas morning, after we had opened all our gifts, I pulled out one last neatly wrapped box with a card attached. The note read, “Dear Kevin, It’s time to take a test…” Inside, he found a pregnancy test for us to take together.

I wasn’t surprised when the test almost instantly showed positive, but my husband was shocked! We couldn’t contain our excitement and ended up telling our parents that same day, even though I was only five weeks along. It was the best Christmas gift ever—for everyone, even my Jewish side of the family, haha!

Being Pregnant

I’ve always been terrified of pregnancy. I saw it as just a means to an end, and I never fully trusted my body to take care of me during such a vulnerable time. But while it was challenging, it turned out to be something I could manage. Now, I’m so grateful to have gained that trust in my body.

First Trimester

In those first few weeks, I was overwhelmed with extreme anxiety about what was coming—how my body would change, how our lives would be flipped upside down, and the looming reality of giving birth. It all felt so overwhelming. But once I had my first ultrasound and saw her tiny form and heard her heartbeat, my anxiety shifted into excitement.

The early days of pregnancy brought intense fatigue. I’ve never felt so utterly exhausted in my life. Every day after work, I’d come home, crash on the couch, and nap for hours. I had no energy whatsoever. I even considered sneaking naps in my car during work (I didn’t, but I did nap in bed on days I worked from home).

Then there was the dreaded “morning” (all-day) sickness. This was the weirdest thing… If you don’t eat enough, you feel nauseated, and you need to eat to curb the nausea, but you can’t stomach the idea of consuming anything. It’s the cruelest catch 22. This is when I started to indulge in guilt-free eating…. fed is best, right? This baby brought to you by Taco Bell.

Second Trimester

The morning sickness finally eased up around 18 or 19 weeks. I managed it with B6 and Unisom, which got me through most days. After that, I had about 5 or 6 glorious weeks where I actually felt great! During this time, we took a family trip to Ireland and I was able to walk around with little issue. Toward the end of the second trimester, I started to get large enough that pregnancy became more physically uncomfortable, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t manage.

We were traveling to New Mexico for my best friend’s wedding and turned the trip into a “babymoon.” We started in Colorado and made our way to New Mexico, where we had a maternity photoshoot in the beautiful desert landscape of Abiquiu. From New Mexico, I traveled directly to New Orleans for a work conference. It was there I first noticed how swollen my ankles were after being on my feet for long periods of time. This trip was a lot of action and it took me about a week to fully recover.

Third Trimester

The discomfort I had was exacerbated in the third trimester when getting out of bed or walking up the stairs was like climbing Mount Everest. I dealt with some pregnancy-induced anemia challenges, as well. I kept a Boost Oxygen can with me whenever I had to give a presentation at work or do a lot of walking. I was just so winded. It’s tough because I like to be independent but I couldn’t even do my own laundry because bringing it down 2 flights of stairs was an extreme challenge.

I tried to stay active with prenatal yoga throughout pregnancy, which was wonderful—until I hit 30+ weeks. After that, with lower back pain, swollen ankles, and shortness of breath, I found myself just wanting to fast-forward to birth (of course, little did I know that, for me, the newborn phase would be even harder… but more on that later).

Overall, despite the discomforts and annoyances, I found pregnancy to be a very special time. It’s a time I got to bond with my daughter in a really incredible way. I got to see my husband shine in his efforts to help and support me, from running out to get me McDonalds to doing my laundry. There’s something about pregnancy that seems to bring out the best in (most) people. I’ve never been approached by so many strangers offering kind words or sharing their own stories. And there’s a special connection that forms with other pregnant women and new moms, like we’re all part of this amazing club. It’s an honor to be a part of it.

Top 3 Likes & Dislikes of Pregnancy

Likes

• Sense of community with other pregnant people and new moms – instant camaraderie!
• Feeling special – everyone being excited for you and interested in the journey; everyone wanting to help when they can, like offering a seat to sit in.
• Feeling baby move and groove inside me and the excitement of seeing her on sonograms

Dislikes

• The rude comments I received related to my size, for example: “Are you sure you’re not having twins?” Yes, I’m sure.
• The shortness of breath/reduced lung capacity. Everything from walking to talking was more difficult and living in a 3-story townhouse has its challenges here.
• Morning sickness/vomiting – The feeling of not wanting to eat anything and feeling so sick is awful. I actually only vomited a few times, but once was in the Costco check-out line, so that was an experience to remember.

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