So today I want to talk about things that you don’t expect.  Things that they don’t tell you about before you get pregnant.  Things like the following:

• Your vagina will hurt.  (Yes, I did just use the word “vagina.”)  For me, this started around the 25 week mark.  I first noticed it when I’d get up from my desk at work and would have to stop from the sudden pain shooting through my private area.  I asked my doctor if my hoo-ha-ha was broken and he said, nope, it’s just your pelvic muscles stretching to get ready for the birth.  Nice.

• You will feel claustrophobic.  Now this one may just be my own particular ailment, but there are times where I feel claustrophobic, like I can’t get enough air.  It usually happens at night when I’m lying down.  I remember one night around 25 weeks when I couldn’t sleep and I started having a panic attack because I was sure that that I couldn’t breathe.  It wasn’t a good feeling.  I soon learned, however, that if I propped myself up with pillows, I felt much better.  At this rate though, by my 40th week I’ll have to sleep standing up.  

• You will need to wear a bra to bed.  I’m of the philosophy that the slumber hours are great for a number of reasons and at the top of the list is the fact that women can take off their bras and get a little relief from the restraints they’ve been in all day.  This all changed, however,  around 22 weeks, when I started waking myself up every time I rolled over and my breasts inadvertently shifted from one side to the other.  Ouch!  Sleeping bra, here I come.  

• You will always want to have a spare pair of underwear handy.  Plan on laughing any time during the day?  Then you may want to have a spare pair of undies in your purse for the occasional, uh, accident.  Got a cold?  A spare pair is not even an option at that point – it’s a necessity.

• Your posture will improve.  A benefit of being pregnant that is often not mentioned, is that you will usually have ramrod straight posture.  This isn’t due to a sudden desire to be the Emily Post poster child, but rather the desire to avoid the feeling that your insides have been squished against your ribcage.  Somehow sitting up straight, especially while driving, really helps alleviate that feeling.

I think that’s about it.  Of course I’m still early into my third trimester, so I may be in for some more surprises, but I’ll let you know.  I just want to get the word out for those unsuspecting mothers-to-be who may not realize that these things are not only normal, but they are to be expected.  

I sure wish someone had told me!

What things surprised you about being pregnant? 

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So I figure that now would be a good time (since I can still still walk without waddling and get up without help) to write what I like about being pregnant:  

• Not having to suck in my stomach – it’s so liberating to not have to worry about my stomach sticking out after a particularly large meal or when wearing a clingy shirt.  
• Eating what I want – I realize that pregnancy doesn’t give me a license to abandon all reason when it comes to food, but I admit that I’ve been indulging in foods that I haven’t eaten in over a year, such as dairy products and wheat.  And man they taste good.
• Feeling the baby move - this has become my favorite nightly ritual: lie in bed and wait.  Within a minute or two there’s usually a soft kick against my hand.  I love that feeling – it’s absolutely amazing.
• Letting myself go – okay, it isn’t as bad as it sounds.  But some days, the ones where I’m feeling a bit more tired than others, I find that I just don’t care as much if my make up isn’t perfect and my hair is a bit frizzy.  In the grand scheme of things, it just doesn’t seem to matter.  And believe it or not, even though I’m heavier than I’ve been in a long time, I feel strangely okay with it.  But don’t get me wrong – I’m looking forward to the day that I can return to my regular beauty treatments and hard workouts.  It’s just that for right now, today isn’t that day.  
• Feeling happy – Every once in a while some moment of irrational irritability kicks in, but for the most part, I feel really happy.  I mean really happy.  Sometimes I catch myself thinking how much I love my husband and our life together and what our future holds and I just sit there and smile.  

So that’s my list of things that I like about being pregnant.  It seems rather short but it encompasses a lot really, and I wanted to write it down before it started to change.  You know, before I hit that point where I realize that I’m ready to have this baby NOW and that being pregnant is overrated.  

Actually, now that I think about it, I’m probably not too far away from that point right now.  In fact, I think I’ll make a list of pregnancy side effects that I could do without.  Just for the sake of being fair:

• Incontinence – I remember the first time (about two weeks ago) that I sneezed and immediately had to run to the bathroom.  Unfortunately, it hasn’t gotten much better since.  
• Insomnia – This is an area that I’ve never struggled with and that now seems to be my nightly curse.  I often lie in bed for at least a half hour to an hour with my mind racing.  And during that time, I have to get up to go to the bathroom at least once.  Which brings me to…
• Peeing – There’s no other way to say it really.  It’s at least every half an hour sometimes, which isn’t so bad unless you’ve finally fallen asleep and the need to go wakes you up.
• Sitting up straight – Just this week I’ve noticed that I have a hard time sitting in certain seats.  I feel like everything is squished together when I sit down and I swear I can feel the baby pushing my stomach into my chest.  Makes it a little difficult to sit and watch a movie with the CPA.  
• Not just double, triple – Chins, that is.  The worst part of gaining weight is that I tend to gain it everywhere.  I’m not one of those cute, basketball-stomach pregnant women.  Nope, my weight is evenly distributed which means that not only is my stomach getting bigger, but so is my face, my arms, my feet – you get the idea.  I am an equal opportunity weight gainer.    

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?  There’s more I could add such as being tired and hungry and having my clothes constantly not fit, but I won’t go there.  Because when all is said and done, I love being pregnant.  I really do.  Granted, I don’t want to do it for 50 weeks because 40 will be plenty, but I love it because of the end result.  And isn’t that what it’s all about?

What were (are) your likes/dislikes about being pregnant?

Apparently when wearing Invisalign you are supposed to take them out every time you eat and then brush your teeth and put them back in.  No problem right?  Unless you’re eating every half an hour and then throwing up nearly as many times.  It was only a couple of months before I stopped wearing those suckers simply because I had better things to worry about it.  Then there was the problem with my two front teeth.

The orthodontist had told me early on that as soon as he put the braces on the bottom teeth, I would need to get two superfluous teeth removed.  I was actually glad to hear this – one of these teeth has bugged me for as long as I can remember since it sticks out from all the others.  I wasn’t going to be sorry to see it go.  But again, with the pregnancy, everything was put on hold.

So finally, this week, at 22 weeks along and safely past the 1st trimester and morning sickness, I was ready to have those two trouble teeth pulled.  Can I just tell you how terrified I was?  I normally need a nice dose of relaxation medication before heading to the dentist even for a cleaning, and this would be the first time that this wasn’t an option.

I gathered all the courage I had and made my way to the oral surgeon’s office. I signed the paperwork and five minutes later found myself sitting in the chair.  Ten minutes later, I was on my way home.  

That was it?  That’s what I was worried about for weeks?  The shots (all six of them) hurt more than anything else.  I drooled for about two hours and had to change the gauze every 30 minutes, but other than that, it was a relatively painless procedure.  Besides, now I have these cool holes in my mouth that I proudly wear as battle scars to show that I did it!  I went to the dentist terrified and weak and I emerged victorious!   If I can do that, I can do anything.  

Labor pains and child birth?  Please, that’ll be nothing!  

(Yes, that was said completely tongue in cheek, no pun intended.)

What experience have you had that ended up being better than you thought?  (Or worse than you thought?)

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I tend to follow this philosophy with a lot of things in my life, especially the big events.  Like the time when we bought our first house.  We purchased it a few months before we were married so my maiden name went on the lease.  For some reason it wasn’t the 30 year house payments we had committed to that had me stressed, it was the fact that we weren’t married yet.  I was worried about what would take place should, heaven forbid, something happen to the CPA before we were legally bound.  I even had nightmares about the scenario because at the time, it was my worst fear.  As awful as it would have been to be left single again, it would have been compounded by the fact that I had this huge mortgage that I couldn’t afford on my own.  So we did the only thing we knew to do – we changed his life insurance policy to give me enough to cover the house.  I immediately felt better.

I tell you this to try to explain how my mind works.  Therefore, it should be no surprise that when we found out that we were pregnant, one of the first things I wanted to do was to plan for the worst.  What would happen if the CPA was not around to help me raise this child?  What would happen if we lost our house or one or both of our jobs?

Over the past few months we have been addressing these concerns by changing life policies and looking at our budget and our financial options.  During this process, the thought suddenly occurred to me, “what if something happened to me?”  It’s one thing if it were just the two of us.  The CPA makes twice what I do so it would be challenging for him, but he would be okay financially.  But with a little one to take care of too?  No way.  

And even though child birthing methods have come a long way, I’ve read enough stories (I’m thinking specifically of Matt Logelin and his beautiful wife Liz) to know that there are no guarantees in life.  Which is why this week I filled out the paperwork for my own life insurance policy.  The thought of not being here to help raise our child is heartbreaking enough, the thought of leaving my husband alone to handle it while being financially strapped is unbearable.

So I’ll do what I can to make sure that we’ve prepared for the worst.  Some might think I’m crazy or being overly pessimistic, but I like to think that I’m just being prepared.  I’m praying that we never need the policy of course, but it’s nice to know that it’s there just in case.  Besides, it makes me feel better and it makes me worry less, which is the whole point. 

What about you – what would you do to prepare for the worst?  Do you think about things like this or do you prefer not to?

But a dilemma it is since I am officially busting out of my clothes.  I did try the Motherhood store at the mall, but didn’t like the way their pants fit.  So during the past week, I have spent hours looking for maternity clothes online.  I’ve looked at maternity boutiques, retail dealers, even eBay, all in the search for clothes that will fit me as the baby continues to grow.

It’s always been difficult for me to buy clothes because I’m tall and I need long pants.  Add to that my tendency to carry my weight in my nether regions and then throw in some baby weight and you begin to see my problem.  Oh sure there are cute maternity clothes for people who are tiny.  People who, unlike me, don’t gain weight all over when they put on a pound or two.  But I’ve already gone up a size and a half, even by maternity clothes standards, which presents a new set of challenges.

During my search, I did find several nice outfits, so I was feeling pretty optimistic.  Like this cute sweater, for example.  Isn’t it adorable?  Versatile too as you could wear it with a shirt underneath or without.  Oh.  Wait a minute.  What’s that?  It costs $195.00?  For a sweater that I may get five months of wear out of if I’m lucky?  Moving on.

Maybe I’ll concentrate on jeans instead, as they’re a definite wardrobe staple and at this point, a must.  Now these are cute.  Cover up that not-so-flattering band thingy and they’ll be allright.

My only question is, why are they $118.00?  I would almost expect to pay that much if they were like these 7 For all Mankind jeans (which are considered part of the “Designer Jeans Collection”).  But the designer jeans cost twice as much at $210.00 a pair.

Hmm… for the sake of argument, lets say that I didn’t mind spending this kind of money on a short-term wardrobe.  Let’s say that I wanted to order a pair or two of these cute jeans in the hopes that they would make my pregnant figure look good.  

So I went to put the jeans into my virtual shopping bag, but suddenly realized that I didn’t know which size to order.  Thankfully I found a sizing chart, which was good.  At least I thought it was good, until I realized that my current size is considered a 2XL.  That’s right, not only am I feeling huge anyway, but I am now considered an XXL.  Let me show you the chart just to illustrate my point:

Unless otherwise noted, feel free to use the following sizing as a general guideline when ordering.

Size 0-2 = XS

Size 2-4 = Small

Size 6-8 = Medium

Size 8-10 = Large

Size 10-12 = X-Large

Size 12-16 = 2X-Large

According to this sizing chart, anything above a size 10 is considered XLarge.  Exactly how is that supposed to make a pregnant woman feel beautiful while embracing her new curves?

Granted, not all websites are like this.  Some are what I would consider “normal.”  Gap and Old Navy sell maternity clothes online and they even use regular numerical sizes and they offer pants with long inseams.  But their choices are somewhat limited so it would be nice to be able to go elsewhere.

Needless to say, all of this has made the maternity clothes shopping experience a frustrating one.  I am happy to report that after hours searching, I ended up finding a few options.  I bought these jeans from the Gap because they do come in “long” and they fit very nicely.  I got them on sale for $55.00 so the price was pretty reasonable.  

I also found an online store called RG Maternity that caters to tall women.  Very tall women actually.  Their pants have 36″ and 37″ inseams, and their clothes are cute.  Since they’re much longer than the 34″ that I need, I figure I can hem the two pair of jeans that I got (they cost between $45-$65.00).

I also found a place that sells used maternity wear called Craving Style.  You’ve gotta love buying a sweater for $10.00, especially when you know it will be used on a limited basis.   They even have a 14-day money back guarantee!  Since it’s much easier for me to find tops than it is to find bottoms, I plan on regularly checking their selection to find some good deals. 

So now I have a couple of basics, which is a good starting point.  It’s been challenging, this whole maternity shopping thing, but I’m learning it’s possible so I’m feeling hopeful.  I will continue my search and eventually, with some more luck and a lot of perserverance, I think I will be able to put a suitable wardrobe together.  Even if I am considered an XXXXXL!

Where did you buy your maternity clothes?  Did you/do you have issues with the market, or is it just me?

That day arrived and the CPA and I found ourselves in a blue waiting room with hundreds of pictures of smiling babies on the wall.  The doctor’s office had seen better days, but it was clean and busy.  Our doctor had come highly recommended and seemed to have quite the loyal following.  When we finally made our way back to the exam room, we were smiling with anticipation.  Our doctor looked me over, asked how I was feeling, and then told me to schedule a nuchal translucency test for the following week before sending me on my way.

I admit that I was disappointed.  I wanted to at least hear the baby’s heartbeat to make sure he/she was really in there.  Other than my daily sickness and change in appetite, I had little tangible proof that I was pregnant.  I had had my HCG levels tested of course, and I knew that they were normal, but I wanted to hear the baby.  But I resigned myself to waiting another week and my husband and I left.

The next day I went to the lab for the standard prenatal blood work up.  I didn’t think too much about it really.  I was curious to see what my HCG levels were simply because I had been monitoring them and knew what they should be.  So it was with surprise and a great deal of concern that I received a phone call from my doctor a few days later.

“We received your HCG levels and they’ve gone down,” he said.

“What does that mean?  Is that bad?”  I asked.  I knew that around 10 weeks it was possible for them to decline, but I wasn’t sure if it was normal.

“It could be fine because the numbers themselves are good.  But it could also mean that you’re miscarrying.  We’ll be able to check when you go in for your test next week.”

Miscarrying.  Four syllables that no pregnant women wants to hear.  My heart started racing and my hands were sweaty as I gripped the phone.

“I can’t wait a week to find out!  Can’t I go in sooner?”

Perhaps he heard the desperation in my voice.  Or perhaps he had simply dealt with many first-time mothers and knew that they could be scary.  Either way, he said I could go in for an ultrasound on Monday.

“Monday?  But that’s four days away.  Why can’t I go in tomorrow, Friday?”  I practically shrieked.

I knew myself well enough to know that there was no way I could make it through the weekend without losing it.  No way, no how.  The doctor relented.

“That’s fine.  Call them in the morning and I’ll send over the paperwork.”

I phoned the CPA at work and gave him the news.  I told him that we were warned to prepare ourselves in the event that the pregnancy was lost.  He came home early and we had a small dinner and tried to watch some TV to distract ourselves.  We didn’t talk much, but sat lost in thought.  It wasn’t until later, as we were lying in bed in the dark, that I started to cry.  My husband didn’t say a word; he didn’t have to.  He simply wrapped his arms around me until we fell asleep.  It was a very long night.

The next day we made it to our appointment by 1:30 and we waited in the reception area as patiently as we could.  They didn’t make us wait long; the technician brought us back and got me ready.  The CPA took his place beside the bed and he held my hand.  A few minutes later, an image appeared on the screen.  There it was, there was our baby.  We could make out the head and the stomach and the little legs.  The technician pointed to each of these areas and told us what we were seeing but I couldn’t hear her.  All I could think of was that it didn’t matter what we were looking at if our baby wasn’t alive.  The image was not moving.  Another 90 seconds passed as we held our breath.

Then I saw it.  A tiny movement on the screen.  I hadn’t noticed it at first but as the image grew larger, I realized I was staring at a heart.  A heart that was beating.

The CPA saw it too and he tightened his grip on my hand.

“Is that the heart?  Is the baby alive?”  I asked in wonder.

“Yes, of course it is,” answered the technician, who didn’t seem at all surprised.

I couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down my face and I didn’t care.  It didn’t matter that I was crying like an overly emotional pregnant woman who had had only three hours of sleep the previous night.  It didn’t matter that we had spent the past 18 hours preparing to hear the worst.  The only thing that mattered was that our baby was alive.   Alive and waving to us as he/she moved around and stretched its tiny hands.  The technician turned on the audio and the sound of 170 beats per minute filled the room.

It’s hard for me to describe the feelings that we felt that day.  To know that something so tiny and precious was alive and well and moving inside me was almost incomprehensible.  But there it was, in black and white.  It was a scary experience to go through but one that ended up being so rewarding.  And somehow, I have a feeling that it won’t be our last.

It wasn’t until the end of the fifth week that I started to feel a little strange.  The changes were subtle at first: lunch and then dinner would come and I wouldn’t eat much, due to a lack of appetite.  I wasn’t really worried, but after a few days of this, my desire to eat had decreased until almost nothing sounded appealing.

By the sixth week, not only was I losing my appetite, but the thoughts of certain foods began to repulse me.  The rice crackers and sweet pickles that I used to eat with such regularity suddenly made my stomach churn.  No longer could I eat salmon and turkey and other things that were good for me.  The smells of them made me want to swear off food altogether.

It wasn’t until a few days later, however, that I realized what direction this was headed.  It began with a slight nausea that hit at the strangest times of the day.  Before dinner, first thing in the morning, even right after lunch.  There was no apparent rhyme or reason; it just happened and the only way to combat it was to remain completely flat on my back.  And since sleeping or lying on the couch was my only respite, I spent many hours over the next few weeks doing just that.

This has continued over the past two months and if anything, has gotten worse.  For the most part, though, I’ve gotten into a routine.  Get up, eat breakfast, get sick.  Get ready for work, get sick.  Get ready to leave for work and get sick one more time, just for good measure.  Once I’m at work, I’m remarkably able to keep keep food down.  Not always, but usually.  But as soon as the dinner hour hits, so does the nausea.

I tell you all of this not as a cry for sympathy or even to complain (I’m really not complaining, honest).  But instead to say how much I now respect pregnant women.  I really had no idea how hard this whole “morning sickness” thing was going to be.  I always thought that I would somehow embrace it and just “go with it” because after all, it means a little one is in there growing and doing its thing.  I never realized just how challenging it would be to function like a normal person and continue about your day as if nothing were wrong.

So gone are the early days of looking at the world through rose colored glasses while stopping to smell the flowers.  In fact, I try not to smell anything at all, as it doesn’t usually end pleasantly.  Instead, I concentrate on making it through each day at a time.  Because I know that eventually this will go away.

Until then, you can find me lying on the couch.

Did you have morning sickness?  Did you find anything that helped?

In it, I had used a pregnancy test, one that we had picked up from the drug store, and I had tested positive.  That was it, that was all there was to the dream.  But it was so real that I woke up Monday morning thinking that maybe it could be true and maybe I should test just to be sure.  After a few minutes, however, I convinced myself that there was no way I could be pregnant and I went about my day.

Tuesday morning came and I remembered the dream again.  This time, however, on a whim, I decided that I would try a pregnancy test.  I mean what could it hurt, right?  I had tried so many of them in recent months that I was used to the process, so what was one more?  I did it after the CPA had gone to work because I didn’t want to tell him about the dream and have him think I was being silly.  There was no way we could be pregnant, so it really didn’t even make sense.

I pulled out the test, did my part, and put the stick on the counter.  I even covered it up with a piece of paper because I was determined not to look before the three minutes were up.  Besides, why get my hopes up?  In my mind I just knew that we weren’t pregnant because I had had my period during our trip, even though it was surprisingly short since it only lasted a day.  Not only that, but we had not really “tried” that month as we had finally decided to just let things happen on their own.

With all of this on my mind, I pulled off the piece of paper and threw it in the trash can.  I picked up the stick fully expecting to throw it away next.  That is until I saw this:

Did those two little lines mean what I think they meant?  My mouth hung open and I just stared at the stick in my hand, not believing what I was seeing.  Surely this couldn’t be right, I mean I had had my period only a few days before!  And we weren’t even trying this month, how could this be?

Thinking that surely it was a fluke, I pulled out another test.

Hmm… two tests showing positive?  Maybe there was something to this then.  Or maybe it was just a bad batch?  So I pulled out my last test.  This was the mother of all testing sticks, the expensive one that I had been holding on to for just such an occasion.  The one that would leave no question as to whether I was actually pregnant.

Well, it was kind-of hard to argue with the little “yes” clearly showing in the window.

A few days later at my annual physical, my doctor did a blood test and confirmed that yes, we are pregnant!

That was over seven weeks ago which means that as of today, I am officially entering my second trimester.  The last couple of months have been full of lots of changes (mostly to my waistline) and lots and lots of morning sickness (midday & evening too).

But it will all be worth it.  We are so happy and we are excited beyond belief because we finally have a little one on the way!

Or maybe not.  According to a recent article in the Washington Post, it’s very likely that birth rates are actually declining due to the economy.  The article, titled What a Concept: 2007 Births Surpass Baby Boom, says that as a society, we tend to reproduce when times are good and when they’re bad, not so much.  In fact, the US births in 2007 topped 4.3 million which surpassed the baby boom peak of 50 years earlier.

Now they think that things are slowing down as the economy slows down.  Another trend, which may or may not be relevant to the economic situation, is that births to unwed mothers is up to 40% which apparently is at an all time high.  Also, teen pregnancies have increased and abortions have dropped to the lowest they’ve been at in decades.  Some say it is because of examples that we see such as Bristiol Palin, the teenage daughter of Sarah Palin who, upon getting pregnant, decided to keep the baby and raise it herself.

Another interesting fact in the article: in the 1950s women had four children on average.  Now, the average rate is 2.1 children and believe it or not, it’s the highest it’s been since the early 70s.

Some other interesting 2007 facts:

• Utah still has the highest birth rate
• Vermont still has the lowest birth rate
• C-sections were performed in almost 1/3 of all births
• The rate of premature births declined slightly

Hmm… very interesting stuff.  I guess I’m not surprised that as a nation, families have decreased in size since the 50s.  And I’m definitely not surprised that Utah has the highest birth rate.  But I am disappointed to hear that the actual birth rate is decreasing.  I guess this means that when I see pregnant women everywhere, it’s just my imagination working over time.  Maybe it’s because when I want something, it seems that everyone else already has it.

Are there any birthing trends or changes that you’ve noticed?

While I have written previous posts about my personal experience and how I finally decided that I was ready to get pregnant, I realized it’s not the same for everyone because all women are different.  Some just go for it and others, like me, tend to research and read everything they can get their hands on.

So, I decided to do a little research myself.  And from that research, I compiled a list of questions that experts say you should ask yourself before deciding to start a family:

1) Can you afford it?  Ahh… the ole finance question.  It makes sense though.  It’s expensive raising a baby.  According to SureBaby.com, you could spend anywhere from $125-$250,000 before your little one turns 18.  Just in the first year, they suggest you plan on spending $9,000 – $11,000 for diapers, clothes, furniture, etc.  Couple those costs with the fact that either you or your spouse may decide to work from home, thereby decreasing your income, and you could be looking at a definite financial challenge.  That said, I know that somehow people make it work.  Granted, they may not be rich and they may have to do without some extravagances, but I know that it is still possible.

2) Who will take care of the baby? This may seem like an obvious question, but, as I’m finding out myself, it may not be.  If both parents are currently employed, then either one of them has to stay home or else they have to find a nanny or other day care provider.  Again, these aren’t inexpensive options.

3) Are you emotionally ready? Being married or in a relationship has its own set of challenges and adding a baby to the mix can increase those challenges or create new ones.  From an article titled Are You Ready to Have a Baby, Dr. Issoksen, a licensed psychologist, said, “They (parents) often imagine they will be madly in love with their new babies and will sit around staring longingly into each other’s eyes,” she says. “They are not prepared for what sleep deprivation really feels like or how it affects relationships. They are not prepared for the feelings of loss and grief as they focus on the loss of spontaneity in their lives, the loss of intimate time with a partner, the changes in friendships. They are not prepared for the depression and anxiety that so often accompanies the arrival of a new baby. Minimally, 10 to 20 percent of new moms will experience a level of depression or anxiety that will feel debilitating.”

4) Are you ready to surrender control of your body? This is the one that I personally struggle with but it is definitely something that needs to be considered.  When a woman gets pregnant, her body is quite literally not just hers anymore.  Everything she eats, drinks or does affects the baby.  After it is born, she will need her body to take care of the baby whether this means breast feeding or just being physically able to keep up with the demands of caring for a little one.

5)  What are your long-term goals? This is an excellent question, although it may be difficult for some to answer considering circumstances often change greatly in five or ten years.  But it’s still a good idea to try to picture yourself with a child five, ten, and twenty years from now.  Will having a family fit into your goals and your plans?  Or maybe a better question:  will you be able to change your goals to fit your family?

These are just some of the questions that I found in my research.  I’m sure that they are just some of the issues to consider as there are many factors that come into play when making this huge decision.  And I realize that not everyone has this opportunity to decide as they may find themselves pregnant without planning it.  I also think that sometimes you really do just have to take a leap of faith and trust that things will work themselves out.  Because, as my husband often says, if you wait until things are perfect to do something, you’ll never do it.

Very wise words indeed.

How did you decide you wanted to start a family?  Was there a particular question you asked yourself or is there some advice you would give to others?

Resources:

SureBaby

StorkNet

Essortment

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