When we originally started talking about our “baby time line,” it was something along the lines of trying to get pregnant in early 2012. And once that seed had been planted in Mr. H’s head, I mentioned that it could take us a little while to get pregnant – months or even a year. After some discussion over a few months, we finally decided that we would start trying in early 2011.
Please know that if both Mr. H and I didn’t feel 100% confident that it was going to be the right time for us, we would not have started trying! But I think having early conversations about starting a family was a good way for us as a couple to discuss what we wanted/didn’t want, and to create a plan that worked for both of us. We had to get comfortable with the idea. And once we were, moving up our initial time line then made sense.
I went off of my monthly birth control in November 2010. I know that while many experience side effects with a shift like this, I actually did really well. And, consequently, wondered why I was even on it in the first place (except for the not wanting to get pregnant part). Since we wanted to start trying the following February, this was plenty of time for my body to regulate itself.
Once we started trying, I told myself I wasn’t going to obsess about things. I was just going to let nature take its course. Um, yeah, that flew out the window pretty quickly. It was hard not to continuously think, “Is this it?” especially in that first month.
After the first month or two of trying and getting negative tests, I decided to delve into the world of ovulation predictor kits (OPKs). And, I became sure that I was destined to live in a world of negative tests. First with negative pregnancy tests and then with negative OPKs. For the life of me I couldn’t get the lines to change the correct color!
Finally in June I had a “late” period, but my cycle had been getting longer and longer over the past few months (I’d gradually gone from 28 days to 33), so it was hard to tell what late might be. With high hopes I took a test, and it was negative. So, in July we decided to stop “trying” and didn’t talk about it much. I had been putting so much pressure on myself and on us, and it was really weighing down on me. I felt like I was failing, especially when I knew so many people who got pregnant on the first try.
That month, I noticed my cycle getting longer and longer without my period arriving. I tried to ignore it and didn’t let myself take a test, assuming it would be negative. I mean, there was no way I was pregnant – we hadn’t been trying and when we had, err, tried, the timing would have been way off. This would have to have been a miracle child!
Turns out, a miracle child is exactly what it was!
I took the test early in the morning before work. After the 3 minutes were up, I glanced at the test and then cursed myself for not buying the digital test. After reading the instructions 18 times, I then Googled anything I could to find out about the brand of test I had and interpreting it. And… all signs definitely led to pregnant!
Even though we definitely had wanted to start a family, seeing the positive was a big “holy crap” moment of excitement and fear and everything in between. This was real!
A few months before this, I had purchased a onesie from Amy Tangerine on Etsy. I had kept it hidden away and just hoped one day I’d be able to give it to Mr. H. Since he’s a photographer, I was so excited to be able to share that I was cooking up a little assistant for him!
Instead of being all cool, calm and collected about it, I woke Mr. H up in a flurry of excitement, throwing out words like “positive” and “pregnant” and shoved the onesie in his face. Poor guy, it was quite the wake up call! I then made him take pictures of the onesie and the test. At 6am. Oh, and the dog still hadn’t been fed breakfast yet and instead were following me around the house wondering why I was so excited. It was quite the morning in our house!
With all of that, I had to finish getting ready for work and keep the biggest secret of my life to myself (I stink with secrets). At this point, I was just around 5 weeks along with Baby H and completely elated.
Did you find out you were pregnant when you were alone? If so, how did you announce the pregnancy to your SO?
Hellobee Series: Mrs. Hopscotch part 2 of 12
1. Going Au Naturale by Mrs. Hopscotch2. The Journey to Baby H by Mrs. Hopscotch
3. A Nursery... Pouf! by Mrs. Hopscotch
4. A Work At Home Dad by Mrs. Hopscotch
5. Big Reveal: Baby H's Nursery! by Mrs. Hopscotch
6. A Day with a Newborn by Mrs. Hopscotch
7. Placenta Encapsulation by Mrs. Hopscotch
8. The Nanny Share by Mrs. Hopscotch
9. Reflections on Maternity Leave by Mrs. Hopscotch
10. In the picture by Mrs. Hopscotch
11. I'm in the picture! by Mrs. Hopscotch
12. Sleep at 8 months & How Baby H Started Sleeping Through the Night at 12 Weeks by Mrs. Hopscotch
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
That onsie is adorable! Yay for your miracle baby!
coffee bean / 27 posts
I wasn’t alone, but I did still have a similar experience. I was having some cycle issues coming off of nearly 10 years on the Pill (meaning, I was only having them once every other month), and I was taking a precautionary pregnancy test before taking some prescribed pills (including Clomid) to start kick starting my cycle again.
I took the test, and expected it to be negative because, like you, all of my ovulation tests were coming back negative, and I was in an “off” month – I wasn’t expecting a cycle. But suddenly — the pink stripe turned into a pink “+”. I called my husband in, convinced I was reading it wrong because one of the lines was light – maybe I was overreacting and it really was a negative. That turned out to be a mistake because we both ended up making each other so nervous/excited/paranoid that I ultimately took FOUR tests (hah!) – my husband did all the googling that you did! – and then he went out and bought a Clear Blue pregnancy test so we’d just get a “pregnant” or “not pregnant” rather than working ourselves up over how faint a line was and what that meant. The CB came back “pregnant” and we ended up sitting on the couch for about a half hour, just laughing out of complete shock and joy.
pomegranate / 3225 posts
I agree, it is absolutely impossible not to start obsessing about it! I can’t seem to stop myself…
I was alone when I got my first BFP. I chose to wait until after work that evening to tell my husband. I felt high on life all day that day… It was great. Hopefully I’ll get the same feeling very soon!
olive / 55 posts
It’s so hard to not obsess. The first time, my husband and I tried for 9 long months before I finally got a positive test, and he was with me when I took it. Unfortunately that pregnancy ended in a miscarriage at 9.5 weeks. The next time around, we tried for 6 months (that felt even longer than 9 did the first time!). I took the test when I was alone because I was convinced it would be negative and I just wanted to get over the “what if?” and just move on to the next month.
Nope! Positive! I was on pins and needles waiting until my husband to get home a couple hours later!
guest
We had tried for 10 mo.tbd and was told I couldn’t get pregnant yet, something about my prolactin levels being so high, that I hadn’t ovulated in those 10 months off the pill etc. Was on the pill for 20 years plus and hadn’t had a period. Was diagnosed with pcos which was why I blew up (gained 40 lbs right off the bat) and why I couldn’t get pregnant because I wasn’t ovulating.
I was put on cloned, and a bunch of other meds just to reduce my prolactin levels and hopefully ovualte. Later that month I was getting an ultrasound at the hospital to check the cysts on my ovaries when the tech stopped on a large spot on the screen and told me i wasn’t going to get my period for a long while. Mortified, I immediatly thought the mass was a huge tumor, but then she started laughing and told me I was 5 weeks pregnant. you could.aay I was in.shock. I was elated, confused, and freaked out by the surprise. I went and.bought a card and.put tje ultrasound pics in.it, took my husband to the golden gate.bridge for a walk and gave him the card. He freaked out, we cried, we cheered, we were beyond happy. It was incredible. And 2 weeks tomorrow marks his 2ns week of life. I couldn’t be happier.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
I love the onesie!
pear / 1946 posts
It was very hard not to obsess when we were trying.
I tested positive one afternoon after work before my husband got home. When I saw it was a BFP a flood of emotions hit me and it was all I could do to not call him right away. I knew he was on his way home but it was the longest wait ever! When he got home I played it cool. I asked how his day was and when he said it was kinda crappy I said “well maybe this will cheer you up” and showed him the test. I think we spent the rest of the night in shock.
honeydew / 7968 posts
very cute onesie. i was alone when i took the test. i didn’t do anything in particular. just told him when i got home! so then he got me some digital tests. =)
nectarine / 2750 posts
I was by myself when I found out. I called my sister to freak out and then texted her a picture of the test to make her confirm what I was seeing!
I did the same thing that you did and bought a onesie with my husband’s favorite team on it and left it on his pillow when he got home! I think he knew as soon as he saw the gift bag on his pillow.
blogger / apricot / 366 posts
I love hearing everyone’s stories! I still can’t get over what a crazy/emotional/weird/exciting feeling it is to get a positive! Which means, I can’t even imagine yet the crazy/emotional/exciting moment when I’m actually holding my baby in my arms!
guest
I had taken a pregnancy test the month before after not getting a period and it was negative. I was still on the pill – we weren’t exactly trying yet – so I figured I hadn’t gotten my period because of something weird about my birth control. When the next month came and I missed my period again, I figured it was the birth control again but my partner was super sick and in bed so I ran out to get him some cold meds and threw a pregnancy test into the basket “just in case.” Same as you – it was like 7 am – and as soon as I saw the two lines that meant I was pregnant – I totally ran into the bedroom and woke up my partner. Poor guy was super sick and then being woken up to some crazy news on top of it! Ha
I think he thought he was having a hallucination at first.