Finding Out I was Pregnant During a Global Pandemic

Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I wanted to share my thoughts and emotions around finding out I was pregnant during a global pandemic. It’s safe to say those are words I never thought I’d write!

STOP THERE: Did you miss the memo? If so, I’d love for you to read all about how and when we found out we were pregnant with baby 3 and how we shared with our family first!

Since I know there are other mommas that are finding out they’re pregnant during this crazy time, I wanted to take this opportunity to share in case I can help or support anyone else. That being said, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! Send me a DM on Instagram or you can always e-mail me!

Week by Week Thoughts, Feelings and Symptoms

Week 4 – Finding out I’m pregnant.

I found out I was pregnant the day before my missed period. We were trying for our third baby before the seriousness of the pandemic hit. So no, this is not technically a quarantine baby. Just like our first two, this baby was planned to a T.

I found out on a Monday. It was the second week of social distancing just days before the Houston area entered the official Stay Safe Stay at Home quarantine. Needless to say we were elated and decided to tell our families right away.

This week the excitement of finding out we really were pregnant surpassed the fear of being pregnant during this global pandemic. It helped that I’m not working and I wasn’t going to any stores, so we didn’t think much of it.

Week 5 – Letting it all sink in.

It took a whole week of being pregnant for it to really sink in which I think is normal. I’ve only found out I was pregnant two other times in my life, and each time is a whirlwind of emotions.

This week a little fear sunk in. Afterall, I found out I was pregnant during a global pandemic. I realized that once this quarantine is over, real life will resume. We’ll have places to go and things to do, but this virus isn’t just going away. Thoughts around a second wave coming in the fall and what my birth would look like definitely passed through my mind, but I tried not to dwell on it.

Symptoms

Luckily during this week I wasn’t feeling bad yet and was able to stay active with walks, runs and workouts. This kept my mental health in check! Exhaustion started to creep in and the biggest issue was restlessness at night. Thank goodness for Unisom!

Related Post: First Trimester Bumpdate – 2nd Pregnancy

Week 6 – Symptoms start to appear.

This week was HARD for me. I started not feeling great, but not too bad. It was a weird in between phase that had me very emotional. I also felt very isolated and missed my friends.

Thank goodness that Easter was at the end of this week. It was a hard week for Jesus and a hard week for me. But Sunday came and it brought life to my family even though it wasn’t quite the same as usual. We did go to my parents’ backyard to be with them which lifted my spirits and leveled out my emotions a bit.

Symptoms

Morning Sickness: I dealt with waves of nausea in the morning, but it was fairly mild. Instead of feeling terrible, I just felt off and icky all day. I’ll definitely take that over morning sickness!

Exhaustion: I’ve never been more tired in my entire life! I thought I was completely exhausted when I was pregnant with Brody, but this pregnancy takes the cake. Having two young children at home with me all the time has not been easy, but we’re making it. There has been more tv and less structured activities because I just don’t have the energy. On the plus side, they’re happy, so I am too.

Increased Heart Rate and Breathlessness: My heart rate and breathlessness were actually the only real clues that had me thinking I may be pregnant. The weekend before my missed period I noticed it and it hasn’t subsided since! My heart rate gets up when I do something as basic as going up the stairs, and there are moments I feel like I can’t quite get enough air. Nothing too crazy or alarming though! I just have to be aware of my heart rate when I’m running or working out.

Emotional: Holy Emotions, Batman! Y’all it was rough. You forget how crazy you feel during the first (and last) trimester of pregnancy! These emotions are no joke. I’m looking forward to my placenta taking some of the slack, so I don’t feel like an irrational, crazy woman.

Week 7 – Settling into being pregnant again.

This week was so much better! Physically, I still struggled with a little morning sickness, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as with my previous two pregnancies. Mentally, I was out of my horrible funk. The COVID-19 crisis has me up and down, and the pregnancy hormones do NOT make it very easy.

This week I started showing… a tiny little bit. I am very in tune with my body, so while most people would say that they can’t see anything, I can!

Symptoms

I continued dealing with exhaustion, increase heart rate, breathlessness and the emotional roller coaster. Nothing new really hit him this week.

Week 8 – Confirmation of a healthy pregnancy.

Week 8 started with my first OB appointment, so needless to say, this was an incredibly high note!

I wasn’t sure how my appointment would go given the changes in hospitals for COVID-19. I’m please to report that my doctor’s office had a wonderful protocol that had me calling into the front desk to check in, then I was to wait in my car until my room was ready. When I got the call, I went up to their office and was immediately taken into my appointment room. It was great talking to the doctor and getting to see our sweet little nugget and the flicker of its heartbeat!

My next appointment is in two weeks and I can’t wait! I felt safe and comfortable throughout the entire appointment and appreciate the care and precautions that my doctor’s office is taking.

Symptoms

Morning Sickness: Overall this really subsided. I get occasional waves of nausea and feel icky after dinner, but that’s it! I’ll that this over all day morning sickness any day!

Exhaustion: I didn’t think I could be more exhausted, but I could. This week was rough as far as having energy goes. I could nap all day and even when I have a great night’s sleep, I wake up thinking I could just stay in bed all day. But I have two kids at home with me, so that’s not going to happen!

Related Post: Running in Your First Trimester

Week 9 – Sharing my joy.

Most people choose to wait until the 13th week or beyond to share their pregnancy announcements. In fact, I was 12-13 weeks when I shared with my first two babies. This time I chose to share earlier for a few different reasons.

1. I think the world could use a little more joy right now given the craziness of this global pandemic.
2. I wanted to share my story, thoughts and emotions in case I can encourage or support other women currently going through pregnancy during this time.
3. If something was to happen in my pregnancy, I would still share!

With all of that said, my husband and I felt it was right and we were beyond thrilled to announce at 9 weeks and 2 days.

My biggest fears during this week are the thoughts of another possible outbreak in the fall. If this does happen, I have no idea what the end of my pregnancy or birth will look like.

I try really hard to not let the fears of the future get to me since anxiety isn’t good for the baby, but it’s hard not to some days. I’m just trying to stay positive and hopeful for our future!

Symptoms

Continued exhaustion: Week 8 was far worse, but it’s still there. I’m pushing through some runs, walks and workouts to hopefully improve my energy levels. It doesn’t really help, but I keep telling myself that it will!

Nasal congestion and Breathlessness: This week the infamous nasal congestion started up. This paired with breathlessness is kind of annoying! Luckily it isn’t too severe and I’m still able to workout and go about life as normal.

Being pregnant during a global pandemic.

Overall I feel fortunate that I am currently in the early stages of pregnancy. My heart goes out to the mommas that are about to deliver in uncertain circumstances that change on a day to day basis.

I’ve kept myself at home with the kids while my husband does the grocery shopping and runs errands just to be extra safe. Though I’ll admit, I’m getting a little stir crazy and I’m looking forward to a slightly more normal life.

My biggest fears currently are that another wave is projected to come in the fall. I don’t know what that will look like when it comes time to my birth! The only thing I can do for now is grow a healthy baby and take care of myself and family. The future is uncertain, but we will get through this!

If you’re currently pregnancy or recently found out you’re pregnant during this global pandemic, I would love to connect! Feel free to send me an e-mail or better yet, shoot me a DM on Instagram. We need each other’s support right now!

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