As previously mentioned, in late 2020/early 2021, I began to seriously consider starting a family of my own. After being told that I would not be able to have children, then miscarrying twins in 2019, I was absolutely sure that I indeed wanted to have a child of my own and started weighing all my options. The day the doctor told me there were no heartbeats and I had the opportunity to be a mother taken from me (ultimately for the best) was a day I will never forget; it was also a life chaining date as it set me up to better my life decisions to ensure I was doing everything in my power to have a child when the time came.
After changing some lifestyle habits and having long serious talks with chiflador and multiple doctors, we decided it was time to start actively trying for a baby. Cue in the diet changes, ovulation tracking, excessive regimens, and a ton of doctors appointments and labs. Anyone that thinks getting (and staying) pregnant is easy, there is a lot more to it than you may think. After some time, on November 9, 2021 around 2pm, I finally took a home pregnancy test. I clearly remember that day, I woke up with horrible cramps and thought it was just my period coming as I had felt cramping for a few days but no sign of Aunt Flo. That morning, I ended up calling in sick because I was just not feeling well. At around 2pm, I decided to just pee on the stick. I remember peeing on the stick, quickly seeing that second line then putting the test down, washing my hands and walking out of the bathroom. It took me about a minute or two to actually register that there were two lines! I called chiflador immediately and said that there were two lines on the test. After so much heartbreak there finally was a glimmer of hope that things were looking up.
The next call was to my sister Michelle via FaceTime. I had to share the news with her, she's my best friend and it was her wedding anniversary! Plus, she was pregnant with my second nephew and who better to share this news with and ask all the questions than your best friend/sister who is going thru pregnancy with you! We decided to keep it under wraps and the plan was to tell my mom, my other sister and my grandparents at Christmas with the help of my baby nephew - we would make a onesie for him to wear that said "My Titi is having a baby" while my family opened gifts from me and the baby bump.
However, there was an unexpected death in the family a few weeks later that led me to ultimately just tell my grandma and grandpa that I was pregnant on FaceTime then tell my mom and other sister that I was pregnant - we needed a little ray of hope amid the heartbreak. Still, they just knew the baby daddy as "the Chiflador" (aka: the whistler). On Christmas, I finally made my announcement on social media and the outpour of congratulations and well wishes literally had me in tears. Those closest to me knew exactly how much this meant to me.
My entire pregnancy was a beautiful , life chaining experience and I will never be able to fully describe it in writing but I will try my best....
xoxo,
Julie