As 2016 quickly comes to an end I can’t help but reminisce on the year. One year ago, I was 35 weeks pregnant, and I was in the studio having my maternity pictures taken. Maternity pictures was something I swore I was never going to do. After 35 weeks of horrible health issues and so much uncertainty, it felt natural to capture my pregnancy in it’s true form. While the joy of pregnancy is a blessing it is the uncertainty I am happy to be without.
A Not So Perfect Pregnancy
Being pregnant definitely teaches you a lot about yourself. I am forever changed by the experience of living in what I felt was someone else’s body. At six weeks pregnant my blood work showed that I did not produce progesterone. Terrified of a miscarriage, I was quickly put on a pill form of progesterone until 12 weeks pregnant.
At 16 weeks pregnant my blood work showed that I had developed a thyroid condition.
At 20 weeks pregnant I went to the emergency room with horrible abdominal pain. I developed an excruciating and very painful UTI.
At 30 weeks pregnant I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. I was now considered high risk, I was visiting the doctor’s office 2 – 3 times a week. I was put on a very strict diet and forced to eat at the same times daily. I had to test my levels with a needle seven times a day along with taking another medication.
Being 35 weeks pregnant I was blessed to have come so far. Being told that my baby was thriving and well at each doctor visit was all I needed to keep going.
My water broke two and a half weeks early. I was put on Pitocin and gave birth naturally with no epidural.
After 29 hours of hell, and not to mention 37 weeks of a not so perfect pregnancy, Michael Joseph was born with minor complication due to undetectable low blood sugar. My baby spent the first five days in the “NICU” (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Becoming a NICU mom is another experience in and of itself.
Looking around and realizing that not all women get the perfect pregnancy and not all babies get the best start, but the strength that comes from within when you become a mother, is amazing. I am proud of what I have experienced and I encourage all mothers and soon-to-be-mothers to talk openly about their experiences so we never have to feel alone.
Marisa — Mom of Mikey
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