I have gotten lots of questions about this pregnancy, so
here are some answers…
Was this a surprise?
The snarky answer I sometimes feel like giving goes
something like this: “Well, I’m a
biology teacher and my husband is a doctor--we’ve got a pretty good grasp on
what causes pregnancy. (Especially since
we already have four children.) I think
it is probably safe to assume that this was planned.”
The real answer is that we thought and prayed about this
for years. We knew 5 years ago that it
was time to take a REAL break from having children. We had four children ages 6 and under and
Doug had 6 more years of medical training.
We were financially, spiritually, physically, and emotionally
exhausted. We felt strongly prompted to
focus on the unique (and sometimes incredibly demanding) needs of the children
already in our family.
Things have changed.
We are in a different place financially, spiritually, physically,
emotionally, and educationally. When
this baby is born, Doug will have 5 months left of training. Our children are in different places in their
growth and development. We felt very
strongly that we needed to be open to having another child if that was what our
Heavenly Father wanted for our family.
We believe in families and we believe He will guide our lives if we were
willing to submit to His will. So this
was not a surprise. Although, I will admit
to being surprised I got pregnant so quickly.
How are you feeling?
Not so great, but that is normal “pregnant” for me. I kind of hate to talk about it because I
know there are people out there who have it MUCH worse. I had moderate morning sickness until about
16 weeks and had to use several medications to keep myself functional during
that time. I’m still trying to get off all of them. The nausea is gone, but I have back problems
and tachycardia to keep me uncomfortable now.
I’m still completely exhausted and will remain so for the
rest of the pregnancy. It is a huge
blessing that my other children are in school and I can get some rest each day. This is probably the biggest challenge for me
since I am normally such a high energy person.
I get frustrated at how little I can do in a day and then I start to
feel overwhelmed and discouraged.
Thankfully, I am married to an incredible man who is good at reminding
me of what matters most!
Are your kids excited?
They are super excited! They each had a unique reaction to the news and they each have unique ways of showing their anticipation. I think I am most excited to have this baby for them. They were so close in age to one another that they never got to truly enjoy and experience a baby.
Can you safely have 5 C-sections?
I can. The doctor
who delivered #3 and #4 said there was very little scarring and we’d be fine to
have another if we so desired. My doctors now don't seem concerned.
What do people say when you tell them you are having a
5th child? Especially in the
South?!?
I’m sure plenty of them think I we are crazy and maybe
they say so behind our backs, but I have yet to hear an unkind word. Many of my friends right now are not members
of our Church, but they have a great deal of respect for the fact that we are
trying to do what we feel God wants us to do.
A few have expressed that they wish they had been able to have more
children or had done so when they were younger.
Mostly my friends and acquaintances are thoughtful and considerate. Many strangers express delight that we are
being “so blessed”!
I will leave it there.
I do feel blessed—crummy, but blessed.
We’ll have another 4 ½ months of a not-so-clean house, random meals, and
barely keeping it together. But, at the
end of it all there will be a new little person to love and it’s more than
worth it.
