All Things - Baby On The Way.

By Guest Editor Andrea Coonrod

Andrea, from Denver, CO, is a lifestyle blogger, content creator, and mom.  A featured mama on our yearlong #MHRoadTrip, Andrea talks about expecting baby number three. This post was originally shared on AndreaCoonrod.com on August 23, 2021.

It feels like we are starting over to be quite honest. Even though our youngest (Lennon) is only 3.5 - all I can think about is how we finally got to sleep through the night (for the most part.) But ever since Lenny grew out of her chunky baby phase I have been craving it back. So, here we are.

Conceiving
Honestly, we didn't have a clue how to start this process aside from the birds and the bees.

So, I started researching and decided that tracking my ovulation was the best move for us to try to conceive. I did not have high hopes of quick conception because of what I had read in hundreds of mom pages, online platforms, and conception websites. Plus, We had never "tried" before, given our first was a whoopsie and our second came after a miscarriage.

Getting off birth control was the first step, of course. I had been using the ParaGard Copper IUD since my 6-week post-partum checkup after having Lennon. Since this is a non-hormonal birth control getting pregnant can occur even the same day it is removed, If you have an alternative BC to this I would suggest researching and talking to your doctor about a conception timeline.

Then I eventually found a bunch of different apps for 'How to Conceive' and subscribed to them all in hopes of better luck. (Side note: I forgot to unsubscribe from 99% of them and have been paying tons of $$ so if you do the free trials set a reminder to cancel anything you don't want)!

Anyways... My favorite was PreMom because it was very straight forward. I liked that it had simple testing strips for ovulation and HCG levels which were super accurate in comparison to other brands I tried. I actually purchased 3 different brands just to see the differences in testing, apps, and overall accuracy.

Well, I would say PreMom was my favorite because the day after I got my IUD out, I was showing incredibly high Ovulation on the testing strips, while the other ones showed much lower levels and didn't show a lot of change throughout the day.

The accuracy must have been true because not even 3 weeks later I got the + sign on my HCG tests!

Telling the Girls
This was something I knew I was so excited to share with our girls because they both have celebrated so many little baby cousins and friends coming into the world in the past few years that I knew they had a better understanding of what having a baby in my belly actually meant.

Their reactions and adoring kisses to my belly made me realize how much fun having a bit of an age gap between them and the baby would be. They are constantly asking what fruit or vegetable the baby "looks" like, always asking to see our ultrasound pictures/videos, and they must kiss the baby goodnight every day and say I LOVE YOU. So, if you have been on the fence about the age gap but want to have another, let this be your sign to GO FOR IT.

Symptoms
I think it is so wild how all of my pregnancies have been so different. This little one gave me a run for the toilet multiple times a day for about 10 weeks before I could eat more than grains and smoothies.

Surprisingly the pregnancy apps were very accurate in terms of what I would be feeling each week too. For instance, when it said you may get more headaches this week I actually did and when it said your back is going to hurt it was aching. This was never accurate for my other pregnancies, so I definitely have high hopes of this being smooth flowing according to a generic pregnancy, but I am sure I just jinxed myself by writing that!

3rd Pregnancy
This time around has definitely been unique in that I am experiencing every little thing much earlier. In my previous pregnancies I was able to keep the bump hidden if I wanted to until about 30 weeks. This third baby bump started poppin' around 10 weeks, which honestly, I love.

In my previous pregnancies I have always felt incredibly sick or exhausted constantly so I was never able to work out - aside from walking. This time around my nausea went away so quickly and my energy came back quickly so I have been able to keep myself in somewhat decent shape.

This basically means I work out when I feel up to it, I think it's incredibly important to know and listen to your body. AKA if you wake up feeling fantastic and have time to do a workout that suits your comfort levels, absolutely do it and if you don't- no worries. There are tons of ways to keep your body active during pregnancy and honestly being a parent to kids who run everywhere constantly is a workout in itself.

Weight gain is something I have always been so confused about in my pregnancies because everywhere you read mentions this super generic number, as if all of our bodies and babies are identical to each other. With baby #1 I gained around 50-ish, with baby #2 I gained 40, and this baby once again has met the generic pregnancy weight gain so far, so at 22 weeks I have gained about 11 lbs. Although if you checked out my ass and thighs you wouldn't believe me- I swear my butt grows bigger than my bump during pregnancy, I am serious- Kim K status.

OB vs Midwife
Honestly, I had heard of midwives before but never really looked into it. After two successful pregnancies using an OBGYN, I figured I would just continue the same route, but I was not a fan of the OB office I went to, therefore I went to the mom FB pages for recommendations and was SOLD on a midwife. The experience has been incredible and so much more personal/comfortable than before. I will be sharing more on the two later on as well!