And Baby Makes Three…
My name is Amanda Hoose and I am a Nurse Practitioner here at Southwest Family Physicians. Being granted the privilege to join this great group of medical professionals was one of the most exciting events to happen to me. At the time it was second only to my upcoming wedding and all of the excitement that starting a new life with my husband Chris would bring. The anticipation of beginning our married life, including our desire to start a family just added to the enthusiasm we were feeling. Little did we know that “painting” that part of the picture would not be as easy as we originally thought.
My husband and I learned the true value of patience when trying to start a family. We, like many other couples had difficulty trying to conceive. During this time, we struggled to figure out the cause of our infertility. After many specialists and consultations we learned to accept that conception is a true miracle, and that many of our questions regarding the process will likely remain unanswered.
On September 12th, 2013 I celebrated my 31st birthday. I awoke that morning to my husband wishing me a happy birthday. At the time I thought that would be the highlight of my day as the months prior to that mostly ended in frustration and disappointment. It was time again to take a home pregnancy test and that is what I did that morning. It was positive—clearly the best birthday present I had ever received! Two more home tests and a trip to the doctor confirmed that we were 4 weeks along. We learned that our first child was due on May 25th.
The past few months we have been blessed with overwhelming support from our family and friends. They knew how difficult the process had been and shared in our joy. We are both lucky enough to be members of large families and to see their excitement for us has made the pregnancy even that more special. We are so lucky to be a part of this amazing group of people and to bring a baby into that truly special world where everyone celebrates each other.
I am now in my third trimester so we are fully engaged in the planning and preparing for baby. I experience heartburn daily and wake up with leg cramps every night. If this is the worst of it, I consider myself lucky! I continue to exercise and practice yoga and work hard to take care of myself and the baby. These are exciting times, from decorating the baby’s room, to picking out names, setting up the crib and attending our baby showers. We are ready to enter the home stretch!
Our happiness is real but that does not mean that there are not still some anxious days ahead. We pray every day that when this baby is born, that he or she will be healthy and happy. We do not know boy or girl we can only be certain that they will have two parents that love them more than life itself, and that they will be welcomed into a world filled with loving family and dear friends that will support and care for them unconditionally.
Photo Credit: limaoscarjuliet via photopin cc
Tags: baby, infertility, nurse practitioner, pregnancy
