Week 18: Almost halfway to baby!

By Published On: February 3rd, 2016

Hi! I’m Lauren. I am almost 19 weeks pregnant with […]

week18aHi! I’m Lauren. I am almost 19 weeks pregnant with my first baby. My husband (his name is Matt) and I are thrilled, but it certainly took time to process this change! Time is flying by, so allow me to catch you up on our journey so far …
It truly feels like yesterday I found out I was pregnant. The day started like every other Friday morning with an 8 a.m. class at Orange Theory Fitness—aka my crack. Let’s dive right in: I have always had boobs, not the largest, but certainly not the smallest. Running is something I choose to power through mentally, ignoring the fact my breasts are violently flopping all sorts of ways in front of about 25 people. Cool. Anyway, my boobs had felt sore the past few days during treadmill sessions, and I assumed it was from my period. They also seemed larger, but I continued to attribute these symptoms to my cycle.
About mid-mile, I started to experience something uncomfortable. My brain tried to wrap around the strange sensation of … is that … are my … yep, my nipples are burning!
Burning! What the heck!? I tried to ignore it, but the pain was awful. As I transitioned into the weight room, I was immediately stopped in my tracks. I came face to face with a wall of mirrors and saw what appeared to be leakage coming from my nipples. I had two large liquid spots seeping through my tank top. In that moment, I knew I was pregnant. I ran to the bathroom, ripped off my shirt and proceeded to examine my chest, squeezing each breast as if milk was going to squirt out and prove my suspicion. The whole thing was totally ridiculous.
week18bI read later on that nipple seepage doesn’t start until the second or third trimester, and milk doesn’t start production until after birth. It was probably sweat (imagine that!), but I was convinced nonetheless. A few hours later I was knee-deep in pregnancy tests, chugging a liter of water. Double lines. Double lines everywhere!
I was sure there would be at least one negative! Nope. Double lines again. Matt and I weren’t trying to get pregnant and not not trying either. Guess what happens when you do that? You may definitely get pregnant! I took a deep breath and went to tell Matt the news. After a flood of his happy tears and a straight up monsoon of my “I am terrified” waterworks, we agreed on what we always agree on: Mexican food. Check. He kept using terrible pregnancy phrases like “bun in the oven” and “with child” as we discussed when we would tell our families. *Rolls eyes* as I insincerely threaten him if he continues. I hope we never lose our silliness and our pure enjoyment of one another.
Fast forward a handful of weeks, and we found out we are having a GIRL!!! Let me just say the progression of science is amazing, and it’s incredible how quickly the gender can be identified. We got the news on my birthday at just 12 weeks! It was the best moment we shared together so far in this process—filled with real tears of joy on BOTH sides this time.
week18cSince then, life has been pretty normal. I had a very easy first trimester, and I’ve tried to keep the same routine while staying positive about the growing, the stretching and the unwanted advice. I have added the weekly ritual of stalking online baby clothing shops for sales. I never miss one, really. I should probably start a Facebook group for unashamed sale-stalkers: girls who like nice things for nice prices. Why pay full price, right? The most recent addition is a to-die-for denim roll-up romper. You can tell by my facial expression how cute I think it is.
And in case you were wondering about the nipple burning, no it has not gone away. Just something to look forward to, future mamas! You can do it!