Monday 10 June 2013

The longest week. EVER.

Today... finally... I graduate to being 9 weeks pregnant exactly.  It feels like such a relief to finally be moving forward.  Last week, my 8th week of pregnancy was unnaturally long.  The ultrasound which showed me the most beautiful picture in the world also readjusted my due date.  And I had to repeat pregnancy days 8 weeks 1 day through 8 weeks 4 days.  It felt like Groundhog Day.

It's funny that they are so worried about being precise.  I mean Shmily is going to come when Shmily damn well feels like coming whether his/her due date is on the 10th or 13th of January.  And at the end of the pregnancy those days will be meaningless. Whether s/he is born at 39 weeks or 39 weeks and 3 days is a completely unimportant point.

But here, this early, in the beginning of my pregnancy, slowly and painfully inching towards the relative safety of the second trimester those three extra days felt like an eternity.  They just felt like 3 extra days when something could go horribly wrong and take this precious life away from me. 

Now... Just another 3 weeks and I will breathe a little bit deeper.

My husband confessed to me yesterday that he has been having panic attacks every night when he falls asleep.  They apparently started when he saw the ultrasound.  I think it made everything so much more real to him and he started to think about the consequences of what we did!  He realizes that there is going to be another person in our house, another mouth to feed another body to clothe... and i think the responsibilities are feeling a bit overwhelming.

I'm hoping that if we talk about it then he will start to realize we are capable of getting through everything... and we aren't likely to be named worst parents on the planet and everything will be fine.  My husband can be a bit skittish though.  If anyone has suggestions on calming a husband down they would be appreciated it. 

7 comments:

  1. I'm so happy that you've reached 9 weeks! One week closer to meeting Shmily.

    I don't know how to calm a husband down, but I have read some tips on saving money on baby things.

    I know some ladies buy something baby related every week so that they don't have to spend a huge chunk of money at one time. Having a baby shower is also helpful lol. I think that shopping the current season's sales for when your child is older is also an awesome way to save money.

    I hope that your husband is just in a state of shock and will be able to calm down as time goes on. If he's a numbers person, maybe mapping out a budget or something like that would give him something productive to focus on.

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  2. Very exciting to get to 9 weeks!!

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  3. The first trimester goes soooooooo slooooooooow! And of course it doesn't help when they adjust your due date. But you're almost through it...and then it will seem like the time is flying. :)

    I'm afraid I have no suggestions for calming your husband. My husband is infuriatingly calm about everything while I'm the one who freaks out. And I still haven't figured out how not to get overwhelmed by everything.

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  4. Agree with Jenny -- first trimester is the WORST for being stressed. I mean, even with a slightly abnormal anatomy scan, I'm still not as freaked out as I was during those first 12 weeks. You are almost in the clear, just keep on keeping on. :)

    My husband is paranoid about the lack of sleep he will get once baby is here, and he brings this up almost every night before we go to bed. All I can say is that GAJILLIONS of people manage to raise multiple children with shitty finances and barely any sleep and they all turn out fine. So cling to those (very scientific) statistics, I say.

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  5. Groundhog Day? You mean Groundhog Half-Week! Congrats on making it to 9 weeks with a heartbeat -- that's an important milestone -- so well done Shmily and mama!

    Mr. Egg, if he's anything like my DH, will settle down in time. I think it's OK to be skittish. It means he is taking impending fatherhood seriously :)

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  6. I'm so happy for you that you're finally at 9 weeks! You're right, it is funny how those days probably won't matter toward the end, but how they matter so much in the beginning. I never quite got out of the days-mattering stage with the twins--I sometimes still catch myself telling people they were born at 36-weeks-1-day lol--but I'm hoping all goes well with 7, and I can just go from week to week! Praying for the same for you :) It's exciting that our EDDs are so close--it will be interesting to see who goes first, or maybe it will be at the same time??!

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  7. Having a child is a MASSIVE adjustment. Massive. Can I repeat that? MASSIVE. I wanted a baby so badly, and never really thought about how it would impact my life. Man, did I ever get a shock after the wee woman arrived! Truthfully, I think your hubs is brilliant for having his panic attacks now, rather than being completely blindsided once baby comes. He will lose sleep. You both will. Leaving the house will never be a simple affair again. Every decision you ever make will now be about someone other than yourselves. And it's HARD. Really, really hard. And there will be times when you both wonder what the hell you were thinking. But I'm tellin' ya... from the bottom of my heart... you will adjust, you will survive, and you will come to love the insanity, and wonder what the hell you did with your time before baby came along. The reality is that parenting is a brutal, 24/7 job, but it is sooooo worth it! And you'll both be brilliant. I promise.

    There- just let hubby read that. I think it will make him feel better. :)

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