Approved by the What’s Up Moms Medical Advisory Board
OK so you’ve been patient… or not so patient. You’ve peed on ALL THE PREGNANCY TESTS — the super sensitive ones that can detect a pregnancy in the future tense and from thousands of miles away and in another dimension, plus the standard wait-til-your-period-is-late ones. But now you’ve got those two little lines, no doubt about it, and this thing is on.
The next 35ish weeks will be full and brimming with all the feels, from joyful anticipation to shaky anxiety to a bone-tiredness like none you’ve known before. Somewhere in there will also be utter awe at the miracle that is the human body (um… you’re growing a person inside you). You’ll feel bursting excitement and you’ll also burst into tears. Not infrequently you’ll freak out and question whether you’re even qualified to become a parent at all, but fret not, because no one is and everyone is. It’s one of those learn-on-the-job gigs. Thankfully you’ve got nine months to get used to the idea of taking care of something more needy than the class hamster you took home that one weekend in kindergarten. You can do it – and you are doing it already.
A funny thing about pregnancy is how public it is. Not yet, of course, but eventually your bump will be resplendent for all the world to see, and everyone will have their two cents — you must do this, you mustn’t do this — but you will figure out your own way. And we’ve got your back the whole time. Like a proper BFF, we’ll hold your hand, walk with you, and always — always — tell it like it is. We’d even rub your feet if we could.
Right now, no one can see your secret. Baby is ¼ inch long, and the neural tube — from which the brain, spinal cord and backbone will form — is in process as are the heart, lungs, arm and leg buds and digestive tract. As for you: the ole boobs are likely swollen and tender, you’re tired, and maybe seeing implantation spotting. You’re also peeing nonstop thanks to increased blood volume which makes extra fluid for the kidneys to process.
Your job this week is to celebrate — but not too much! Now’s the time to stop drinking, smoking, running thru x-ray machines all day long, and swinging from chandeliers on Saturday nights. And listen, if you drank a little too much tequila last weekend at your b’day soiree, don’t beat yourself up — you didn’t know! Start taking a prenatal vitamin (the folic acid is especially important for baby’s neural tube growth in the first 12 weeks), and make an appointment with your OB; if you don’t have one yet, line up a couple interviews. Your first appointment will likely be around eight weeks, but in the meantime, stop taking any meds until you consult with a doc.
It’s a wild ride and we cannot wait to share it with you.
