My Pregnancy in Photos

In the weeks since our son's birth, I've been reflecting on my pregnancy - and on how strange it is not to be pregnant anymore. On the one hand, it feels so right and so natural for this little person to be here. On the other hand, we spent so much time as one body that it feels strange for us to be seperate. As I reflect on that, I've been revisiting the photos taken throughout my pregnancy and fertility experiences.

The following highlights may hold little interest to anyone but me, but I wanted to create a record while it's all still fresh in my mind (well, as fresh as anything is in my currently sleep-deprived state!)

8/5/2020

As I shared in my previous update, I ‘graduated’ from our Reproductive Endocrinologist's care at 9 weeks. Due to Covid restrictions, I was alone for the final appointment where Baby’s heartbeat was heard for the first time. However, I left armed with a video of the sonogram and a photo of what looked like a turtle - and a tentative joy in the fact that I was actually, truly pregnant.

8/16/2020

We announced my pregnancy on social media at 12 weeks (after sharing privately with a few loved ones offline first). At about this time, the nausea I had experienced during the first trimester started to abate, thanks in large part to the fact that I had weaned off of my fertility meds. This put me in a weird limbo state where everyone knew I was pregnant, but due to the lack of symptoms I didn’t really feel like I was.

9/20/2020

At 15 weeks, I took my first pregnancy progression photo. There was a definitive little bump - though admittedly I’d had food babies of similar size in the past. While subtle, it marked the transition of my pregnancy from a strictly internal experience to an external one.

10/18/2020

By 17 weeks, I started to feel some tiny movements. I’ve heard the sensation of ‘quickening’ described as a flutter, but for me it was more like carbonation in my uterus - tiny bubbles popping. Soon after, at around 19 weeks, Sami was able to feel some of the baby’s particularly MMA-like kicks and punches. This was particularly vindicating, as I had been told more than once that it was simply too early to be feeling movement. Just another reminder that every body and every pregnancy is different!

10/25/2020

My 20 week scan was a bittersweet experience. It was great to hear and see the baby for the first time since leaving our fertility clinic. On the other hand, it was a cruel reminder that halfway through my pregnancy, my spouse still wasn’t allowed to be present for milestone appointments. I must have had a sympathetic technician, because the photostrip was huge!

11/8/2020

By 22 weeks, I was starting to feel some of the less comfortable symptoms of pregnancy - shortness of breath, persistent thirst, and a constant need to pee. Mostly, though, I was feeling relief. My anatomy scan had shown a potentially shortened cervix, and the intervening weeks had been spent figuring out if there was actually any risk to me or the baby. Simultaneous election coverage meant that our anxiety really built up to a peak before the eventual all-clear (on both fronts)!

11/22/2020

At an appointment in my 24th week, we were told that the baby was measuring in the 97th percentile for size. This was in pretty direct contrast to the feedback I was getting from most other sources in my life - “Oh, you’re so tiny!” “You’re how far along??” “You’ve barely gained any weight!” Quick PSA to anyone who knows a pregnant person: we don’t want to hear these comments any more than the ones about how huge we are. In fact, you can express your excitement for us without discussing our bodies at all.

1/5/2021

At 28 weeks, I was officially in the 3rd trimester - and feeling like it! Heartburn was up, sleep was down, and my belly button was in a weird limbo state between innie and outie. The countdown to Baby’s arrival began in earnest. Over the next several weeks, we started preparing for my labor and delivery - packing our bags, installing the car seat, etc. We did this on the early side because Sami had an upcoming surgery, and we didn’t want any additional stress leading up to my due date. It’s a good thing we did this, because things were about to get real in a big way.

1/17/2021

An amazing friend put on a virtual shower for us at 32 weeks. While I certainly wouldn’t have expected my baby shower to happen via Zoom, it was really lovely to see friends and family from all over the country, and know that they were thinking about us and sharing in our excitement.

2/10/2021

At roughly 35 weeks my blood pressure started rising. It had been slightly elevated since the beginning of my pregnancy, so my healthcare team caught the rise somewhat early. Unfortunately, my symptoms only got worse, and eventually, we were told that I would need to be induced at 37 weeks. We had just a few days to prepare, both practically and emotionally for a huge pivot. We went from planning for a ‘natural’ water delivery at a birth center with midwives who had cared for me throughout my pregnancy, to a high-intervention hospital birth.

2/17/2021

At exactly 37 weeks, we went in to the hospital for my induction. The next 18 hours were unlike anything we could have anticipated, but at the end of it Patrick Eoin Sullivan was born via emergency C-Section - and he’s been the center of our whole world ever since.