In case you don't know us very well, my husband and I both come from relatively "large" families. Neither of us grew up feeling like we were in large families as we had other larger families to compare with.
I think it is safe to say that we both envisioned a family on the larger side when picturing our own offspring!
When we found out that we were expecting our first little blessing (Molly), we were overjoyed. We had struggled for quite some time to get to that point (read those blog posts here, here, and here) and this was an absolute dream come true.
My mother struggled with "morning" sickness throughout her pregnancies, so I assumed that I would do the same. Except...mine was different. I quickly went downhill and what is normally manageable nausea became debilitating misery. If you think I'm exaggerating, ask anyone I came in contact with over that 9 month period. ;-)
It was discovered that the apartment we were living in was probably mold infested. Mold is a huge Lyme flare trigger for me, and at the time (2011), it was not recommended for pregnant women to take long-term antibiotics. I think things are somewhat different now as far as the recommendations go, but I would probably still make the same choice.
I moved in with my parents (bless them) and ended up needing to quit my job. That part was heartwrenching for me. I loved my job and the people I worked with! Patrick worked nights and we barely saw each other.
Finally, at the end of my pregnancy, I saw a small reprieve in my daily nausea, pain, migraines, etc. Very small - I still threw up every day of my pregnancy with Molly.
Patrick and I moved into the house next door to our church and he began to work from home. It was a stressful time, but looking back, it really was the best change to our situation and I will always have special memories from bringing home our first baby to the house next door to where we met and married!
The rush of hormones in delivery did exactly what my Lyme doctor hoped that it would - quelled the flare up and pushed me into a wonderful nearly 2 year remission as well as fixing the nerve issue that I had suffered with in the first two years of our marriage. Although labor and delivery with Molly was very difficult, these two health victories and the sassy, chunky baby made it all worth it!
Part Two forthcoming.....and I promise it won't be like, 8 months from now. Really. I promise.
