Yes, that is 2 distinct lines. Yes, even if you squint at it and tip your head to the left, still 2 lines. Put it down and come back in 10 minutes, brighter 2 lines…. Pregnant again!
Those 2 lines always brought me such wonderful joy and anticipation. They also brought uncertainty and an angst as to what the future held.
I was blessed 8 times with pregnancies. I have 5 wonderful children with me. I know the ups and downs of pregnancy. I know about trying to deal with those peaks and valleys while also trying to homeschool, make meals, change diapers, and do the 1,000 and 1 things I had promised everyone else to do.
First trimester: There are some ladies that cruise through the first trimester with just a couple of days of upset tummies. Don’t tell me and rub it in! I was sick before the 2 lines ever came and stayed sick through most of the pregnancy. I lost weight every pregnancy (gained all back in breastfeeding).
Trying to homeschool in the morning was tough. Trying to cook then homeschool was impossible. I turned to cold cereals or easy to heat up microwave possibilities. That way I didn’t have to cook or smell too much food.
Then we would pack in as much homeschooling as possible before lunch. At lunch I would have to give in and cook a full meal which left me useless until I had to cook dinner thus the circle of icky continued.
I would homeschool right through my entire pregnancy. I didn’t care what time of year it was. When the baby came we always took several weeks off or if I was put in the hospital because of all my morning sickness we had to stop then too. I wanted to pad our learning time and give us breathing room.
Second Trimester: Thankfully I never had to deal with some of the upsets in mid-pregnancy some ladies get, like diabetes. While diabetes would make a great homeschooling lesson it’s not something that makes a prego mommy happy. Treat your body with major amounts of TLC. Right now the baby is growing and using lots of your energy.
This is the best time to get out and about. Try to pack in play group trips, co-op days, and field trips. After you are over the worst of the sickness and before you start waddling 🙂
Third Trimester: My hubby and I always laughed about how foggy my thinking got in late pregnancy. We figured the kids were borrowing my brain cells to xerox them for themselves. I needed our homeschooling lessons more established and structured than I normally do. Using things like Amanda Bennett’s Download N Go’s were great. When I had something structured like that most of the material was written down so others could keep up the homeschooling while I went in and out of the drs.
I always had babies fast but I had LONG build ups. Pre-term labor and lots of dr visits would dot the end of my pregnancies.
Baby’s Here: Take it easy! The baby is the lesson. Caring and learning about the newest member of the family takes time for everyone involved. Depending upon how the baby was doing and how I was doing we have taken everything from just a week off up to a month off of homeschooling. That is very personal and you should not feel a push to get back to work immediately. There is no medal for taking 48 hours off and jumping right back into your full work load. In fact there is more likely to be physical and emotional problems if you do that. The Lord makes you body tired and sore after having a baby to slow you down and let your body restore itself.
Homeschooling with a bun in the oven is 1 huge health and life lesson. Feeling a baby brother or sister kick in mommy’s tummy is a wonderful feeling that will stay with them forever. My children are so happy that they all helped with each other and will happily recount who held who first. Who made each other smile first. We even talk about the little ones we have lost with regret of not having them here but not total sadness for we talk about it. The kids know they will see the babies again in heaven.
When you see that second line CONGRATULATIONS! Enjoy!