Baby Schnoes, arriving July 2019

We can finally share our big news … we are expecting a baby! Baby Schnoes, as we’re affectionately calling him or her, will grace us with his or her appearance in late July.

Here’s a little recap of how things have been going this first trimester. One down … two to go!

The positive test.

This pregnancy came after nearly a year and half of trying to conceive. Weeks before finding out I was pregnant, I had published a post about our journey with unexplained infertility. I had decided to delete the post but we both had made the decision to start some fertility assistance after the new year. But then came that typical “time of the month” in late October. One day late. No big deal. Two days late. Not that big of a deal. I wasn’t really thinking much my delayed period since my cycle wasn’t precise and I was having some of my typical pre-period symptoms. Then the morning of three days late, I pulled out a pregnancy test we had on hand and peed away. Almost immediately the stick showed a positive symbol. Really? Is this for real? The positive test surprised us even though it shouldn’t have. We were trying after all! But we weren’t in anticipation, we weren’t hopeful, we were simply going through our regular life and the results caught us off guard. I said “holy shit … I think this thing is positive!”

How I’m feeling.

The pregnancy has continued to feel a bit unreal. Mostly because I have felt zero of the typical first trimester symptoms. No nausea. No tiredness. No food aversions. No spotting. NOTHING. I felt 100% like myself, so, deep down, I wondered is this really for real? I have been working out, eating as I typically do (minus sushi, lunch meat and soft cheeses!), and sleeping fairly well. I am considering myself very lucky, especially hearing how sick others have felt during their pregnancies. I’m hoping I don’t pay the price for this later with a terrible third trimester!

The conception.

This wouldn’t normally be something I would discuss, but it seems fitting to share because of our situation. The conception of this baby was a bit of a Hail Mary. After taking a couple months off from “trying” to avoid a due date near my sister’s wedding, we tried again. ONCE. Ryan was leaving for northwest Iowa for work meetings and field work and would be gone for the majority of my ovulation time frame (which I was tracking), so we had a quick lunch-time session before he left town. We assumed it was a huge shot in the dark. Most months, we were “trying” three or four times (and yes, all that the sex did get old!). As people say, it seems to be the times when your guard is down … you’re really not focused at the task at hand … that you are most rewarded and likely a little surprised!

The first doctor’s appointment.

After the positive test, I called my regular OB/GYN office to schedule my first appointment. I was told rather coldly that they weren’t accepting new prenatal patients. What? After all of this, I had to find a new doctor! Luckily, I made a call to the other local hospital/clinic and had no trouble becoming a patient there. We met with my new doctor and felt immediately confident in my decision to move clinics and choose her as my doctor. Ryan was along and leave it to him to mention my growing boobs and the fact we conceived with a “nooner”. She got a good glimpse into what the Schnoeses are like that day! I think it shows how welcoming she was and how comfortable we felt with her in our initial meeting. We experienced the first ultrasound and then things did start to feel a bit more real. It was a little hard to see the screen entirely from my angle as the doctor was taking measurements and snapshots but once I held the printed photos in my hand, I couldn’t help but smile at that little profile of our baby. I took a photo of the photo with my phone and kept going back to it to get another quick glimpse. We have another ultrasound at my 20-week appointment coming up. It will be fun to see how much baby has grown! We are NOT finding out the sex of the baby … and are so excited about it being a surprise! Who doesn’t love surprises?!

We are happy, we are grateful.

I haven’t quickly forgotten the journey we took to arrive at this pregnancy. It hasn’t been easy, and we got frustrated from time to time, but we never let it get us completely down. We knew if it was meant to be, it would happen at some point. Talking about infertility with others, especially those who have been on similar journeys, was comforting. I know seeing a pregnancy announcement, like ours, can be hard for a couple who is struggling to conceive. Know that I’m here for anyone going through this and needs a friend.

Thank you for the well wishes.

Hearing the excitement in the voices of our family and friends when we told them our news was so heartwarming. We have felt so loved and can’t wait for our baby to meet all the wonderful people in our lives!