My Pregnancy Journey so far …

 

Hello guys!

Long time no see! Ever since we found out that we’re pregnant things have been so hectic that I just haven’t had the time or energy to sit down and write about anything.

But I’m back now, officially in my second trimester and finally recovered from the dreaded morning sickness.

I have always thought of writing my pregnancy journey here on the blog but honestly didn’t feel like it would be interesting for most of my followers, but after many inboxes from you guys requesting that I share my pregnancy journey with you, your wish is my command!

My husband and I have always spoken about having a child and so as much as you could say this was a planned pregnancy it honestly was still a major surprise to us both!

I realised back in June that I was eleven days late and so my husband and I went out to get a pregnancy test to see what was going on. To be completely honest with you I knew deep down that I was pregnant because my stomach didn’t feel like normal but I guess you could say that I was in denial and so kept it to myself.

It is really hard to explain how I knew but you just know that something is off in the way that you feel and the pregnancy test confirmed just that.

We were over the moon with the realisation that we were to become parents in a mere nine months time but I also found myself struck with a sense of fear and realisation that I was going to be pushing a small human out of my body in what seemed like a long time but I knew that it would go by like lightening.

Surely enough I was right, I am currently sitting here typing this at 21 weeks pregnant and I can’t even tell you where the past 21 weeks have gone!

So I am assuming that majority of you are aware that I am flying as cabin crew and so once I found out that I was with child, I made an appointment at the Emirates Clinic and informed them of my pregnancy.

I distinctly remember feeling like a teenager who had been called to the principals office for doing something wrong because all my life before being married I was told to not get pregnant, the consequences of getting pregnant and what could happen to yourself and your job if you were found to be pregnant outside of marriage while residing in the UAE.

When the doctor ushered me to his private room and sat me down, he simply said ‘How can I help you today?’ I recall having an awkward smile on my face and saying, ‘ I don’t know how to say this but I’m pregnant.’

I know it may seem silly that I was so frightened to say out loud to my company that I was pregnant especially because I am a married woman but honestly I felt so strangely insecure and vulnerable … until he escorted me to another male nurse who turned my day around completely.

The nurse was from the Philippines and he was beyond amazing. He instantly congratulated me and was so genuinely excited that he made me realise that I TOO should be excited and that this was something not to be shy of.

I took the tests needed and my flying license was immediately canceled and I was put on maternity leave.

After having a roster for five consecutive years of my life here at Emirates I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t feet a bit sad after realising that I would no longer be in the air with my fellow crew traveling the world until after I had delivered.

I can now say that thankfully my morning sickness was so extreme in the first trimester that I didn’t even think of how much I missed flying because I was so preoccupied with finding home remedies to overcome the nausea.

Those of you who are close to me will know that I am a girl that will always choose a hamburger over a quinoa salad any day and I LOVE my food, so it was absolutely shocking to my husband and I when I suddenly lost my appetite during the first three months and was throwing up anything that was placed in my mouth.

It was crazy, I didn’t even feel hungry through out the whole day and the mere thought of eating food made me gag and feel sorry for myself.

My husband was extremely supportive during this time, he tried to get me to eat as much as he could and as often as he could, but some days were harder than others.

The only thing that I was and am still strangely addicted to,  ( one might call it a craving ), is cold water. Myself and my poor husband were constantly having to refill the ice drawer to keep up with my ice cube popping.

Other than that all the other standard pregnancy symptoms that you read about online I didn’t really experience. I only had a minor emotional breakdown twice in the first trimester which I thought was pretty good and I remained pretty positive considering I was throwing up my insides left right and centre.

Now that I am in the second trimester I am feeling much more energised and like myself again, besides the fact that my tummy has expanded and I am no longer able to comfortably wear my day to day jeans. Hello maternity leggings!

Seeing my body change slowly but at the same time rapidly is kind of messing with my head and I’m sure that many of you who are mothers or are mothers to be can relate with this one.

My brain keeps telling me, ‘Jess your body is changing because you are creating a beautiful human inside of you and so you should embrace that’. But obviously the devil that was hidden behind my eyes was trying to persuade me of something different.

I share my concern with my husband every now and then and I can’t say how important it is to do that. Initially I kept my feelings to myself because I was in denial and didn’t want to acknowledge that I was slowly getting bigger to him or myself.

But his response to my concerns was exactly what I needed to snap out of my insanity and I can’t thank him enough for that.

I am truly blessed that I have a life partner who reminds me every single day that I am beautiful and becoming even more beautiful as my tummy grows. My friends and family are so supportive and kind to me and are open to listening about my pregnancy dilemmas no matter positive or negative and it truly has changed my way of thinking.

I hope that this makes sense to those of you who are reading and if you find that you can relate to what I am talking about then just know that you are so fortunate to have the miracle of life growing inside your body, as am I.

And from me to you, I hope that this blog lifts you up a little and reminds you of how blessed you are and how beautiful you are no matter how you might be feeling or how much bigger you are becoming.

Please let me know below if you enjoyed this very different subject of blogging of mine, if any of you are mothers or mothers to be I would LOVE to hear from you and be sure to share this with any one who you think might enjoy it.

Look forward to hearing from you and will continue the next chapter soon.

Stay safe.

Jessica Cairney