If you have been following me on my Instagram, you know that Philip and I are welcoming a new member to our family in September…baby Gatto! This is my first pregnancy and we are over the moon. After receiving questions about our process, I wanted to share our journey in hopes that it may help some of you at a similar stage in life.
We found out I was pregnant at the beginning of January 2021. After not being able to see my family for over a year due to the pandemic and missing the holidays with my family in Houston due to the pandemic, the positive pregnancy test was the best gift we could have ever received!
Our Timing + How Long it Took us
Phil and I have always wanted children. To me, this was a very important topic to discuss and to be aligned on before marriage. It is something Phil and I discussed many times before we got married (May 2017) – and throughout the course of our 11 years together. We decided to start trying in September 2020. Our priorities and lifestyle had drastically changed from where we were after college. After years of fun, adventures, adding our mini Goldendoodle Theodore to our family and years of focusing on our careers – we felt like it was a good time to start trying. Phil and I got very lucky. Five months after we started trying, I found out I was pregnant! I was about four weeks pregnant when we got the positive test. I’ll be 32 years old when baby is born in September. My mom had me when she was around 35 and it was not easy for her to get pregnant with me or get pregnant later with my brother. I was very worried I would have trouble getting pregnant and I wanted to start trying in my early thirties.
Getting the Positive Test
The news in January was a big surprise! While we had been trying, I had read so many stories from other women who got positive tests over a week before their missed periods. This was not the case for me. I was getting regular periods so knew when to expect mine. I took a First Response Early Result 6 Days Sooner pregnancy test six, five, and four days before my missed period – all of those tests were negative! I was so bummed and ready to try again in February. Side note – any month I would get a negative test, Phil would take me out to a cute dinner date to cheer me up and/or I would do something special for myself. Not a panacea, but it helps! The evening after the third negative test (four days before my missed period), I vividly remember shopping at Michael’s and suddenly feeling very off – very hot/nauseous/tired. I hoenstly thought I was going to pass out in the store. When I was still feeling a little strange the next day, I decided to take one more pregnancy test (this time a regular pregnancy test from Walmart, three days before my missed period) and it was positive! I ran to go share the incredible news with Phil. We couldn’t believe it and we were overwhelmed with many emotions from excitement to it’s real (!!) what do we do next. Over the next two days, I took about ten tests! We were so excited, I couldn’t help but retest over and over again.
Process of Getting Pregnant
Going back to the beginning of our process, when we decided it was time to start trying, the first thing I did was find an awesome OB. The gynecologist I had previously been seeing in New York was not an OB. If you love your gynecologist, double check to make sure he/she is an OB (if you hope to deliver with them one day). If he/she is not an OB, they won’t be able to deliver your baby and you’ll need to find an OB. Once you get the positive test, I had been told things happen very quickly so I wanted an awesome OB lined up. The OB’s at my previous gynecologist’s practice were not a good fit for me so I started to ask people I trusted for recommendations to OB’s. I set up a few “preconception consultations” and ended up with a fantastic OB who I have been so happy with. She was recommended to me by a doctor who knows me well, and she also delivered both of his children for his wife. If you’re in NYC and looking for an exceptional OB, DM me as I would be happy to share my OB’s information with you.
My first meeting with my OB was about a month before we started trying. Knowing we would be trying soon, my doctor recommended I start taking prenatal vitamins immediately. I have tried a few different brands and my absolute favorite prenatal vitamins are the Garden of Life Prenatal Vitamins. I love these prenatal vitamins because they are whole food based and easy to digest. I also take this DHA vitamin (good for baby’s brain, eyes and nervous system development). My doctor also recommended that I use ovulation strips. These were so helpful! My favorite ovulation strips were the Clear Blue Digital Ovulation Strips – I tried a few other brands and the Clear Blue strips were the easiest to read. I’m so glad she recommended ovulation strips because I had previously been relying on the Flo app to track my ovulation and the Flo app was incorrect! It turns out that I was actually ovulating a week later than when the Flo app said I was ovulating. My doctor also mentioned to me that it takes most couples, without fertility issues, around 6 months to get pregnant and it can take up to a year. I was not expecting this but glad we had the discussion to set my expectations. Last, I ordered my first pregnancy related book – Expecting Better. This is an excellent evidence-based book to read while you are TTC or pregnant. I loved this book because it helps you gain an understanding of the different risks in pregnancy and guidance to make informed decisions. I highly recommend if you are TTC or newly pregnant!
I feel very lucky and thankful to have gotten pregnant. Getting pregnant is an emotional journey and very different for everyone. My heart goes out to anyone struggling with infertility, pregnancy loss or waiting for that positive test. Hang in there, I am so hopeful you will have good news soon <3 If you have any questions for me about pregnancy or my path to getting pregnant, feel free to send me a DM or leave a comment here. It was so hard to keep this a secret from you guys and I’ve been so excited to share our journey with each of you.
Last but not least I wanted to share a closeup of the dress I wore for our pregnancy announcement! It’s by this fabulous brand called Mi Golondrina that I recently discovered. The style of my dress is called the Rosalia dress, Mi Golondrina has a similar dress available right now here. The brand is female founded and all of their pieces are beautiful + perfect for a growing bump!
xx
Annabel
