Baby Baking. A New Series for Expectant Moms.

Before anyone goes crazy, I. AM NOT.  PREGNANT.

I burned down the Dude making factory years ago.

But, BFF is!

And, I’ve hired her coerced her into joining my blog family to breathe some baby on it so that all of you new moms, about to be moms, and moms who like reading about moms can get some fresh tidbits of awesome up in here.

Every Thursday will be Baby Baking Day, check it…

So I’m pregnant!

It’s still a very weird feeling.

I’m probably still in shock.

At almost 36 I think I’m as ready as I’m ever going to be.

I’ve been getting pressure from the world to go ahead and have a baby before all-your-eggs-shrivel-up-and- die (!!!!) for years now.  Even my gynecologist encouraged me to go ahead and get pregnant before my wedding last November. But I waited (go ahead, do the math, I got married in November, I’m due in January. I. WAITED!)

Not long though because here I am, six weeks later, in shock, exhausted, and puking, and excited, and puking, and scared out of my freaking mind, and grateful, and happy, and puking, and so so happy.

It just happened so fast!

I guess that’s why I’m still in shock. Or maybe nothing can ever prepare you for the blinking PREGNANT on the home pregnancy test.

After you do whatever you need to do to get your mind right, cry, scream, pace your house, stare at yourself in the mirror to see if you look different, get on to these five things.

You’re PREGNANT! Five Things Expectant Moms Should Do Right Now

Tell your baby daddy

If he wasn’t standing there with you staring at the stick you peed on tell him his swimmers were successful! Men are men, they appreciate knowing they were able to make it happen. There are many memorable ways to let him know your lives are about to totally change (for the better). I wanted to record my husband’s reaction but couldn’t figure out a way to pull this off without him being suspicious. Instead I wrapped up a onesie, the positive pregnancy test and a homemade card to the new daddy. I made the box look like it was delivered so when he walked in I could just say you got a package in the mail. When he finally got home and he exhausted every question one can ask about a package before opening, he finally opened the box. After I nicely encouraged him to, “Just open the damn box!” He was excited and appreciated the effort of the gift.

Decide When to Share the News

Depending on your past experiences, you may choose to wait to tell anyone, decide to tell only close family, or go ahead and shout it from the rooftops. Just make sure you and your partner are on the same page so that no one has hurt feelings or misunderstandings about who you were supposed to or not supposed to tell.  I may or may not be speaking from experience.

Call Your Doctor

Every practice is different. I was able to schedule an appointment with my doctor four days after I got a positive result on a home pregnancy test. I had blood work done to confirm my pregnancy and was also able to ask a few questions about the changes to my body I was already feeling and other lifestyle questions I had. Like, is it safe to dye my hair? Can I get rid of this mustache? I’m feeling period like cramping, normal? Side note: try not to Google your symptoms. Yes, it’s hard but there is always some hater on Google that will tell you and your baby are doomed. I spent weeks Googling symptoms at 3 am only to be more freaked out and crazy tired.

Buy Some Reading Materials

There are so many books available. I went with the popular “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” for myself. I like the format and it answers tons of questions. It’s been updated to reflect what’s relevant to pregnant women today. Can you keep that belly ring in?  Is aromatherapy safe? Can you still use your vibrator hot tub?  The need-to-knows. I gifted “The Expectant Father” to my husband. It contains facts, tips and advice on navigating pregnancy and being supportive of your spouse. Whatever book you decide to give your partner I suggest giving it a quick read to make sure you agree with the advice. You don’t want your husband getting any crazy ideas.

Create a new budget if you haven’t already

I know you’ve heard babies are expensive, start saving.  For real.