41 and Pregnant

“A baby fills a place in your heart that you never knew was empty.”

— Unknown

I was enjoying myself a little bit too much. I decided to create this blog because I want to be able to get my thoughts out. I had a lot to say and release out of my brain, but my brain went haywire one day. I couldn’t understand why my thoughts were jumbled, why the things I would type out to post onto my site would eventually stay in my documents folder, and why I didn’t feel the need or urgency to post as I wanted.

In August 2020, I found out that I was pregnant. Quite honestly, I had been preaching to my husband for months that I didn’t want to have a baby during the pandemic. Not out of fear, I just wanted to stay as cautious as I possibly can due to my health issues. I did not want to add being pregnant on top of that and have to worry about a new life and my life being able to survive in these days and times. Well, God had other plans for me.

I found it funny that I was pregnant with baby number 7. At 41, I had plans of traveling once my last child turned 18. I have to admit; I love having a big family. I just didn’t think I could become pregnant again while going through the stages of menopause. You live, and you learn.

After August, as the days and months rolled by, it became more challenging for me to focus on what I needed to do the most. Worrying about my kids with virtual school, my four-year-old running rampant throughout the house, and my duties as a wife and mother became harder to do. Heck, concentrating on anything became a task that thwarted by pregnancy brain.

Trying to remain stress-free became another task that I had to focus too. The scary preeclampsia word was thrown around by doctors so often that I had to place a lot of my responsibilities on the back burner. So, I decided that I should do as much as I can in increments, and anything that slipped through the cracks could be handled later. I also had to be cautious of the personal interactions I had with others. Sounds crazy, but I did not want to risk my kid developing the face of someone that would have gotten on my nerves (I know it’s an old wives tale, but still). That was my husband’s job.

I loved you from the very start. You stole my breath, embraced my heart. Our life together has just begun. You’re part of me, my little one.

Fast forward to February 2021; I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. I am still trying to find my rhythm even though I’m dealing with postpartum preeclampsia (I did not know that was a thing at all). I’m trying to get back into the swing of things, but it isn’t as easy as when I was younger. I remember hearing that I was experiencing a geriatric pregnancy and thought that was the strangest thing to tell someone who wasn’t an actual geriatric patient. Well, my body proved why there is such a thing as geriatric pregnancy. The snapback is a throwback in my mind. And the bounce back to normalcy is currently a mythical thing in my life.

My advice to any woman that may be pregnant and have multiple children: you go, mom! Enjoy this pregnancy, and know that you don’t have to do things in the “normal” way. Decrease the stressors that you may have or may anticipate happening in your life. Don’t worry about something that you can’t control. Even though you may not be able to avoid all stress, learn ways to handle them in a manner that can resolve the situation and keep your blood pressure down. And for heaven’s sake, don’t forget to sleep! Take advantage of the time you have to get your shut-eye because, honey, you will wish for sleep (as I am doing now at 12:30 am). 😩😅