So in the event that you want answers to all the pregnancy questions I've been asked so far (and some I haven't!), here are some details:
(Oh wait, did you miss the announcement? I'm pregnant! Baby #6, due around Thanksgiving!)
--1--
How are you feeling?
Not so hot? Obnoxiously, the stomach bug that was going through the family hit right after that positive pregnancy test, so I had a couple weeks of feeling awful before actual morning sickness set in. SO NOT FAIR. But my morning sickness hasn't been totally horrible since I was pregnant with John Paul, in part because my girl pregnancies have been easier and also because of better nutrition & supplements. Plus ain't nobody got time to lie on the couch all day with 5 other kids running around!
Mostly I'm just exhausted - I crash by like, 7 every night and am often asleep by 8, before the big kids... Which is made possible by the fact that Andrew and my mom do a TON. We knew that #6 would need to be postponed for quite a while longer than this if we stayed in our old house, since I was really struggling to keep up with things, but having my mom around obviously makes a HUGE difference!
--2--
What are these magical supplements of which you speak?
I'm going to give you my affiliate links, because my Amazon earnings are a HUGE help in being able to buy homeschooling materials, but I'd recommend this stuff no matter what!
This magnesium oil made a HUGE difference with my last pregnancy (MUCH less severe morning sickness! No puking!), but it ended up being pretty time-consuming to apply it, wait 20 minutes, wash it off, and *then* get dressed for the day (plus if I had just showered, it really made my skin sting!). I needed something different, and was considering making my own magnesium lotion when a friend recommended this lotion (by the same brand), which has been working great!
I also started taking Natural Calm before getting pregnant and noticed it made a big difference in stress levels - I got the $25 canister in mid-January and still have several weeks left before I run out, so it definitely lasts a while! It's especially tasty paired with lemon pellegrino & crushed peppermint leaves for a lovely pregnancy mocktail, if that's a thing...
That's about it - I take my regular old Costco gummy vitamins and was eating as much spinach as possible when I found out I was pregnant, since that's much more easily absorbed than folic acid supplements. Truthfully, I haven't taken actual prenatal vitamins since... Cecilia? I always ended up puking them up, so I figured it was better to take regular vitamins that would at least stay down! I'll add iron back in when I remember, I've still got a ton of Blood Builder that I keep forgetting about, and I always end up anemic at the end of my pregnancies so I'm sure it'll be necessary.
--3--
So now that you've moved, where are you having the baby?
Hopefully at home! We meet with the midwife next week, but considering my old OB told me that I'm a great candidate for home birth (after 4 completely uncomplicated pregnancies, labors, & deliveries including twins), I'm pretty confident that this is a good choice for us. I love the part of the hospital stay where they bring you all the food you want after the baby is born but... That's it. And truthfully, my epidurals were pretty nice with the first three births (Peter's was drug-free, which would have been much more pleasant if I hadn't been hooked up to all those stupid wires with a nurse who wouldn't stop touching me...), but I'd much rather not have to leave the house, and getting pumped full of drugs just goes so counter to the way I actually try to live. We're about 5 minutes from a hospital if something goes wrong, and my mom lives in our back yard so she can easily take the kids to her house if I'm in labor during the day and need to be left alone.
--4--
Are you sure it's not twins??? TRIPLETS??? WHAT IF YOU'RE HAVING QUADRUPLETS?!?!?!?!
Shut up.
--5--
How do the kids feel about this?
They are ECSTATIC.
Well, Peter doesn't care.
But everybody else? SO excited. John Paul and Cecilia had been asking for months when we would ever have another baby. I kept reminding them how sick and useless I am when I'm pregnant, and how I can't do as much for them but they kept saying they don't care because they love babies so much. Mary Claire and Elizabeth are excited for different reasons - they think it's really really really funny that the baby is naked.
Mary Claire, giggling wildly: And when the baby is born, then it will be NAKED!!!
Elizabeth, giggling wildly: A naked little peach baby!!! And Mom and Dad will put a diaper on it!!!
If it were up to them, I think we'd have a pretty constant stream of babies in our house. I mean, I suppose that's not far from the reality of the situation, given the fact that we seem to have gotten on a 2-year-plan with babies (maybe we'll break out of our November birthday rut at some point... I mean, it's kind of getting ridiculous.).
I think one of the most amazing things in the world is being pregnant when you have kids who are old enough to appreciate it. My pregnancy with Peter was the first time that the kids were really aware of what was going on, and it just adds to the wonder and joy and excitement of all of it when you get to experience the constant unbridled enthusiasm from children who know that the absolute greatest gift in the world is a sibling!
--6--
Are you going to post maternity fashion posts like last time?
Um, duh. Of course I am. Because I'm narcissistic and can't stop taking pictures of myself.
But also because honestly? It's hard to dress for pregnancy in a flattering, comfortable, won't-break-the-bank kind of way. And most people don't end up having 5 pregnancies to practice! I know this is information I *really* could have used for my first pregnancy when I wanted to look as huge as possible early on (bad idea, then all those clothes just make you look depressingly huge once you're ACTUALLY large), plus those are kind of fun posts to write.
Plus I already look pregnant, so I might as well take advantage of it, right?
7 weeks here, looking like a whoooole lot more. Uncropped, unedited, for a Stitch Fix post I still haven't gotten around to writing. That skirt, though, is fabulous.
--7--
Are you crazy? You're not even 30. Your oldest kid isn't even 7. Are you trying to beat the Duggars or something???
No, nobody has actually said this to me! Maybe by now they all realize we're crazy and that it's silly to ask "Why?" about a baby?
People will believe what they want to believe - it's a weird, counter-cultural thing to want a lot of children. The world tells us "OVERPOPULATION!!!" and "YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY LOVE AND SPEND TIME WITH ALL OF THEM!" and the world doesn't see what a gift they are to each other, or how the love multiplies with each new addition, or how the birth rate is dropping in our country and clearly we're just doing our part to even out the numbers (I'm mostly kidding with that one, but that overpopulation argument always makes me giggle because it's just plain unsubstantiated!).
We love our kids, plain and simple. It's really, really awesome spending time with them and watching them grow and learn and go through different stages and knowing that we get to go through all the awesome (and not-so-awesome, sure) stages again? Gosh, we're lucky. We know just how blessed we are that it's been easy for us to get pregnant, that we were fortunate enough to be able to make life changes to help make a 6th baby a welcome prospect, not a daunting one, and that we live in a community that is supportive of life at all stages.
Well goodness, that certainly was a brain dump! Kudos to you if you managed to read the whole thing, and thank you for your prayers for this baby and this pregnancy! You go ahead and ask any questions in the comments - I'm an open book.
Linking up with Kelly for 7 Quick Takes, even though these are the least quick takes ever.
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