My Pregnancy and Preparing for a Baby Journey

Welcome to our blog series, A Moms on Call Baby, where I (Morgan) share information that is relevant, practical and REAL about pregnancy, labor and delivery, motherhood and more.   In this first post, I’m sharing what I wish I knew during my first pregnancy. It’s an exciting time full of unknowns and it’s easy to get lost in an endless black hole of information on the internet. With 3 pregnancies under my belt, I thought about the main things I wish that someone had told me that held true through all 3 pregnancies. At the end, I’ve also shared about bit to help y’all to get to know me and my story (the Cliff’s Notes version at least). What I Wish I Knew During my First Pregnancy (and Other Observations) You will sleep (and shower) again.  Especially because you’ve already found Moms on Call!Keep moving.  As much as you don’t want to during the first trimester, even just walking outside with fresh air will help to keep the nausea at bay.  Plus, it will make delivery and recovery much easier!Trust your team.  You’ve spent time finding the team that will monitor your pregnancy and help deliver your baby. Trust the method that you used to pick your OB/GYN, doula, midwife, etc. Because guess what? YOU are the best decision maker for you and your baby! If you feel like you’re not on the same page with one of your medical professionals, consider finding a new one.  This is a long-term relationship where trust is key and second-guessing the advice you get will only create unnecessary anxiety!Trust your body. You’ve heard it your entire life — women’s bodies are truly miraculous. Your body will know exactly what it needs to do when the time comes. Honestly, there are times when I look at my three kids and still can’t believe that my body did that!Love doesn’t divide, it expands.  More babies = more love.Labor and delivery stories are like snowflakes, every single one is different.  Being pregnant makes you a target for unsolicited advice.  Just remember that your labor and delivery story will be different from every story you’ve heard. Take each with a grain of salt and trust the plan that you and your doctor decide is best for you. Water breaking is not always an “as seen on TV” gush of water.  It can also be a slow trickle.  More to come on how I know this later.All they will wear at first are onesies.  I promise they will wear all those sweet, precious outfits you have picked out at some point. But, for those first several weeks, it’s onesies.   And several of them a day!The nursery does not have to be perfect before they’re here.  Newborns nap.  A LOT.  You will have time to get things done once they’re here. So, if you can’t get the nursery picture perfect before they come, no worries!You won’t use half of what you register for.  There is SO much baby stuff out there.  Creating a baby registry is a daunting task!  I’d really recommend sticking to the essentials and asking for gift cards so that you can buy as needs arise.Some days you’ll feel like Superwoman…and some days you won’t.  On the days when you’re running late and have your shirt on backwards, just remember that as a parent of a little one, you’ve done more before 9am than most people will do in an entire day!Friendships are life-giving, invest in them!  Being pregnant and having kids has given me a newfound love for my friends. Especially during those newborn days that can be isolating at times. They are the most intelligent, thoughtful, beautiful and incredible women that I am so thankful to have in my life.  No matter what stage of life they’re in, they bring so much to my life that makes me a better mom, wife, sister, daughter and friend.Fed is best.  You do you. Know that whether your baby is getting breastmilk or formula isn’t nearly as important as the person who is feeding them and the love that they’re receiving. What do you wish someone had told you about pregnancy? Shoot us a DM, Facebook message or email at [email protected] and let us know! My Story My name is Morgan Eddy and I am the CEO here at Moms on Call.  Prior to Moms on Call, I worked for a large bank. I loved my job and got to work with some truly incredible people.  I feel so thankful that I had a job that was so hard to leave! But when this once in a lifetime opportunity came along at the beginning of 2020, I knew I had to take a leap of faith to be part of something that I’m so passionate about. Aside from supporting other parents through this crazy, beautiful stage of life, the four loves of my life are Chris, Barnes, Charlie and Poppy.  Chris and I have been married for 9 years and, simply put, he is the absolute best.  Barnes (6) is our Social-to-a-T toddler who has never met a stranger and remembers the name of everyone he meets. He keeps us on our toes with his mischievous streak and is the funniest person I know.  His love for other people makes my mama heart swell.  Charlie (4) has a permanent smile that makes his eyes twinkle.  He was crawling at 6 months, walking at 9 and hasn’t stopped moving since.  He’s our gentle giant, with fierce (read: stubborn) determination and a heart twice his size.  The one thing they have in common is that they are both 100% BOY. Our caboose baby and star of this blog series, Poppy (16 months), makes all of my girl mom dreams come true. Her laugh is infectious, girl loves to eat and may be more self-sufficient already than her older brothers! Chris and I both work full-time and are trying to balance having 3 kids in 3 different places during the day!  Mornings, nights and weekends, our house is total chaos. Mostly the fun kind of chaos, but sometimes the “you’re going to Simmer Time for the fifth time today” kind.   Like everyone else, we’re figuring it out as we go, lean on our village and try to find the humor in the spills, roughhousing and other antics. Getting Pregnant We were blessed beyond measure to have had IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) as a successful option to build our family.  Infertility is hard and far too prevalent, with many hopeful parents not having any options or experiencing heartbreak after heartbreak.  It will never be lost on us how fortunate we are to have had the right pieces come together to not only have IVF as a viable option, but a successful one.  We got pregnant with Barnes through IUI (Intrauterine Insemination).  We were hopeful to do IUI again for our second, but complications made IUI no longer a viable option, so we moved to IVF and ended up with 5 embryos, 1 of which was Charlie.  We always dreamed of a having a third and, despite being in the middle of a pandemic, decided to go for it by transferring another embryo in August 2020. That embryo is our precious baby girl arrived in April 2021.  We did not know the sex of our embryos and always said that we did not care but, y’all, when we found out this one was a girl, I cannot explain the joy that overcame me!  God knew that this little lady is exactly what our family needed (and maybe that a third boy might actually break me)!  A Brief Side Note I want to take a second to recognize all of the other expecting parents out there navigating pregnancy right now, especially first-time parents. Not being able to have Chris in the room for our embryo transfer and ultrasounds is weird and sad. I cannot imagine how heartbreaking it is for those who have never had the joy of hearing your first baby’s heartbeat together and seeing their little profile on the ultrasound. My heart goes out to you as you balance celebrating something so miraculous in the strangest of times. You are doing amazing and it will be SO worth it!

I like to say that labor and delivery stories are like snowflakes, no two are exactly the same.   We have nine long months to think about this baby coming into the world — Where will I be when my baby decides that they’re ready?  Will my water break in the produce section at the grocery store?  Will they come two weeks early?  How long will I be in labor? — And we do our best to prepare.   We read the entire internet, take birthing classes and commit all of our friends’ and family’s stories to memory.  We use all of this information to understand our options and come up with a plan that makes us feel prepared and gives us some level of comfort amidst the uncertainty.   And sometimes things will go exactly according to that plan, and sometimes they won’t. I know what you’re thinking.  Super helpful, right?!  You’re getting ready to bring another human into this world and your carefully considered plan may be null.  Even for the most laid back of us, this uncertainty is unnerving and can create a lot of anxiety! While we can’t predict all of the details, there are some commonalities that all labor and delivery stories share. It is my hope that these four universal truths will provide you with a sense of confidence and peace that helps to make the days leading up to finally meeting your little one more enjoyable! Be sure to check out these other blog posts that you may find helpful: What I Wish I Knew During My First Pregnancy My Must Have Products for Baby #3 A Friends and Family Guide to Helping with a New Baby Four Things You Need to Know About Labor & Delivery 1) Trophies are not awarded for how you birth your baby. The moms I know have done it all — hospital births, home births, epidurals, unmedicated births, vaginal births, C-sections, hours of pushing, two quick pushes, twins, singletons, 2.5lb babies, 10lb babies, doctor assisted, midwife assisted, doula assisted…you get the picture.  And guess what?  Not a single one of us got a trophy at the end of it! But we did get a precious baby(ies) to bring home! So, if your plans go astray and your unmedicated vaginal birth turns into a C-section, or you don’t make it to the hospital in time for the epidural you were planning on, you have not lost a competition and are not being judged.  The most important thing is that you and that baby are safe.  Have trust in your medical team to help you figure out the best way to make that happen. After an uncomplicated vaginal delivery with my first son, I was very optimistic about an easy breezy second delivery.  When I found myself unexpectedly going in for a C-section, I was so disappointed and felt like a failure.  But you know what? It was the absolute best thing that could have happened for both me and my baby.  And at the end of the day, the result was the same.  Our amazing son was here and he was healthy. 2) Someone else’s labor and delivery story has absolutely no bearing on yours.  You will have an incredible story to tell that is authentically yours. That’s right, your sister’s, friend’s and lady behind you in the grocery checkout line’s experiences will in no way predict yours!  Even your own previous labor and delivery stories may not indicate how this one will go!    That said, try not to get too caught up in other people’s stories and unsolicited advice.  Trying to conjure up every possible scenario or thing that could go wrong will steal the joy of this season! You are going to create your very own story that is beautifully and authentically yours. 3) Leave your inhibitions at the door. There is nothing that your medical team has not seen before.  You should also go ahead and let your partner know that there is no such thing as “staying up top”.  Tell them to be ready to grab a leg, provide a steady supply of ice chips and hold back your hair.  It’s all hands (and eyes) on deck!  4) You are stronger than you know. You were made to do this and your body knows what to do. Your strength knows no bounds.  Seriously, prepare to be amazed with yourself! (There’s a reason men can’t have babies after all…just sayin’!)  And remember, women choose to continue having babies, even after the toughest deliveries! So, there you have it! The four things we know for certain about your upcoming labor and delivery. My hope that these help to bring a little more joy and a little less anxiety to the remainder of your pregnancy.  It will be time to meet your little one(s) before you know it!