In early April I was feeling very tired. At first I just assumed it was a month of being cooped up at home was just getting to me, but it turns out I had a very good reason to be tired, I was pregnant!
We’re due in December!
And it’s another boy!
So far, all the tests and two ultrasounds have come back showing a healthy pregnancy, so I’m thrilled to be able to tell everyone now.
Getting here was an interesting road. We knew we wanted two children, and preferred spacing that would put them about two years apart. This means we were trying while the pandemic was ramping up. The specter of being pregnant during a pandemic weighed heavily on us, but my doctor agreed that it was a manageable situation, whereas my age was less of one. I turn 39 in September, and this pandemic won’t be over quickly. If we wanted a second child before I turned 40 and the risks go up again, now was as good a time as any.
The pandemic certainly has had an impact though. MJ can’t come with me to prenatal appointments, so I’ve had to video conference him in to see the ultrasounds. I had a sinus infection right before my first appointment, so I had to get a COVID-19 test a couple days before so I’d be clear to enter the office with some of the symptoms. We have to be extra careful about going out in public, since pregnancy makes me immunocompromised. There’s not a lot of data about COVID-19 and pregnancy, so it is a little scary, especially since the infection rates in my area are remaining high. We’re also uncertain if we’ll be able to get back to Philadelphia this year, between the travel risk remaining high and as the due date approaches at the end of the year it’ll be difficult and unwise for me to travel anyway.
That said, it’s been a somewhat convenient situation given our life this year. MJ and I aren’t going into our respective offices, so staying at home and having support here during my first trimester has been really nice. Our beloved au pair still here with us, so Adam has care while we’re working and most days we all get to have lunch together.
I also travel a lot for work normally, and I was scheduled for three back-to-back events in two states during the worst of my morning sickness. Two of the events were canceled, and one went virtual, so I was able to stay home and adjust my hours as needed. My boss has been wonderful with regard to this need for flexibility, and I’m definitely benefiting from the general flexibility that a lot of my co-workers also need to balance work and family life during a pandemic.
And we’re excited! The adjustment of life from one to two children will not be close to what the shift that zero to one was, but it will be a big, exciting change for our family. Siblings are super cute, my middle sister and I were 22 months apart, and when we were kids we played together all the time. I’m looking forward to experiencing the relationship that will develop between our boys as they grow up together.