BIG NEWS!

I don't know how to start this post as my brain's all of a whirl! So I'm just going to plunge in with a stream of consciousness...

I was expecting my period to start on Wednesday (two days ago), but it didn't appear. Nor did it arrive on Thursday. I've had extremely tender boobs for the last couple of weeks, which could have been an early pregnancy sign, or might just have been the normal hormonal stuff. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I was getting little gripey stomach pains, and I had a slightly upset stomach - both of which can be a pre-period sign for me, so I assumed that it was on it's way and started gearing myself up for disappointment. I was desperate to take a pregnancy test, but since I was sure I was going to get my period I did my best to wait.

Yesterday morning I woke up, and seeing no sign of my period at all (it usually arrives slowly with a bit of a stain on my knickers) I got as far as peeing in a cup, before talking myself out of doing a test. This morning, I woke up at 7.30am (it's my day off) and thought, what the hell. Pee... cup... 3 minute wait... whoa... hold on... I see something... it's faint, but darkening... two pink lines... TWO. The leaflet says that means... I'M PREGNANT!

Thinking I was hallucinating (yep, always assume the worst), I went and got my camera to take some photos. Nothing like corroboration, I thought. Besides, the line might disappear again (!) By the way, I know that's not a terribly rational response!! :)

Here's the picture.

S was still dozing as he's working from home today and didn't have to leap up to cycle to work. Kind wife that I am, I kind of woke him up to tell him the news. I even let him have a little 'I told you so moment' - since he did. "I guess you're not dried up after all" he joked! It does make me realise that all the worry was unneccessary - after all, four months isn't so long to be trying. I feel soooooo lucky (and strangely I always used to say 4 was my 'lucky number' when I was a little girl). Personally I think the ovulation strips were the thing that did the trick, so L at the clinic will be getting a very big thank you from me when I see her next.

We are so happy and excited. I went onto the internet to look at EDD (estimated due date) calculators. Assuming that we conceived on 4 August (I had the positive ovulation test and we did the deed late on 3 August) then my EDD is 27 April 2011. If you go by the date of my last period then it's 1 May 2011. I'm working on the earlier date, since I didn't ovulate in the middle of my cycle, but instead on day 12.

Once my head had stopped spinning we treated ourselves to breakfast in bed and had a little cwtch (welsh for cuddle, don't you know). I have to admit that I keep looking at the lines to make sure they're still there. As S points out, they will fade within 48 hours, so really I should stop checking every 10 minutes and start to believe it. Blimey. Still doesn't feel real, though.

At 10am I called Dr Inspiring to let him know. As I explained in an earlier post, he gave me his mobile number at our first appointment and said I could call whenever I needed to. I had assumed that he used this as a sort of mailbox, always letting it go through to voicemail, listening to messages and then calling back. But no, he answered on the second ring! We had a quick chat about the fact that my next appointment is due on 23 September, and he said I should keep it. I should be around 8 weeks by that point. He said that he'd try to squeeze me in for an appointment in a couple of weeks' time, but that it might be too early for an ultrasound to confirm a viable pregnancy. He gave me his secretary's number and suggested that I call her on Tuesday when she's back from leave, to give her my name and hospital number and let her know that I have a confirmed pregnancy. Then they'll try to find me an appointment. He asked how my sugars have been, and I explained they've not been bad, although I have had a couple of really high readings either in the middle of the night or early in the morning. My two week meter average is 7.9 which is rubbish compared to the earlier averages I've had of 6.5 or so. But I know that two or three very high readings have skewed this average, and as Dr I says, these things happen. Just keep testing and tweaking, testing and tweaking. I think I might have had a little infection as I have had a pretty sore throat recently, and even more nosebleeds than normal.* Dr I congratulated me and told me to have a good weekend. "I think I will" said I!

We're off to visit some of S's friends in Cambridge over the weekend, which involves a fairly long drive,** so we're intending to stay with my parents tonight. We talked a little bit about who to tell and when. "You'll burst if you don't tell your parents tonight" S pointed out. Probably true. If we weren't seeing them I'd probably try to go another month or so before saying anything, but as it is I don't reckon I'll be able to hold it in. I know that this might not work out - it's very early days, and there are no guarantees, after all. If we do tell my folks then we'll also tell S's. Otherwise we'll be keeping schtum until the 13 week point. Only 9 weeks to go then! The only other person I might tell a little earlier is my friend L, who has been such a support to me. Part of me wants to shout it from the rooftops, and part of me wants it to be a little secret for S and I to share. Oh, and my blog, which I always intended to de-cloak once I had some good news to share (writing under my pseudonym, of course)!


NOTES
* I haven't mentioned this before, but I have a bit of a track record with nosebleeds. I had a huge operation (a septoplasty) on my nose when I was 20, and since then it's been a little dodgy. In the last 12-18 months I've had loads of spontaneous nosebleeds - sometimes as many as 3 a day - which can happen at the most inconvenient time (including during meetings, whilst driving to work, etc). Have had the 'bleeding patch' cauterised twice (horrible procedure, hasn't worked) and even had a CT of my sinuses (nothing worrying found). I have the slight fear that being pregnant is only going to make this worse, since bigger blood volumes can cause nosebleeds and bleeding gums etc. in pregnant women anyway. Oh well, what can you do?
** I'll be driving S's car, since I had to be rescued by the AA last night when my car broke down outside work. Some clever rewiring later and I was back on the road. When I called the AA, I explained I was diabetic and asked them to make sure I didn't have to wait too long. They were fab - a lovely AA man arrived within half an hour and chatted with me whilst he fixed the car. He made sure my sugars were okay and offered me a Kit-Kat, which he keeps just in case of diabetic customers and we talked a little bit about what it means to have T1. I wonder if they'd have arrived even earlier if I'd known I was also a tiny bit pregnant??? ;)