It took me years to get pregnant. After our fourth IVF cycle, my husband and I started contemplating life without children. We had no more money to spend, and there were many nights I went to bed crying. Our future rested on the fifth — and final — IVF. Because emotionally, financially, physically, I couldn't do any more.
We got pregnant. And somehow, miraculously, we stayed pregnant. I survived the first trimester — debilitating nausea, exhaustion, and worry plaguing me at all hours of the day.
I lived in constant fear that this would all end in a moment's notice
I wish I had more pictures from my pregnancy
You probably have several hundred photos of your baby. Which is probably a total new-mom thing. But take photos during your pregnancy, too. Document this time. Even if you haven't showered or you have dark circles around your eyes while eating pizza, capture those moments, because you may never have them again.
Let your partner take those pregnancy photos while you're on the couch reading, a hand on your belly. By all means, take that selfie in the bathroom at Applebee's. Snap photos when you're dressed up and especially when you're not.
The thing about growing a human for the better part of a year is that you think you'll remember what it felt like. But really, you forget, and rather quickly. When you're pregnant, it's hard to imagine wanting to see yourself ever again in pictures swollen and huge, but trust me, you will.
