…or at least the first hour of February 14.

On the night of Friday, February 12, I started having abdominal pains. Not cramps, mind you, but sharp, shooting pains that kept me up through the night.

I decided to suck it up and went into work the next day because Saturdays are the busiest days at the store.

The pains persisted throughout the day and I was still experiencing them when I went home to finally see my husband after a grueling week at my parents’. It continued through dinner and by this time I was a nervous wreck.

It was 9pm on a Saturday night — the night before Valentine’s Day and during a holiday weekend (Presidents’ Day would be on Monday) — would any doctor’s office even be open?

So we decided to stop by the ER.

I checked myself in and we patiently waited. Luckily, the ER was practically empty that night — only 2 patients were ahead of us — and we only had to wait 15 minutes, tops.

Soon, the staff directed us to a private “booth” (which was as large as a private hospital room) and I changed into a hospital gown. After taking about a bazillion tubes of blood, they hooked me to an IV and I soon found myself lying on the bed. J remained by my side on a hard plastic chair.

I was not doubled over in pain, nor was I screaming in agony. Why did we go to the ER for stomach pains?

Because I was pregnant.

Correction: I am pregnant. Yes, what many of you conjectured is correct. And I am making the official announcement, on my blog, NOW.

Our visit to the ER lasted five hours, most of which were spent waiting. Waiting for blood results and waiting for the ultrasound tech to come in (she had left for the night and so they had to call her in for me).

We had our own private TV so the wait wasn’t that bad. We watched Dangerous Liaisons (note: Cruel Intentions is better) and watched reruns of Dirty Jobs. Both of us even fell asleep at certain points.

When the ultrasound tech finally arrived, we were wheeled to a room with humongous equipment (that’s what she said). Within a few minutes, the tech confirmed the pregnancy and said that the baby didn’t seem to be in any danger!

She turned the screen around so that both of us could see our baby for the first time (we hadn’t had our first OB appointment yet) and there it was. A little bean-looking thing with a flickering heartbeat. She even amplified the sound of the baby’s heartbeat for us and the fast but steady thu-thump thu-thump echoed throughout the room.

It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.

She proceeded to take loads of measurements — the length of the baby, the length of its head, the length of my ovaries, the space between my vagina and anus (okay, maybe not that one), and who knows what else. She concluded the 10-minute examination by announcing that everything looked perfect.

I was then wheeled back to my “booth” and an hour later, the doctor came in to tell us that both the blood tests and the ultrasound showed no problems with the pregnancy. He advised me to take some Tylenol for the pain, but could really find no reason for the pain itself. I was to continue taking my prenatal vitamins and go see my regular OB if the pain persisted.

So yes, we spent the first hour of Valentine’s Day at the ER. It was not the most ideal way to spend our first night together in a week, and I was scared sh*tless for the majority of the visit.

However, we saw our baby for the first time and learned that everything was progressing smoothly. In a week’s time we would have our first OB visit and see the thriving baby once again.

You can read more about it at http://baby.geekinheels.com

The pains eventually went away after a few days. And I am back to my normal life, cautiously but excitedly awaiting my baby.

Yes, I am pregnant again. And yes, I started this blog as soon as I found out last month. Please feel free to browse the archives. In the meantime, I’ve decided to answer any questions you might have…

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When did you find out?

I found out on the morning of J’s birthday, on January 27th. I was a bit reluctant to take the test, because I had taken one three days earlier to receive a big fat NEGATIVE. I was not having any symptoms, and our sexcapades had been off that month due to his crazy work hours and subsequently falling ill. I was certain that we had missed our window of opportunity and chalked up my late period to another irregular cycle.

But I decided to take one anyway, because a positive test would make a great birthday present, no?

Boy was I surprised to see the line starting to appear as soon as I finished peeing. It was faint, but definitely there.

How did you react?

I ran to our bed to show J (who was just starting to wake up), and as soon as he confirmed the line, I started bawling my eyes out.

I was SO. DAMN. INCREDIBLY. HAPPY.

J’s reaction was a lot more reserved. Later, he would joke that the baby had stolen his thunder (“It’s supposed to be my day!”).

How far along are you?

I am approximately seven and a half weeks along. The baby is due October 4th.

Have you been to a doctor yet? What did she say?

We had our trip to the ER last week, and our first OB appointment yesterday, and they say that everything looks perfect.

Most doctors will not see you until you’re 8-12 weeks along. Because of my last pregnancy ending in a miscarriage, I had the option of going in earlier for monitoring and additional testing.

However, before the 6-7 week mark, there really isn’t much that a doctor can do for you aside from confirm the pregnancy. Sure, they can test to make sure that your hCG (the pregnancy hormone) levels are doubling every 2-3 days, and to see if your progesterone levels are within normal range. However, even if something were to be problematic, there isn’t much they can do for you so early in the pregnancy.

Heck, there still isn’t much that the doc can do for me if the baby were to be in trouble again. But at this point, I knew that I would at least be able to see a heartbeat on the ultrasound.

What made you decide to tell now?

Some may say I’m making the announcement too early, that it’s bad luck and/or I’m setting myself up for disappointment again.

Some may wonder why I decided to wait so long after finding out to announce.

You can’t please everyone!

My personal reason for not announcing right away is fear. With my last pregnancy, I started having symptoms before getting the positive test result at 4 weeks. I am currently midway through my 7th week and have had hardly any symptoms aside from constant fatigue.

There is also the fact that the past two weeks have been so hard on me, both physically and mentally. I really wasn’t sure the baby would make it!

For this reason, I wanted to wait until my first appointment to confirm that I am, in fact, pregnant, and that the baby is doing well.

But still…aren’t you scared that you’ll miscarry again?

Of course I am. In fact, J wasn’t sure I should announce before the second trimester.

One thing I learned in the miscarriage support groups is that there is no safe zone. You can’t imagine how many women lose their babies well into their 2nd and 3rd trimesters. Then there are possible complications at birth, and nevermind SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)! 

After seeing the heartbeat, a woman’s chance of a miscarriage is at 4%. After passing the 12 week mark, it is 2%. To me, the difference in odds is not significant enough to warrant the extra month-long wait.

Some people admit that seeing a woman announce her pregnancy before the customary 12 weeks makes them uncomfortable. I do not see why this should be so — the choice is personal for everyone and they should not be made guilty for wanting to share their good news. I see this akin to people who become uncomfortable with the mention of a miscarriage. The topic is so taboo in our culture that it sickens me. While some may choose to grieve in private, others (like me) need and appreciate the support of friends and family.

Doctors estimate that 1 in 5 pregnancies end in a miscarriage. Some say that the number is even higher — one in three — and that many women do not even know they were pregnant because they miscarry so early.

I already beat the odds once by miscarrying so late into my first trimester. If I were to lose this baby as well, God surely had a good reason. All I can do is stay faithful.

What did you do differently this month to get pregnant?

I believe that one of the worst things you can say to a woman who is trying to get pregnant is “just relax” or “just let it happen.” You can’t understand how frustrating that is to someone who is longing to achieve something that millions of women apparently have no problem doing.

Some say that stress can hinder your TTC (trying to conceive) efforts. I call bullshit. I have read many reports stating that the only way stress can affect your reproductive cycle is if there is lots and LOTS of it.

When I admitted in January that I had started charting my basal body temperature in addition to trying other fertility tips, some people told me that I needed to chill out. Because surely only crazy, desperate women do those things!

It was only through charting that I realized I was ovulating late. It was only through extensive research and being a part of online TTC communities that I became well-aware of the numerous options that would increase my fertility.

I am now more comfortable than ever with my body and reproductive cycle. And when the time comes to start TTC again, I know exactly what to do and what to expect.

Will geekinheels.com turn into a baby blog?

One thing that pained me very much was seeing so many of my friends blogging/Twittering/Facebook-ing about their pregnancies and babies after losing a baby of my own.

So many of my readers have reached out to me following my miscarriage sharing stories of their own. Many more wrote to me when I announced we were TTC again, confessing of their own TTC woes.

And as a woman who waited 4 months to see a positive on a pregnancy test (which I know isn’t that bad compared to others who wait years), I know how much it can hurt to see baby-this and pregnancy-that on a site you read regularly. So I decided to create a new blog — this one — to chronicle this journey. Big announcements/milestones will be shared on the main blog, but this will be updated with the day-to-day stuff.

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Do you have any other questions? Leave a comment, and I’d be happy to answer them!