This third pregnancy has been so weird, different, and honestly normal.

It has been interesting doing this whole experience during a pandemic and mostly from the comfort of my home.

But the oddest part is going from two high risk pregnancies, to one that is seemingly normal. My doctor walks into every appointment lately singing “How is my most normal pregnant lady?”

It has just taken me three times to get to this state of “normal.”

At this point with George, I was on bedrest. And with Daph, we had scheduled my induction for the following week due to my high blood pressure. I started this third pregnancy as high risk not only because of my past deliveries, but also due to my age. So it is a miracle that this one for lack of better words has been easy. I am not having any of the signs of pre-eclampsia, and surprisingly despite all the stress that the year 2020 has brought, my blood pressure is all normal.

It has been so odd to go from George where I had so many issues from the get go and got an ultrasound every 2-4 weeks, to this baby where I have only had 2 ultrasounds and until recently only heard the heartbeat every 4 weeks.

It’s been easy to not think about the pregnancy all the time since I wasn’t at doctor’s appointments weekly like I was with Daph and George. With the pandemic, there were months where I didn’t see anyone outside of my family so I wasn’t really talking about it as much because no one is watching my belly grow. Even now, I only leave the house a couple days a week. (Honestly, there are folks at work who probably still have no idea I am about to be out for three months.) This pregnancy hasn’t been a focal point of my every day worried that something was wrong because of complications. And because of just how 2020 is going, there is a lot that keeps me busy during the day. Without others pointing out my pregnancy, I could just keep moving through as though everything was normal.

That to me is the interesting part though because I haven’t had regular confirmation that everything was ok. Normally, something like this would push me into a heightened state of anxiety because I didn’t know what was happening. Instead, I have sunk into the normalcy and trusted that everything was ok and wouldn’t let myself think about the unknown.

My doctor and I have talked about “birth” plans, and that I would love to avoid an induction. And honestly, it seems so surreal that this may happen. It is funny that this is my third pregnancy, and I had to talk to my doctor about what I should be watching for with natural labor signs. I have never experienced being normal before so I want to ride that out as long as I can. But it is a little ironic that as a “seasoned” parent, I really have no idea what to expect.

Being normal is such an odd feeling, but I’ll take it!

Who knows how long I actually have left at this point, but I do hope that I can enjoy this experience and just be proud of what my body has endured this third time around. I have learned with my pregnancies to not have any expectations. It is amazing and beautiful when I think about this year and the fact that I am bringing another new life into our world as crazy as it may be. But isn’t a little normal what 2020 needs? This little nugget has been that grounding point for me.

So let’s pray that it continues to be in these remaining weeks (or days). However, whether this pregnancy continues to be textbook normal or I take a turn back into the high risk zone, we are so excited for this little boy to join our family. We are blessed beyond measure to show this child an abnormal amount of love.