Buzz Baby - Chapter One: pregnancy

Buzz Baby columnist Annie McQueen, pictured at her baby shower, and her husband Tyler welcomed their twins, Cash and Lila, this summer. In this month's column, Annie and Buzz-area moms discuss pregnancy.

Buzz Baby is a new column about life with babies, from the perspective of a first-time mother. If you have baby stories to share, leave a comment under this article at thebuzzmagazines.com or email [email protected].

My husband Tyler and I had a life-changing moment about a year ago. We heard these surprise words at our first ultrasound appointment. “Okay, so you’re sitting down. There are two in there.”

Today, if you run into me at the grocery store, I won’t have makeup on. I’ll be pushing a cart of formula and diapers. I’ll be wearing my Baby Bjorn carrier, and I’ll also have a car seat in the cart.

This is my new life as a mom to Cash and Lila, born July 22.

My pregnancy was pretty smooth. I was put on bed rest at 28 weeks, which is common for twin pregnancy. Tyler’s life changed more than mine at that time. For the duration of my pregnancy, he went to the grocery store, walked the dogs, cooked dinner and ran errands. He even dropped off pillows to be monogrammed.

I never knew how much our lives would change when they arrived. There have been smiles (I guess smiles are a given with two new babies), tears (they had a short NICU stay to grow a little, which I’ll talk about in a future column), serious sleep deprivation (sleep for hours straight? Yeah, right), and a learning curve (you should see how fast I can change a diaper now).

I hope you enjoy taking this parenting adventure with me every month in this new column. I’ll also be sharing the experiences of other Buzz-neighborhood moms. This month, we talked about the nine months before the baby(ies) arrived.

Mom-of-three Jenny Myers is expecting her fourth child with her husband, National Football League player Chris Myers, who is a center with the Houston Texans. Jenny is due March 31 with a boy. They have three kids, Makenna, 4, Cailin, 3, and Keane, 1.

“This has been my hardest pregnancy actually because I’m chasing after three little kids,” said Jenny, laughing.

Jenny says she experienced the common morning sickness at first and, later, uncomfortable aches. “Headaches are my telltale sign I’m pregnant,” she said.

“My hardest pregnancy moment was at my 20-week ultrasound for Keane. I found out he has a bilateral cleft palate,” said Jenny. “It was devastating when I found out.”

“I cried really hard for about one week. But then I was like, okay, it is what it is. So I educated myself on everything I need to know.” When Keane arrived, the worry subsided. “The moment he was born, all my fears went away. He is amazing. He has had two surgeries, his lip repaired and the palate repaired. He will always have another surgery as the face changes.”

Jenny is a fitness enthusiast and encourages other moms, if they are physically able to, to exercise during pregnancy. “Even if it’s just walking,” said Jenny, “it helps with the labor. I work out three to four times a week, kickboxing or getting on the treadmill.” (For details, see this month’s Pregnant and Fit article.)

Her advice for other expectant moms with children is to prioritize. “The most important thing, when you have other children, is you still have to worry about taking care of yourself,” said Jenny. “The toys will be picked up later. The dishes will get done. Take a 30-minute nap instead.”

Realtor Caroline Bean and her husband Andrew, an insurance broker, had their first child, Harrison, on Aug. 4. Caroline recalled some good and bad memories of her pregnancy. At ten weeks, she was returning items at a store when, suddenly, something didn’t feel right.

“I said, ‘I don’t feel that good,’ and then I put my head down. I was starting to black out,” said Caroline. “The next thing I knew I was on the ground. I had to call Andrew to pick me up. It was so embarrassing.”

She had to take it easy for the next two weeks. “I went to the doctor to make sure everything was okay. I had a concussion and whiplash on my neck.”

Luckily, everything was fine and Caroline went on to have a healthy, full-term pregnancy.

A much happier pregnancy moment was at 28 weeks. Andrew and Caroline invited their families to attend a 4-D ultrasound experience at a facility called The Inside Story Ultrasound.

“They have a really nice room with big-screen televisions,” said Caroline. “We all got to see him up close and personal.”

Caroline’s advice to first-time expectant moms is to relax. “As much as you want to worry about everything on your first pregnancy, because there is a lot of unknown, just try and enjoy every second because it’s really special,” said Caroline. “You’re bonding with your child.”

For me, all I can say is life as a new twin mom is full.

My hands are full (of bottles and diapers), my head is full (of questions about their futures), our house is full (of swings, toys and play mats), but, most important, my heart is full.