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What decisions to make during early pregnancy

Welcome to my new weekly column about starting a family. My husband and I have contemplated about having a family, but it was never a mandatory life goal for either of us.
<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who>

But sometimes life just has a timing of its own, and last May, we found out we were expecting. Talk about life changes this year - in 2018, we quit our regular jobs in an industry that we both worked in for a combined 30+ years and then all of a sudden, two pink lines show up in front of our eyes.

This place we call home is magical. #kelownanow #explorekelowna #nofilter #okanagan #explorebc

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It has been a wild ride being pregnant so far! From talking to other women who are going through the same journey, it seems like everyone’s ride is unique.

Now getting close to my 24th week, what’s scary is that my phone apps remind me there are just 16 weeks left until Duane and I will be responsible for a tiny human.

We’ve had dogs most of our lives and we treat them like family, but our dogs are toilet trained and they can be left alone in the house. The thought of us having a new member of our family who will need to be toilet trained, fed, and looked after 24 hours a day, 7 days a week is overwhelming at times.

In this column, I hope to open up the conversation to other parents-to-be and new parents. I encourage everyone to ask each other questions and share their experiences.

My grandmother gave birth to six children at home and had a team of relatives that supported her, but because of modern day mobility and transportation, today’s families no longer automatically come with a support group nearby.

We’ve all heard the term, “it takes a village” to raise a child, but even those who are blessed to live in the same city as their parents or siblings may have to deal with the challenge of finding that village to spend the time with our kids. The lack of affordability has prioritized work over spending time with family in some instances. You don’t have look far to find families who rely on childcare every single day.

The number of decisions that you have to make has been tough at times. Something that new parents have to consider in the first trimester is who you would like to be your primary care provider throughout your pregnancy. In BC, women have the option to choose a midwife or a doctor.
My decision to choose a midwife was based on my own research combined with my friends’ recommendations. My best friend Charly who is due five days before me decided that she would go with a doctor.

We’ve had some differences in our pregnancies. Early in her pregnancy, Charly found out that she had fibroids, and she was unaware of this until she became pregnant.

Fibroids are abnormal growths that develop in or on a woman's uterus, and because of the extra hormones during pregnancy, some women will notice a growth spurt in their fibroids when carrying a baby.

After becoming aware of this condition, she decided that a doctor would be best for her situation.

I encourage you to also talk with your friends to see what their experiences was with their birth team. It really helped me when we had to decide. Everyone has their own vision of how they would like their birth to go, but no matter how much you plan and prepare, experienced moms have always reminded me that unpredictable things do happen.

So far, nothing out of the ordinary has come out of my pregnancy (knock on wood!), and I’ve been going to my regularly monthly checkups at the midwife’s office. If you decide to go with a midwife and you’re not sure who to choose, try calling around the local clinics and see if you can take a tour.

Even though my midwife clinic was highly recommend by other friends, before I made the final decision, I called the birth centre for a private information session and they were very accommodating. One thing to keep in mind is that there are sometimes waiting lists to sign up with a certain birth centre so do your research in early pregnancy to avoid disappointment.

I hope you will be a part of my wild ride into parenthood over the next few months. If you have any topic suggestions to cover, please reach out! Find me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or email me at KelownaNow.


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