In order to understand our magical moment, I’ll need to take you back to the very beginning of our pregnancy. I have yet to share this with many people, but now that our sweet girl has arrived our secrets can be shared.
Joshua was deployed in March of 2019 with a 6 month assignment overseas. We were on our second deployment together and to be honest- we were grateful that he was only going to be gone for six months. Our marriage was in a phenomenal spot & we were feeling confident in the plan that we had laid out for the next year: a trip to Greece, a cross country move to Virginia where we would finally buy our first home together. I was supposed to get my period a few days before he left, but I assumed with the stress & anxiety of him leaving, along with my endometriosis that my period was just late. A week into his deployment I took a pregnancy test and realized that our lives were about to change forever- that trip to Greece wasn’t happening.
Taking a pregnancy test alone is scary – telling your husband that you’re pregnant over the phone while he is deployed is even scarier. Pregnancy knocked me out, literally. I was sleeping 16-18 hours a day, incredibly sick and was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG). My parents and a few good friends took turns living with me in California while Josh finished his deployment because I couldn’t take care of myself. On top of being sick, we also had a *few* complications with Baby’s growth throughout pregnancy & saw a Perinatologist (high risk pregnancy specialist). During his whole deployment Joshua was getting all of my medical knowledge and Baby’s second hand, he was learning everything after I did…
Early in the pregnancy I decided that I didn’t want to find out the gender of our baby – everyone thought we were insane. How could we not want to know? The truth is, I wanted Joshua & I to at least have one experience together. We weren’t able to share the joy of finding out that we were pregnant with one another. He wasn’t able to hold my hand while I was in the hospital thinking that we were having a miscarriage. Joshua wasn’t physically there for me when the Perinatologist & Genetic Counselor told us that the baby may not be viable. I had so many terrible moments on my own, that I wanted to have at least one magical one with him by my side. Finding out the gender of our baby when s/he arrived was the magical light at the end of the tunnel that was going to get me through this horrible pregnancy and deployment.
At 39 weeks I was admitted into the hospital and induced. The labor & delivery was actually the easiest part of my pregnancy. We told our Doctor & Nurses that when Baby arrived we wanted Joshua to cut the umbilical cord and also announce the gender After pushing for only 50 minutes, I heard Joshua say ‘It’s Anniston, Anniston is here.’ Our sweet Miss Anniston made her grand appearance 24 hours after we were admitted.
The nine months of agony & suffering were worth hearing Joshua finally tell ME something about our pregnancy. Hearing him say that we had a baby girl was the most magical experience I have ever had. Honestly, I cry every time I think about that precious moment- my sweet husband learning something first & sharing it with me. I wouldn’t trade that moment for the world.
Sending love from our family to yours & wishing you a Happy & Healthy New Year.
Are you planning a Surprise Gender Birth too? Here are some items you may want to bring to the hospital with you!
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