Getting Pregnant

When J and I were finally ready to start trying for a baby, I had the unfounded fear that most women have when they make the shift from pregnancy prevention to trying to conceive: What if I can't get pregnant?

To that end, I scheduled an appointment with a very well-reputed doctor to discuss our plans for a baby. She checked me out, said everything looked good and remarked that she thought I should have no trouble at all conceiving as I was still quite young and not overweight. But, she did advise me that 6-12 months is normally the amount of time it takes most couples to conceive, so not to get discouraged. (I guess she could tell I was ready to have a baby right then!) She sent me away with folic acid supplements and said start trying. Great! After all, that's the fun part, right? ;)

J and I got busy, and I read books. Lots and lots of books. And the news was not entirely encouraging. Getting pregnant began to seem difficult (a full week into our campaign!) when I read that a woman of my age had only a 20% chance of conceiving during each cycle. Oh no! When your aim is pregnancy prevention, it's a relief to know that there is only a 24 hour window each month during which you might become pregnant. When you want a little baby in your arms, it seems impossibly slim. I said to my  mom and brother, "Everything they told us in high school health class was a lie! You can't just get pregnant on the first try."

Approximately twenty days later, I took a pregnancy test and got two pink lines. Pregnant! J and I told my mom right away, and waited until the first trimester was finished to tell everyone else. I sent my brother a text that said simply, "They didn't lie to us in high school health class, after all," and he shot back a congratulations knowing exactly what I meant. :)

Did you get pregnant right away or are you trying to conceive? Did you, or do you worry that you won't be able to get pregnant?

{photos from Getty Images and here}