My Pregnancy: A Pictorial

I love pregnant bellies of all shapes and sizes so naturally, I assumed everyone wanted to see MY belly at every phase! My pregnancy with Ethan was well documented! For those of you who love to compare to YOUR growth or who just like ogling pregnant bellies like I do...ENJOY.

It all starts with THIS:


And reality sinks in. We're having a baby! I snuck this picture in with a set of other pictures and sent them to my grandmother in Florida to announce our news. She was ecstatic!


10 weeks. This is definitely still when you can easily hide your belly. I chose not to (although this isn't a maternity top).


13 weeks (there's a shadow on the wall, there really wasn't much to see)


15 weeks (just a little bump!)


15 weeks, after cake and coffee at my 31st birthday party.


16 weeks


17 weeks (I loved my May baby shirt!)


17.5 weeks (Thanksgiving weekend). Still just kinda "mushy."


19 weeks. I was so happy to fill out maternity clothes for Christmas!


19 weeks, dolled up for a Christmas party.


19 weeks full length (in a non-maternity top), dressed up for my hubby's Christmas party.


HALF WAY MARK! I always think the fun really starts after twenty weeks. You know the gender, the baby is moving a lot and you look definitively pregnant. Love it!

22 weeks, finally getting round.


23 weeks (HA! Compare to the same top at 10 weeks!)


25 weeks (feeling and looking quite pregnant!)


26-ish weeks, Valentine's Day. This is one of my favorite phases: definitely pregnant but not yet huge.


26 weeks (without the shadow--well, except the shadow of Big Brother)


27 weeks. The last of the "small phase."


29 weeks. Definitely getting "out there!"


30 full length. Thirty weeks is, to me, when you start feeling really pregnant and getting uncomfortable.


30 weeks. Nice n' big!


30.5 weeks. When you can fill out ANY maternity top. Fun!


32 weeks. Large and in charge! Belly is nice and high.


34 weeks. Gotta love the classic, big preggo belly! This is a great phase of pregnancy for a baby shower!


Full term!! 37 weeks. Hooray!! Relieved to have "made it."


37 weeks, Easter Sunday. This is when finding clothes that fit becomes challenging.


37.5 weeks. THIS IS ME AT MY BIGGEST.


38 weeks, 3 days. I took this picture because my belly seemed to have flattened out.


39 weeks. One word: HUGE! I got a lot of sideways looks at Target that day. No wonder!! Talk about looking like you're about to POP!


39 weeks bare. That's one ripe baby.


Four days past-due, Mother's Day weekend. Don't I look tiny?? He had definitely dropped already! And in case you're wondering, when I checked into the hospital two days later, I'd only gained a total of 12 pounds!


At the hospital, probably an hour before he was born.


My baby boy, born at 40 weeks and 6 days on May 12, 2009 weighing 8 lbs. 6 oz. and measuring 21".


For anyone who's curious, this is me, two weeks postpartum. I ain't gonna lie: it's easy to snap back when you only gain 12 pounds! BUT, it was a trade-off for having no appetite and feeling nauseated for the last several weeks of my pregnancy. I call it a "happy side effect."


Thanks for taking this pictoral journey with me!

I'm a Fertility Nut {and giveaway}

I'm getting used to the "Fertility Nut" title. It's a little strange, being "known" for something. I've recently come to a point where there's no turning back. And now, I don't want to. I want to embrace it.

Friends often introduce me by saying, "This is my friend, Tabitha. She's a fertility nut." Women typically respond in one of two ways: they stare blankly, nod their heads politely and try to change the subject...OR, they blush a little, edge over to within whispering distance and begin a question with, "OK, I just have to ask you..."

Hardly a week goes by that I don't receive an e-mail, Facebook message or text that starts with, "Sorry if this is TMI, but..."

I get so excited when messages start out that way. Really.

I can be innocently eating cake at a family birthday party, pushing my son on a swing at the park or rolling the dice at Bunco and I find myself learning details about a woman's sex life, menstrual cycle or cervical fluid, answering questions about birth control, breastfeeding or ovulation and hearing stories about someone who is pregnant, had a miscarriage or just had a baby.

And I enjoy hearing stories and fielding questions.



"Should we be having sex every day I'm fertile or every-other-day?"

"How long did you nurse your boys?"

"What was your first postpartum period like?"

"What're you supposed to do about a clogged milk duct?"

"How far along were you when you miscarried?"

"How long do sperm survive?"

"Did you ever use an ovulation predictor kit?"

"How long does it take to get back to normal after I stop taking the Pill?"

You get the idea. There is no such thing as TMI anymore. I'm like a doctor: I've heard it all.

And I LOVE IT.



Every new question or situation is a challenge and gets my heart pounding. It's a thrill to teach women about their bodies, read up on the latest fertility research, give out How To Get Pregnant tips, share my miscarriage or pregnancy story, decode fertility charts and advise people on breastfeeding issues.

It's just as much fun as crafting (which is what I USE to be known for)...except it's better, because it really truly helps people and has the potential to change lives forever.



When someone approaches me with, "We're going to start trying to get pregnant and I wanted to ask you..." I actually get chills.

I told ya, it's nutty.

This IS my passion and I want to grow into the Fertility Nut title. It's a bit surreal, being branded and being the "go-to" ANYthing. It's a lot of pressure! And it's personal--for them AND for me.



As a niche, or a "thing" in life, it's kind of...weird. Fertility involves bodily functions, intimacy between couples, birth, hormones and all sorts of private information. There are still people who think these matters should be kept hush-hush.

But I have walked side by side with several women courageously trying to get pregnant after a miscarriage. I have had the priviledge of being asked to pray for a baby even before it was conceived. I have witnessed births. I have heard the stories of abortion, sexual abuse and struggles with PCOS and the way God has used those situations to bring about redemption.

This stuff matters. It needs to be talked about and addressed. Women need the support, encouragement and camaraderie that comes from sharing our stories and our experiences.



Women need ME and what I have to offer. God has allowed me to walk this journey and it is time for me to honor that by taking God Knits to the next level. That is all at once humbling, thrilling and terrifying.

This is important. This is who I am. This is part of the Pleasant Place God has placed me in (Psalm 16:6).

I'm Tabitha and I'm a Fertility Nut.

How may I help you?

......................

{Read my Becoming a Fertility Nut story HERE}.

If you want to maximize your fertility or need one-on-one fertility coaching, e-mail me at tabandrew(at)hotmail.com for more information.

GIVEAWAY!!!! I will give away one copy of my favorite fertility-related book, "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler {on Amazon}.




TO ENTER, simply leave a comment to this post answering the question "Which area of fertility interests you most: pregnancy, the Fertility Awareness Method, birth control, breastfeeding, miscarriage, nutrition...{or one I didn't name}?"