Every newly married couple is subject to the question regardless of age, career goals, or family plans- “So when are the babies coming?”

You might think I’m joking when I say it begins on your wedding day, but it’s true. I guess people assume that because I’m a 23-year-old girl that I’m into having babies. No… not yet.

I was a nanny for a couple of years during and right after college, and that was all the birth control that I needed.
I got my fill of crying babies and adolescent attitude. No need to tell me “it’s easier when they’re your own” because I am opting out of motherhood for now.

One day I’d love to be a mom, but it’s definitely time for spectators to put on the brakes.

One morning I woke up with a rash all over my stomach and a nauseous feeling. After a couple of days of this, I decided I was going to freak out a little. I know better than to scare my husband with the prospect of pregnancy, so I did what any considerate wife would do- I called some friends over to talk about it.

I was the last person to know the early signs of pregnancy.

We went to breakfast and by the time the food arrived, I was famished. I got my pancakes and my peanut butter and braced for the first delicious bite. I was surprised when the ecstasy didn’t kick in. They tasted like metal. I immediately forced my friends, Jen and Dust, to try a bite.

“They taste normal to me,” Jen said.
“Yeah, something’s wrong with you,” Dust added.
I knew it. I was pregnant. The fear set in and I couldn’t eat another bite.

We packed into my little green Honda and headed to the pharmacy. I didn’t even want to visibly hold the package while I was waiting in line. I took the test as soon as we got home, the result of some very strategic fluid intake. Still not totally sure how women aim with such precision as to only saturate the stick, but it’s likely I missed some of the instructions.

The test was negative. Jen and Dust reacted positively with a hint of disappointment. I could see it in their eyes, they were hopeful for a bundle of joy. At the end of it all I informed my husband of the results, and he told me that even if it had been positive, he wouldn’t have run away in horror.

I could have saved myself some of the anxiety if I had done a little bit more research on the early signs of pregnancy, but that would have been a lot less exciting for all of us.

early signs of pregnancy