Hi friends!
We are so excited to announce Baby #2! In just months, we will be "Byers, party of 4." Pretty crazy to think about! We love our Brinkley girl so much and have so much love to give this new, sweet little baby on the way.
If you have been following my journey, you know it's been a crazy year with health concerns last August, the removal of my breast implants last October and my recent diagnosis with PCOS. I have been off "the pill" for a year and I honestly didn't know if another baby was in the cards for us.
We have talked about it so much but Kent and I agreed that we were okay with just our precious Brinkley if that was the plan for us. However, last year while on the playground, Brinkley told Kent, "Daddy, I want a sistah to play with." We thought it was the cutest thing and she just loves all of her cousins.
Several months back, my OBGYN diagnosed me with PCOS after doing an ultrasound finding cysts on my ovaries. I have a history of abnormal periods way back from my teen years. I also had a 50 pound weight gain at age 19-20 and I have known for quite some time that my body reacts differently to junk foods or even just not-so-lean foods. Let's just say I can't get away with fatty foods and alcohol for long like some people can. I can gain 10 pounds in a month, no lie! So, the diagnosis didn't surprise me.
My doctor also explained that PCOS can make it difficult to get pregnant, which was a little discouraging at this point in my life (age 36). We got pregnant with Brinkley in just 9-10 weeks of trying, which was a huge blessing and the diagnosis of PCOS made that really set in. I have friends who tried five years and finally got pregnant. I also have friends that have gone through expensive and stressful fertility treatments with no luck. It's an emotional process trying to start a family.
So, after a year of no birth control, no positive pregnancy tests and the PCOS diagnosis, I just decided that if God wants it to happen, it will. We have our sweet Brinkley and she is the biggest joy of our lives. We adore her!
Then recently, my sister learned she was pregnant with her 3rd child. She was pregnant with my 2nd niece when I was pregnant with Brinkley. It was fun being pregnant together a few years ago. We recently went on a family vacation and we were all so excited that they are having a 3rd baby!! Little did I know, I was one week pregnant at the time. We are six weeks apart, same as last time. I made a joke that "apparently I can't get pregnant unless she does!"
When I Found Out:
I felt kinda "off" for a few weeks. I was working out consistently and eating right, but my body wasn't really responding to it. I felt bloated and blah for a few weeks. I took a couple of pregnancy tests but they said negative. Then one day I was trying on dresses and literally felt pregnant in every one. My lower tummy was sticking out and I just knew. I went to Target (my fave place in the world), bought 6 tests and a baby onesie. I walked in the house and gave Kent the onesie. I said, "Here. I know I'm pregnant and I'm going to take these tests. I took all 6 and they were all positive, just three days after the negative result. I guess the HCG hormone wasn't strong enough yet.
Morning sickness set in around week six and I'm currently 10 weeks (9/2). I should probably say "all day sickness" though. It comes in waves. As long as I keep my meal frequency up, I feel pretty decent. But sometimes I wake up at 3am needing a snack. Let's just say crackers and ginger ale have been my best friends, along with peppermint essential oils. I was sick for 20 weeks with Brinkley but I'm praying this passes soon. Pregnancy sickness is no joke!
When We Told Brinkley
Brinkley was already talking about babies since my sister is pregnant, so she kept saying, "mommy has a baby in her tummy. Daddy has a baby in his tummy. Brinkley has a baby in her tummy." Basically everyone was pregnant. LOL! But when I found out, I sat down with her and said, "Brinkley, Mama really does have a baby in my tummy and you are going to be a BIG sister!!!" She kinda looked mad and said, "No! I don't want to be a big sistah." Hahaha! A few minutes later she exclaimed, "I want a sistah, not a brotha." So let's just say she came around quickly. We keep explaining to her that it's not up to her and God already has it all planned out. We just want a healthy baby! Obviously, we have ALL the girl stuff and my family is mostly females, so we'll see.
Fitness
It is my goal to keep fitness a priority this pregnancy like I did with my first. I started this pregnancy out 15 pounds heavier than I did the last one. When I got pregnant with Brinkley, I had just finished a fitness competition and was doing photo shoots. I was actually pregnant at two different shoots and didn't know it. I was a lean bean! I have been practicing a more "relaxed" lifestyle with food these last few years while maintaining working out 4-5 days a week. So far I have been working out consistently 3-4 days a week since I found out I was pregnant. It makes me feel SO much better being active versus laying around on the couch. If you are going through morning/evening sickness, hang in there and try to stay active if you can. I know there are days you can feel like total junk, but it makes me feel so much healthier when I stay active. Plus, it helps that my four year old loves her gym class for kids and tells me to "Mommy, get dressed, we're going to the gym." Haha!
The Gender
We will find out the gender soon when we do the blood test for Down's Syndrome. So we'll definitely keep everyone in the loop! Thank you for sharing this special time in our lives.
A special thank you to my friend Lindsey Lyons Photography (in Dallas) for capturing these images for us! We will treasure them forever.
Follow my pregnancy journey on Instagram: kelseybyersfit
Congratulations! I also have PCOS & have been trying since you had Brinkley, we were on our honeymoon when you had her! We’re currently in round 2 of IVF, I’m so happy this happened naturally for you!