Why I won't wait to announce a pregnancy

(Disclaimer: This photo is from announcing with Zion. Also, if you're in the KC area and need a photographer, check out Chelsea Barlow Photography!)

1 pregnancy. 3 trimesters. 9 months. 40 weeks...

Pregnancy is supposed to be the best time of your life. You see it everywhere. The pregnancy "glow", longer, luscious hair, strong nails, beautiful skin...everyone portrays what you want to see.

Getting a positive test can be one of the most memorable times of your life! You get so excited that you want to tell everyone that you see! ...but you don't because you "have" to wait, it isn't far enough along yet, there's too many medical risks still present.

I'm not going to judge or put down anyone who decides to wait to announce their pregnancy, I just won't ever make that decision due to my own personal experiences.

With Zion, we announced the same week we found out & I accidentally found out sooner than I planned . I knew I had taken Clomid and I wasn't feeling well so I took a test, only to rule it out so that I could take some medicine to feel better. Low and behold the test came up positive.
I found out on a Tuesday evening, Christian was still at work so I told him that evening when he got home. I got a blood test Wednesday morning, we were telling people at work that day & at church that night, Thursday we got confirmation from the doctors and Saturday we took photos and announced it that evening.
I wasn't even 6 weeks pregnant at that time...

Knowing what I do now though and not announcing them before, I can't imagine keeping something like that to just ourselves.
Having to go through losses(while very early on, they are still a loss) without anyone knowing. People constantly asking "When are you going to have a baby?" or "Are you guys trying for another one?" Putting on a fake smile, pretending everything is OK...it isn't easy.
I don't want to do that again...I don't want to put myself in a position to be alone. That's a time when someone needs to know that they have people there for them, to know that they aren't alone, that they can talk to people...

 Miscarriages occur in approximately 1 of every 4 pregnancies, most of which are unexplained and a lot of times it can happen before a woman even knows she is pregnant.

I don't want to live in fear of it happening again. It very well could happen, but I would have people surrounding me. Would it be difficult to announce that I had lost another baby, yes, but at the same time I would have people that I could lean on.
Going through a miscarriage is emotionally draining. It's physically painful, it can put a toll on your marriage, it puts a toll on your confidence and how you think of yourself. It makes me want to retreat into my bed and stay there for days...but with people around me, I know that I'm not alone.
I have plenty of people that haven't been through it (thankfully!) but I still know that they're there for me. I know that I can talk to them and they will listen and not judge me. I know that I will always have people praying for me.

I would rather announce early & lose another, but have people around to support me as opposed to keeping the news to myself and having to go through it alone.
I want to be able to enjoy it as long as I can! I prayed incredibly hard for Zion and I couldn't have contained my excitement if I tried!
Does that mean I wasn't terrified? NO! I was absolutely terrified! I was so certain that the doctor was going to tell me that something was wrong at every appointment. My hands would shake like crazy when I was in the waiting room, my heartrate would be through the roof....and while I did have some issues during the pregnancy, he was perfectly healthy the entire time.
I want to embrace pregnancy for as long as I can, the good, bad and ugly parts of it. I was blessed to be able to carry my child, I want to take every second of it in!

Feel free to share your thoughts and let me know what you think!