At-home pregnancy tests really work! − 7 February, 2007

Kelly's been gung ho about starting a family even before we were married ("that's how they do it in Sweden, baby") but somehow I've managed to stave him off for quite some time with the stipulation that it would have to wait until I was out of school - no if's, and's or but's about it. However, recently I got to thinking that once I was out of school and starting my career, starting a family at the same time didn't make much sense either. Decisions, decisions...and I made a delusional decision that I should go off the pill and "see what happened".

I stopped taking the pill back in August and decided we would practice "natural" family planning. I had to reeducate myself on what ovulation meant, when it happened, and when and when you should not get frisky. After months of tracking my cycle (and somehow managing not to get pregnant) in January I planned my ovulation schedule for the next 6 months, printed it out, put it in the nightstand and announced to Kelly that we would not be doing it the days I was ovulating. Romantic, I know.

As I had been carefully watching my cycle for the past few months I knew that I should be starting my period that second week of February. I had all the symptoms that it was coming: zits, bloating, cramping, tired. I came home from class on Tuesday, Feb 6 and decided to put my mind at ease and take a pregnancy test. We bought the generic version of "early response" so I announced to Kelly what I was doing and went into the bathroom. I did as the directions said and watched as the wetness spread into the two windows. In the control window a dark blue line appeared. Ok, the test was working. Then I watched a very faint blue line appear in the second window. Hmmm, maybe I peed too much on it and ruined it, I thought. I took it out to Kelly to show him. He shook his head indicating it meant nothing, "the blue lines don't match in color" he said. True. I announced I would try in the morning when I had that first morning pee as recommended. Later that night when I was brushing my teeth I looked in the trash and the light blue line was now much, much darker, almost matching the control line. I again showed Kelly. He again shook his head and said "you can't trust those things after 5 minutes, per the directions." True again. We went to bed that night both thinking - what if?

I woke up Wednesday morning and took the test first thing. Same exact thing as the night before. Dark blue line, light blue line. While Kelly was in the shower, I decided to call the 800 number on the package. The nice lady's voice on the other line urged me to press 1 if I received a positive result. **beep** She then told me, "The shades of color in the lines do not have to match; if there is a line you are pregnant." Holy crap!

I went in to tell Kelly while he was in the shower and he still didn't believe me or the test. We decided that these generic tests with different colored lines weren't doing the job - we needed the expensive kind with something definitive - a plus or minus. Kelly left to go to the corner drugstore while I got ready for work and gathered my thoughts. What the heck was I thinking? I can't have a baby while I'm in school part time, working full time and living in a one bedroom condo. What had I done? And, to be perfectly honest my thoughts wandered to all my favorite beer we had left over from my recent birthday party - I didn't want Kelly to be the only one to enjoy it.

Kelly returned with the EPT test. I knew the drill: pee, wait and see what happens. Again, the line in the control window appears and then sure enough, that pesky plus sign appeared in the next window. Kelly and I didn't know what to do. We just looked at each other with disbelief and Kelly exclaimed: "my boys can swim!"

The rest of the day was a blur. Kelly met me for lunch and we called my mom together. She said "oh my God" three times in a row. I was supposed to have a birthday drink with a co-worker that night so over my virgin pina colada I told him. Yikes, it was going to take some time getting used to this.

People: Kelly Abbott

Posted on April 26, 2007. and has been viewed 517 times.