Amy and the Great World

Baby Expat Life Hungary Pregnancy Upcoming

Schwanger’d + A Little Life Update

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If you can’t read German or have never seen a pregnancy test, the above photo might be confusing…

but to confirm,

YES, I am pregnant!

(And for some reason, at first, here in Budapest we could only find German pregnancy tests).

I announced the news yesterday on Instagram and was overwhelmed by the love and excitement E and I received from all over the world! This is one lucky little babe already.

I am just over 16 weeks pregnant–the baby is expected to arrive at the end of November, around Thanksgiving (in America, anyways). Which means we exclusively refer to it with all the fall fruits and foods we can think of, including Lil Turkey.

Anyway, that’s why it’s been so quiet around here! I can’t believe my last post was in APRIL!!

Mostly the radio silence is because the first trimester left me nearly comatose every day. The fatigue and morning sickness (or, all-day sickness, really???) really threw me for a loop. I was so nauseous all the time, that some clothes I wore during that time make me feel ill. Our spring break trip to Macedonia–two days after we found out I was pregnant–is still hard for me to think about, even though it’s a beautiful country. I just feel sick again at the memory!

Add the “morning” sickness and fatigue to teaching every day?? I practically had to crawl home and not move again once I got there.

Tomorrow is the last day of school (so many feelings!!) and while I love my job and my students, I am so grateful for a break. I do not understand how teachers teach until right before they have the baby.

IMG_6046^^one of my first-graders drew this picture of future me…pregnant and in London. Apparently he thinks I’m British, ha! 

Although I shared not long ago that we would be staying for another year in Hungary, after our little surprise turkey news, E and I decided that going back to the States–for the time being–would be better for us.

There are a few reasons for this:

First, family! It would be nice to be a little closer to at least ONE member of our family when our little babe arrives.

Secondly, the healthcare here is decent–dare I say better than in most of America, unfortunately?–but even at the private clinic we go to, there is quite a language barrier. We always have to furiously Google both during AND after the appointments to figure out what exactly is happening. There is also a protocol in Hungary (and perhaps in the States?? I’ll find out soon!) for prenatal care, and with the language barrier, half the time I’m not even sure why they’re taking my blood or giving me another ultrasound. Since it’s my first pregnancy, I’m a bit of a hypochondriac, and I already had a small complication at the beginning of the pregnancy, I really want a doctor who can help me understand my pregnancy and baby.

Another reason we are leaving is because our visas are tied to my job here–and since I would get at least a year or so off with maternity leave, this would also impact our visas and make it harder to stay.

Another minor issue? Even if we did have the baby here, it wouldn’t have Hungarian citizenship since we are both American–a perk I did want to give my child, but doesn’t seem to be happening this time around :).

So, what’s next?

Next, my parents come to visit–they arrive TOMORROW, in fact!–and we are going to Poland! After they leave, E and I will be traveling some–Lviv in Ukraine, Amsterdam, Scotland and Iceland, to be exact!

That will take us into the middle of July, and we’ll fly back to the States then. We’ll stay with my parents for a few weeks, and then…who knows!

A big fat question mark is still in my mind about where exactly we are going to have this baby and what we’re going to do. I’m planning on teaching online for the rest of my pregnancy and then taking time off to enjoy my new baby before getting another job. E, who works for himself from home, will probably find a more full-time (but hopefully still remote!) job that will give us benefits (because healthcare, besides the English thing, is NOT A PERK OF MOVING BACK TO THE UNITED STATES).

But really, we have no idea what will come next.

And that goes for parenting!

Truthfully, my first trimester was so rough, emotionally and physically, and my pregnancy was quite a surprise–and along with the fact that we have to leave my beloved Europe–I have been so up and down about this new adventure of ours.

Now that I’m feeling a bit better, with a summer of family and travel is ahead of us, and now that I even have a little baby bump!, it feels more real and more exciting.

I am so excited to show our little one the world! We hope to live abroad again and give our child that experience, but first we will have to adjust to being parents. Whoa!

I hope you’ll join me for this next chapter in our lives, too :). Thank you so much to everyone who has reached out and shared their excitement with both me and E–it means so much to us!

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Do you have any questions about my pregnancy? Do you travel/live abroad with a child? Share your wisdom!  

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Comments

  2. A big congratulations to you both!! The first trimester is rough I feel ya, but hopefully you will be feeling better in time for some fun travels:) wishing you a smooth pregnancy and best of luck on your move!

    • Thank you! I felt much better through most of my 2nd trimester and doing okay going in my 3rd 🙂 that first tri is sooooo hard lol! Thanks for the support! xo

  4. How exciting! Congrats to you! I don’t know why, but “schwanger” made me lol. I totally get wanting to be somewhere with English speaking doctors for something as important as child birth! Sorry to hear you were so sick at the beginning – yikes, no fun. I have a few friends who also had issues in their first trimester. Glad you’re feeling better now and looking forward to more travel! 🙂

    • Schwanger made me lol, too ;). I wasn’t necessarily sold on coming back to the States for having the baby–in fact, I’m struggling with the health care now that we are here, ugh!–but it is nice to have someone who can speak my language and answer all my questions 😉

    • Thank you so much! Congratulations to you, too! You must be getting close now, since I’m so delayed in answering comments ;). I’ve been feeling good except for the 1st trimester, I hope you are too!!!

  6. What exciting news! I am surprised that you are going back to the States though – thought you might have a Budapest-born baby 🙂 And WOW good on ya for getting through the morning sickness while teaching. Good luck and have fun with your upcoming travels!

    • Thank you! I didn’t except us to go back to the States either but once you are actually pregnant it can change things ;). maybe if my husband was Hungarian and could have helped me navigate the language barrier, it would have been different. Although now that we’re back in the States, I am missing the Hungarian health care ironically. Mostly because no one will give me insurance here and it’s sooooo expensive. But I found a good, well-priced midwife–it’s also nice to have a more natural option if you want it, you can’t get a midwife in Hungary!

  7. Eeeek still so excited! Very cool. I can understand wanting to move home to where things will be – at least a little – easier! Can’t wait for more updates on your travels and how you guys and little Turkey get on over the next few months 🙂

  8. Hah I got the German but the picture at the top was a dead giveaway too! HUGE congratulations to you both, that’s just such happy news. Europe will still be there waiting for you whenever you’re able to go back! For what it’s worth I think being around family at this time (and healthcare professionals you can understand!) is going to make things 1000x easier for you. I hope you have fun travels, and I’ll be following along with your return to the US as well.

    • Thanks for the support, Rachel! It means so much :). So far being back in the States isn’t as easy as I thought it would be–the health care system here is a hot mess–but I found a midwife I love that can answer every single question which helps sooooo much!!!

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