HerStory: Jessi Ford Bacon

We're chatting with Jessi about all things first pregnancy! Read on to learn about why she isn't finding out the gender, how the coronavirus has affected her delivery, and what advice she has for other women during their pregnancy.

Which pregnancy is this?

This is my first! I'm due the first week of May.

Did you always want this number of children?

I really never thought about having a family until I met my husband. I had never dreamed about a certain number of children but I think we plan to just take our future as it comes and not put too much pressure on having more than one right now.

Did you find out the gender? 

No, we haven’t! We figured this is one of the only true surprises you can have in life and we wanted to share that excitement together.

How did you tell your husband you were pregnant?

We both had a feeling that I was pregnant while on a quick out of town trip. Once we arrived home that night I took a test and told him right away. We were both excited but it definitely took a few days for it to feel real!

Any cravings this pregnancy?

Not really any specific cravings but I’ve definitely had a lot of things that I cannot eat due to nausea and really bad indigestion. Apples, raw veggies, chicken and ice cream have been essential.

What’s different about this pregnancy?

This being my first, everything is different for me. I didn’t have any expectations for what it might be like to be pregnant but I have to say that I wish women spoke more about the hard physical changes.

What surprises you about this pregnancy?

Being pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a lot of surprising things. Remaining open and positive as my husband and I roll with the developments at our hospital has been essential to maintaining our excitement about our first child. Being pregnant means there are many things that are out of your control in terms of your own body and I know that many women take the opportunity to develop birth plans, etc. as a way to help control their delivery environment. Since that has been affected by the coronavirus, my husband and I plan to focus on a safe delivery with the real excitement starting once we bring babe back home. As long as we have our health, we know everything else will be fine. Plus, we’re counting the stay at home orders as a blessing to spend some serious quality time as a new family!

What are your hopes for this child?

I hope our baby is confident and kind, open to new people and places, a cheerleader in the lives of people they love and doesn’t care what anyone thinks of them as long as they are making themselves happy.

Did you have a “must have” product during this pregnancy?

A revolving selection of maxi dresses, a huge water bottle and a bottle of antacid!

Finally, what’s one piece of advice you would give other pregnant women?

As long as you and your partner are on the same page and are supportive of one another, don’t pay any mind to the comments or advice from other people. Do what feels right to you and know that every day might pass slowly but the months will fly by. Also, no matter how you might feel, you're incredibly strong.