Lauren Bushnell Lane is opening up about her experience with getting pregnant.
In a candid New Year’s Day blog post, Bushnell Lane — who is expecting her first child with husband Chris Lane — shared that while “it didn’t take us an abnormal amount of time, the whole process really opened my eyes to the struggle that many women and families face.”
“On October 25th 2019, Chris and I married and although we were excited to start a family, we decided we wanted to enjoy some time together before trying for [a] baby,” the Bachelor alum wrote, noting that she ended up going off birth control in March 2020. “I wasn’t necessarily feeling rushed, but it was definitely something that both of us wanted and felt very ready for.”
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However, “after four to five months of trying,” Bushnell Lane wrote that “worry started to enter my mind.”
“I couldn’t help but compare my situation with those of my friends who it happened very easily for, a lot of the time unplanned Mentally, this was a really hard part of the journey,” she shared. “I’m not sure if other people have experienced this, but as a woman, I assumed there was something wrong with me. Chris would see how disappointed and worried I would get and I could tell he felt really bad.”
“And as hard as trying to conceive is on the woman, I just want to take a moment to acknowledge the impact it has on husbands as well. I’m so thankful for Chris. He is such an eternal optimist and I admire his faith so much – he truly was my rock through the emotional rollercoaster of it all,” the mom-to-be added.
Starting in July, Bushnell Lane said she began using ovulation strips and at-home progesterone tests — and then in September, the couple got the happy news they had been waiting for.
“I found out I was pregnant towards the end of September 2020. We obviously had been trying, but this month in particular I had a weird feeling that I was pregnant,” she wrote. “I had one pregnancy test left in my bathroom so I took it (looking back I must have been about 3 1/2 weeks) and it came back with a second, but very faint, pink line. It was so faint that I wasn’t sure if it was accurate, so after telling Chris, who also did not trust this very faint second pink line, we went to the grocery store and bought a digital test.”
Even after getting the second test result, Bushnell Lane said she “didn’t want to get my hopes up.”
“After so many let downs, negative tests, and knowing my mom had miscarriages between all 4 children, I couldn’t help but be cautious. I hate that my anxiety robbed the joy of that first positive test, but as time went on, and especially after my first doctor appointment, I was finally able to let go of my anxiety,” she wrote. “My joy has only gotten deeper as it becomes more real and as I get further along in the pregnancy I feel more comfortable fully allowing myself to celebrate and connect with this baby boy.”
“As I write this I am so incredibly thankful to be pregnant, but I simultaneously can’t stop thinking about all the women out there who have experienced a much longer struggle than I ever did and are dealing with infertility and pregnancy loss,” she continued as the post came to a close.
“Pregnancy truly is a miracle and I’ll never take that for granted. We prayed every day for months and obviously our prayer was answered, but I know there are a lot of unanswered prayers out there,” Bushnell Lane added. “So many women who are quietly struggling and I’m thinking about every single one of you. I pray for hope and peace for everyone reading this struggling. Miracles happen every single day.”
The couple first announced their happy news in December — and on Friday, they revealed the sex of their baby on the way.
"Sweet baby BOY, we cannot wait to meet you!” she wrote on social media. “I already love you so much! 💙💙💙.”
And on Saturday, Bushnell Lane joked that she could already see a strong family resemblance in her baby on the way. “17 week ultrasound last week! I feel like he looks like my brother maybe?” she wrote alongside the sweet photo.
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