Waiting Well: Week 8-9 Update

Waiting Well is a weekly pregnancy series where I share honest, real-life updates from this season of waiting. Every Wednesday, I check in on how I’m feeling physically, emotionally, and spiritually—covering everything from symptoms and doctor appointments to baby preparations, shifting routines, and the little moments in between. This series isn’t about perfection or having it all figured out; it’s about slowing down, staying present, and learning to wait with faith and grace as our family prepares to welcome this baby.

Today I’m doing a combo recap of week eight and nine of this pregnancy. For anyone new here, this is my fourth pregnancy, but my first pregnancy since I was 30. I’m now 38, so it’s been a long time since I’ve been pregnant—and honestly, in so many ways, this feels completely brand new. I truly feel like a first-time mom all over again.

Weeks 8 & 9: Exhaustion Takes the Lead

If I had to sum up week eight in one word, it would be exhaustion. The queasiness has mostly subsided, which I’m grateful for, but it has been fully replaced by a level of tiredness I’ve never experienced before. I’m sleeping a lot—like 8 to 10 hours every single night—and somehow waking up more tired than when I went to bed. That part has been so strange for me.

Normally, waking up early energizes me. I’ve always loved 5 a.m. workouts and early mornings, but right now I can barely function when I wake up. Honestly though, I’ll take exhaustion over nausea any day. And interestingly, when I’m busy—working, coaching Madley’s team, shuttling kids to games, doing life—the exhaustion seems to fade a bit. It’s when I sit still or try to relax that it really catches up with me. On slower days, all I want to do is lay down and watch The Office all day long.

Eating Little and Often

Another big change has been how I’m eating. Large meals just do not sound good to me right now. Instead, I’ve found myself doing best with lots of mini meals throughout the day. Honestly, I eat about three breakfasts.

Right when I wake up, I need something small—lately it’s been one slice of homemade banana bread, toasted with peanut butter. About an hour and a half later, I’ll have a small bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats or half a toasted bagel. Clearly, carbs are working for me right now. Vegetables, on the other hand, have been tricky. If I eat too many, I get so bloated, so I’ve learned to have them in small doses and usually paired with carbs.

Later in the morning or early afternoon, I’ll have something small again—usually just a yogurt cup. It’s nothing fancy, but this rhythm has helped my stomach so much, and I’m really thankful I’ve figured that out.

Weeks six and seven were honestly brutal when it came to bloating. I started this pregnancy telling myself I was going to “eat super healthy” and “eat clean,” and while that intention was good, my body was not on board. I felt so bloated it actually hurt—like all my organs were pushed up into my chest. One day Martin finally said, “Why don’t you just eat some different foods?” The next day I had potato chips, and I felt better all day long. It was such a lesson in listening to my body and not forcing something just because I thought it was the “right” way to do pregnancy.

My First Doctor’s Appointment

Week eight also brought my first doctor’s appointment—and with it, some anxiety. I kept catching myself spiraling and had to continually stop and give this pregnancy back to God. I prayed for this baby. I prayed that if it was God’s will, we would have this baby—and He answered those prayers. I kept reminding myself: God has this. No matter what happens, I trust that He has His hand on this pregnancy and this baby.

I also learned that I’m officially considered “advanced maternal age”—which is… fun . The upside is that I get lots of extra attention, more ultrasounds, more monitoring, and more bloodwork. Honestly, I’m choosing to see this as a huge positive. I get to experience pregnancy in a whole new way compared to when I was younger and lower risk.

The ultrasound went amazingly. One baby (just one!), measuring right on track, with a heart rate smack in the middle of the range they were looking for. Seeing the tiny head, little bum, and those tiny arms and legs was overwhelming in the best way. It’s just so incredible that God is forming a baby inside of me. Such a miracle.

Gratitude in the Waiting

I left that appointment feeling so overwhelmed with gratitude and humility that I get to experience this one more time. Pregnancy is hard, and this season has definitely stretched me already—but God is so good. I’m making it. We’re making it.

And that’s my week eight and nine update of pregnancy number four—
Baby Miller #4 coming in hot.