Without a doubt, this pregnancy started off as my easiest. The first trimester was a breeze. I had hyperemesis gravidarum with all three of my previous pregnancies, a fancy way of saying I was nauseous and vomiting daily until 4-6 months pregnant, and the discomfort of that was so extreme. With this fourth baby, the first trimester brought a couple weeks of light nausea, the normal fatigue and strange food cravings/aversions, an expected flare up of rosacea, but nothing more. I was in great spirits and feeling incredibly vital. I’d often joke to my husband that I didn’t even feel pregnant, based on how good I was feeling.

Then, right before Christmas, I started feeling an ache in my left hip and pubic bone area.