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Jennifer Johnson has loved to write since she learned how to use a pencil and has kept a journal since she was a little girl. That's what inspired her to become a journalist as an adult. She thought she had her life planned out -- get married at 25, have kids at 30, retire by 50 -- but things changed when she met and married the love of her life at the ripe age of 18. A couple of years into marriage she was bit by the baby bug, but was able to hold off the fever a few more years.

In 2008 she started the blog http://babymakinmachine.com/ before having a baby or even trying for one, so she deemed herself as the machine that hadn't been switched "on" yet. September 2009 she decided to make it official, and flip the switch. Then in October, she found out she was pregnant.

Jennifer has a degree in Broadcast Journalism from BYU. She now works as a television journalist in Texas, where she lives with her husband of five years and their dog Snoop. They're excited to welcome their new baby girl into their family around June 25th.

Jennifer also blogged about her pre-conception journey for Conceive Online and is excited to share this next chapter of her journey on Project Pregnancy.


Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - 10:39
by Jennifer Johnson
I met with my OB after having contractions for days. She doesn't induce before 41 weeks unless it's medically necessary; so the first day I could choose to be induced was Saturday. I'd be 41 weeks and 2 days pregnant, huge, and ready to evict her.

In the mean time I tried every wives tale and natural induction method I had heard of. Contractions would start and go and go and go but they were never very painful. Either I had higher pain tolerance than I thought, or nothing was really happening.

I went about that week getting everything ready for her new due date. I cherished every night my husband had to sleep in, stay up late, take naps, and have our last few moments of time alone as non-parents.

Friday morning we woke up with a list of things to do before heading to the hospital. The last few things on my list were to put my hair in rollers, put in my fake eyelashes, do my makeup and pig out.

It was pouring rain outside, and since I had done so much work to get my hair straight, then rolled, I tried my best to stay dry. The sight of me, big belly, in hair rollers, carrying a huge hospital bag and a pink umbrella was too good to pass up. We stopped to grab a picture before we went in.

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Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - 09:59
by Jennifer Johnson
Congratulations, Jennifer! Lil'J was born on Saturday, July 3, 2010 at 7:41 pm, 9 pounds, 9 ounces and 20.5 inches long. 

Says Jennifer: "We are new BFFs :)"

Stay tuned for the birth story!

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Thursday, July 1, 2010 - 12:55
by Jennifer Johnson

Well, I'm 41 weeks pregnant today, and still feel great. I don't feel much larger than I did before. I think once you get to a certain point big is just big. Can't see my toes, or anything past my belly. It's more efficient to walk straight through, instead of turning to the side to try to squeeze by someone, and the kicks to the ribs have become welcomed.

Since I know I'm not going to be pregnant for much longer I decided to document my favorite, and least favorite things about pregnancy.

As far as least favorites go, I actually don't have many. It was hard coming up with this list because I was blessed with a very easy, uncomplicated pregnancy. Nevertheless, there are a few things I generally could have lived without.

1. The urge to pee. I use to brag about being good at holding my pee. It's a strange talent to boast about, I know, but it came in handy on long trips, or during times when I had to sit in one place for awhile. I also absolutely HATE public restrooms. It's like a phobia. So I hardly every resorted to using them pre-pregnancy. Unfortunately I had to adjust. There are some positives though: I've become really good at squatting now--As even with toilet paper guarding my butt from the public seat, I still don't want to risk it.

There have also been some close-calls in parking lots of places when the urge to pee hits me in the middle of no where--yet I still debate driving home before I go. I went from having to go about 2-3 times a day, to 2-3 times an hour. I eventually just gave in to the urges and adjusted to public restrooms realizing it's life. So I'm not too upset when I have to excuse myself from a dinner or a meeting because nature calls.

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Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - 10:10
by Jennifer Johnson

Well, my due date came and went, and I'm still pregnant. Yes, I was disappointed at first, and that's what I get for investing too much in my due date, but I'm feeling much better now.

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Thursday, June 24, 2010 - 11:18
by Jennifer Johnson
Last year I spent some time asking people "the things they don't tell you about pregnancy" before deciding to commit to taking the leap myself. Seeing that most people I know how more than one child I assumed all of the good outweighed the bad. But I didn't expect there to be so many things that people forgot to tell me. Read Full Post
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 10:52
by Jennifer Johnson
The #1 most common question I get asked went from "What kind of pregnancy cravings are you having?" to "When are you due?" To finally, most commonly "Have you had that baby yet?" No, my friends, I have not. Sadly, I wish I had. And no, I didn't have my daughter and replace my pregnant belly with a basketball under my shirt just to keep you guessing. All an elaborate hoax so I could return to work and leave my baby at home. I'm actually still pregnant. Read Full Post
Thursday, June 17, 2010 - 12:14
by Jennifer Johnson
Friday I'll be 39 weeks pregnant and officially rounding the counter on my final stretch of this journey. I can't believe I'm just a week away from my due date. Of course technically this doesn't mean anything because she can come anytime between now and two weeks after my due date, but I'm hoping it's a little sooner rather than later.

 

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Tuesday, June 15, 2010 - 09:41
by Jennifer Johnson
I grew up making formula bottles for my little sisters and never thought much about it. I'm sure I knew breastfeeding was an option but my mom always worked and I figured she either didn't have much time to do it, or it just didn't work out for her. I never heard any judgments or knew of any big debates about what you feed your baby. They need milk: Some drink it from mom, and others get it from a can, big deal. Read Full Post
Thursday, June 10, 2010 - 10:06
by Jennifer Johnson
I've heard of mom guilt but I never thought I'd experience it this early. I've spent so much time these past few months of my pregnancy researching things about labor, taking childbirth classes, talking to friends about unmediated vs medicated birthing and just about everything else to do with the subject of getting the baby out of me. But now I'm back to where my thoughts began on this subject. It's one day of my life. Sure, an exciting one, but as long as my baby is healthy, all that other stuff is extra. Read Full Post
Tuesday, June 8, 2010 - 09:33
by Jennifer Johnson
I'm 17 days away from my due date, and a week away from the cleaner's appointment, and therefore the day I'll be ok with my little princess making her debut.

Before being pregnant and all through pregnancy I ran into women at the end of theirs who were pratically begging their babies to come out. I heard many pleas and learned some tricks of the trade, thanks to them. None of which have I been super desperate to try yet. Being just 37 weeks pregnant and really having enjoyed my pregnancy, I'm in no hurry to evict my baby just yet.

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