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Telling my Parents I’m Pregnant

Vagabonds tell parents their pregnant — I had already suspected I was pregnant for almost two weeks when I took a pregnancy test. My breasts were sore, I was exhausted and I just knew something was up. I had been visiting my family in Maine while Wade was with his family in upstate New York. [...]

Vagabonds tell parents their pregnant —

I had already suspected I was pregnant for almost two weeks when I took a pregnancy test. My breasts were sore, I was exhausted and I just knew something was up. I had been visiting my family in Maine while Wade was with his family in upstate New York. Our plan was to meet up in two weeks in Budapest.

Instead I told him he had to come to Maine right away.

We were delirious excited. We snuck into the Borders in my small hometown to get a pregnancy book we could take with us as an easy reference to our questions.

“Let’s just grab something and go” I told Wade, “I don’t want anyone to see us.”

He grabbed the well known What to Expect When You’re Expecting and I made him hide it under his shirt as we walked to the check out in case anyone should see us. He laughed at me, but I knew that the chances of us running into someone I knew was pretty good. There’s nothing people like more than learning secrets about their acquaintances.

As soon as we got home we ran upstairs and pulled our secret treasure out of the bag to pour over like an eleven year old boy with his dad’s playboys.

It was barely a decision to keep our plans to fly to Budapest. The only convincing Wade had to do was promise that we could go home whenever I wanted. We had already bought tickets. Wade had already spent hundreds of dollars changing his tickets once when he took the detour to join me in Maine. We figured we might as well try it, I have moved about the world enough to think of Eastern Europe as an easy place to travel.

“Hey mom, I’m pregnant and we’re leaving for Budapest tomorrow.”

I thought about how I was going to tell my parents.

I didn’t want to tell anyone until we went to the doctor. But our plane was supposed to leave in two days and it was the weekend. There was no way we were going to get to a doctor before we left.

“We should probably tell people before we leave,” Wade said. I knew he was right. But I kept making excuses.

Finally, Wade suggested we go for a walk in the woods with my parents. So we bundled up against the January wind and started walking. I had trouble keeping up. My mom said I was pale. Our secret obviously couldn’t be a secret much longer.

Wade and I walked a few paces behind my parents. He kept poking me and giving me looks. He  wanted me to bring on the news to my family. I hesitated, I wanted to wait a little longer, but there was not any more time

Finally Wade couldn’t stand it anymore and blurted out “We have something to tell you.”

At this point your only options are to lie and make up a new story to tell them or just get it out. So out it came. And it was met with shock, surprise, excitement and hugs.

“So that’s why you’re so cold and slow.”

Almost Pregnant

Related page on Vagabond Journey Travelogue, read Wade’s take on this story at Journey into Fatherhood and Detour Through Maine and Jet Blue Flight Rochester to New York City.

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Filed under: Maine, Pregnancy, Travel With Family, USA

About the Author:

After traveling on her own for three or four years, Chaya met up with Wade Shepard, the editor of VagabondJourney.com. They were married in 2009, and continue to travel the world together with their young daughter. From time to time Chaya blogs about family travel and life on the road. has written 102 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

Chaya Shepard is currently in: Xiamen, China

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  • Bicycle Luke November 23, 2009, 12:35 am

    Hi Chaya. Fantastic reading! Its really interesting to now have a second perspective on the situations you guys find yourselves in. Im sure many travelling parents will love your blog alone, but for people already reading Wades blog, I think it would be really cool to see Petra and your side of some of his tales.

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    • Chaya December 15, 2009, 1:07 pm

      Thanks Bicycle Luke!

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