If you look in detail at the route we’ve done whilst in Iceland, you might notice that after reaching the city of Akureyri in the very north, we actually drove 350 Kms back down to Reykjavik and then right back up again, rather than following the more obvious clockwise tour of the island.
The reason for this large detour was so that we could take a planned and brief trip back to Zurich from Reykjavik’s airport with the sole purpose of doing the 20th week scan…
“20th week scan? Of what?” some of you might wonder. Well that would be 20 weeks of pregnancy!!
For those of you who didn’t yet know this news, we’re very happy to say that it hasn’t just been Liam, Kai and I on this adventure, but let’s just say I’ve been carrying a little extra weight (and growing!) during the trip.
So let’s take a step back… Why would I take a sabbatical/ trip around Europe whilst pregnant?
Well, we’ve been trying for a second one for a while and it hadn’t happened (more on that later), and we’ve been wanting to take some time to travel as a family before Liam goes to school. We realised we can’t control all the variables in life and that it’s never a good time (link), so we started planning this trip and said that we would simply try to be flexible with what life throws our way.
After asking for extended time off (for me) and giving notice of quitting (for Kai) and even after buying the boat/ferry tickets to Iceland, we found out we were expecting. We knew it could happen that way, but we were ready to make changes to the travel plan as needed. After a few scans and consulting with my doctor, we felt comfortable enough to take the plunge, still knowing we have the flexibility and means to change anything as needed.
I can’t deny we did have some reservations about being far away from my doctor, particularly because last year I had a couple of miscarriages. Two happened very early on, which I now know is rather common, but the third happened at nearly 4 months pregnant. It was a very difficult experience for us, that I don’t mind sharing and talking about, because I think it’s important to not just talk of the good times, but also of the difficult times and how each person tries to overcome them. In our case, as sad as it was, the experience brought us even closer as a couple, made us realise we can’t and shouldn’t try to control everything, that we are still very blessed, and it showed us that we could even grow from the experience.
I can happily say that with this pregnancy I’ve been feeling well throughout the trip, enjoying the walks, hikes, fresh air and being generally more relaxed than when at work. I’m also now at the stage where I feel the baby kick, which is very comforting.
So our short trip to Zurich was very good, with the doctor’s appointment going well and also the chance to see many of our friends and spending some time hanging out at the badi by the lake. Thank you all for taking some time to meet up and hosting us!
Bintu on the Road 