Showing posts with label first trimester. Show all posts
Showing posts with label first trimester. Show all posts
Monday, January 30, 2012
First real appt with OB
I registered with the OB (well, re-registered since I went to her 5 years ago for gyno appts) two weeks ago. That was really just a paperwork thing, so today I had my first real appointment. I was picky about the time, so ended up seeing the PA instead of the OB. She's really lovely, so it was a nice visit. I knew I wouldn't have an ultrasound today, but they said we'd listen for the heartbeat, so DH came along. It took a little bit, but sure enough, we heard that sweet sound. I had some minor spotting last night, so having this scheduled appointment was a blessing. Of course the spotting was normal, but it was nice to be reassured by someone other than the internet. So far everything is going well. I'm 9w3d today, feeling pretty good, and really only craving red meat and fruit. My next appointment with them isn't for 4 weeks. They also gave me information for the trisomy 13, etc. testing that I need to have done with the perinatologist in the next few weeks. Seeing that I'll be 37 on Sunday (gulp!) I wasn't surprised that I need this testing, but when she said 34 is considered 'advanced maternal age' I was really surprised!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Super Gas: they don't mention THIS in the pregnancy books
At about eight weeks, I started feeling strange, sharp pains whenever I was gassy. By nine weeks, I was in outright pain. By nine and a half weeks, I was on my second of two days in agony from gas pains. It hurt when I walked, it hurt when I passed gas, when I coughed and especially when I sneezed, when I sat down or stood up, and a bowel movement would actually bring tears to my eyes, it was so painful.
I know it probably sounds kind of amusing (farting is funny!), but I was in so much pain that I actually googled "gas pain pregnancy" just to make sure that there wasn't any way that gas could somehow be dangerous - it felt like I was being constantly stabbed, or like someone had reached up inside of me and harshly twisted my organs. I knew gassiness (and probably even some gas cramping) was normal in pregnancy, but there was just no way that what I was feeling could be normal- right?
And that's when I discovered something interesting: most of the information I found was from pregnancy forums, with women posting questions and thoughts about their experiences - and in many of the cases where they described the kind of pain that I was experiencing, they also mentioned that they had a retroverted (aka tipped or tilted) uterus - just like me. All that means is that, in it's normal state, my uterus is tilted back toward my spine instead of forward torward my belly button. It's nothing to worry about, as about 20% of women are built this way, and it makes no difference for the majority of the pregnancy since generally the uterus pops forward sometime between 10-12 weeks because it needs the room to expand.
But the problem was that because my uterus is tilted back, it was pressing quite hard against my bowel, which was already bloated with gas, and - I'm guessing - probably getting somewhat pinched off, thus making the gas build up even more. And because I have two little babies in there, my uterus is naturally larger than a singleton pregnancy at this stage, so it was also pressing much harder than usual, thus causing me a great deal more pain than for most women with a tipped uterus (who usually seem to only feel something between mild discomfort and the small, sharp pains that I felt initially).
I spent the next 24 hours begging for my uterus to pop forward. I figured I had to be near the hump for it to be hurting that much - I guessed that the increase in pain was from my uterus expanding to the point where it would soon have to shift of its own accord - but I also decided that if it didn't change after one more day, I was going to see my doctor. I didn't know what she could do, since from my online research it seemed like there wasn't much you could do except wait, but by that stage I was in constant, horrible pain and I desperately needed relief.
The next morning, I woke up dreading what the day would bring. I didn't want to have to spend another day fighting the pain, trying to pretend to my coworkers that I was feeling fine and it wasn't agonizing every time I took a step forward. But - it was OK. Everything was fine. The pain was gone. The pressure was gone. For the first time in over a week, I could sit and stand and walk and pass gas without feeling like I was being stabbed. I was over the hump. My uterus must have shifted.
Now, none of this can be officially confirmed until my next ultrasound - which is in just under two weeks for the nuchal translucency scan - so until then, you can feel to call me a crackpot, haha! But from that day, I have had zero gas pain (even though the gas itself is far from gone)...and I can't begin to describe what a relief it is!
I know it probably sounds kind of amusing (farting is funny!), but I was in so much pain that I actually googled "gas pain pregnancy" just to make sure that there wasn't any way that gas could somehow be dangerous - it felt like I was being constantly stabbed, or like someone had reached up inside of me and harshly twisted my organs. I knew gassiness (and probably even some gas cramping) was normal in pregnancy, but there was just no way that what I was feeling could be normal- right?
And that's when I discovered something interesting: most of the information I found was from pregnancy forums, with women posting questions and thoughts about their experiences - and in many of the cases where they described the kind of pain that I was experiencing, they also mentioned that they had a retroverted (aka tipped or tilted) uterus - just like me. All that means is that, in it's normal state, my uterus is tilted back toward my spine instead of forward torward my belly button. It's nothing to worry about, as about 20% of women are built this way, and it makes no difference for the majority of the pregnancy since generally the uterus pops forward sometime between 10-12 weeks because it needs the room to expand.
But the problem was that because my uterus is tilted back, it was pressing quite hard against my bowel, which was already bloated with gas, and - I'm guessing - probably getting somewhat pinched off, thus making the gas build up even more. And because I have two little babies in there, my uterus is naturally larger than a singleton pregnancy at this stage, so it was also pressing much harder than usual, thus causing me a great deal more pain than for most women with a tipped uterus (who usually seem to only feel something between mild discomfort and the small, sharp pains that I felt initially).
I spent the next 24 hours begging for my uterus to pop forward. I figured I had to be near the hump for it to be hurting that much - I guessed that the increase in pain was from my uterus expanding to the point where it would soon have to shift of its own accord - but I also decided that if it didn't change after one more day, I was going to see my doctor. I didn't know what she could do, since from my online research it seemed like there wasn't much you could do except wait, but by that stage I was in constant, horrible pain and I desperately needed relief.
The next morning, I woke up dreading what the day would bring. I didn't want to have to spend another day fighting the pain, trying to pretend to my coworkers that I was feeling fine and it wasn't agonizing every time I took a step forward. But - it was OK. Everything was fine. The pain was gone. The pressure was gone. For the first time in over a week, I could sit and stand and walk and pass gas without feeling like I was being stabbed. I was over the hump. My uterus must have shifted.
Now, none of this can be officially confirmed until my next ultrasound - which is in just under two weeks for the nuchal translucency scan - so until then, you can feel to call me a crackpot, haha! But from that day, I have had zero gas pain (even though the gas itself is far from gone)...and I can't begin to describe what a relief it is!
Monday, October 5, 2009
10 week woes
Today officially marks the start of week 10. I know that may not seem like a big deal - I'm only a quarter of the way there, and not even out of the first trimester yet - but it feels huge to me. Seeing those double digits makes these little ones feel all the more real to me. A few other things that are currently making it feel real:
Bloating.
Oh yes. The bloating. I've officially reached the point where I literally can no longer suck in my stomach. I'm not actually showing, just really, incredibly bloated, and my flab is just hanging out there for the world to see (as a side note, it's terribly depressing that the bloated girl in the photo is less pudgy than I was even pre-bloat). I even bought new yoga pants over the weekend to accommodate my supersized stomach. In fact, I'm wearing them right now, and it's pure bliss to not feel a constricting waistband around my stomach!
Nausea.
Yup. Still nauseated. It had faded away for most of last week, and I was hoping that maybe it was gone for good - but nope, it showed up stronger than ever yesterday, and today has been nothing short of miserable. Since ginger does nothing but give me rank burps, the only thing that helps are sour candies (I'm eating Sours Squirms because that's what's available here, but I've had friends in the USA recommend Sour Patch Kids). I still haven't actually thrown up a single time, but I'm not sure that feeling like I'm about to vomit 24/7 is much better. Oddly, the only time I don't feel sick is while I'm eating. Which wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the next thing...
Food aversions.
See that photo above? I'm feeling sick just looking at it. No kidding. This has probably been the most difficult part of this pregnancy so far - the constantly shifting food aversions. For weeks, virtually all I could eat was hamburger patties. Then last week, all I wanted was chicken. Now I don't want either. In fact, NOTHING sounds good right now - and that's not an exaggeration. I literally cannot think of a single thing that doesn't make me want to throw up.
I know that all of these things will be worth it, and I would never for a second say that I'd never do this again based solely on how miserable I'm feeling right now - I absolutely would do this again for these babies. I have to say though, this nausea is really wearing me down - does anyone have any tips, other than the sour candy?
Bloating.
Oh yes. The bloating. I've officially reached the point where I literally can no longer suck in my stomach. I'm not actually showing, just really, incredibly bloated, and my flab is just hanging out there for the world to see (as a side note, it's terribly depressing that the bloated girl in the photo is less pudgy than I was even pre-bloat). I even bought new yoga pants over the weekend to accommodate my supersized stomach. In fact, I'm wearing them right now, and it's pure bliss to not feel a constricting waistband around my stomach!Nausea.
Yup. Still nauseated. It had faded away for most of last week, and I was hoping that maybe it was gone for good - but nope, it showed up stronger than ever yesterday, and today has been nothing short of miserable. Since ginger does nothing but give me rank burps, the only thing that helps are sour candies (I'm eating Sours Squirms because that's what's available here, but I've had friends in the USA recommend Sour Patch Kids). I still haven't actually thrown up a single time, but I'm not sure that feeling like I'm about to vomit 24/7 is much better. Oddly, the only time I don't feel sick is while I'm eating. Which wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the next thing...
Food aversions.
See that photo above? I'm feeling sick just looking at it. No kidding. This has probably been the most difficult part of this pregnancy so far - the constantly shifting food aversions. For weeks, virtually all I could eat was hamburger patties. Then last week, all I wanted was chicken. Now I don't want either. In fact, NOTHING sounds good right now - and that's not an exaggeration. I literally cannot think of a single thing that doesn't make me want to throw up.I know that all of these things will be worth it, and I would never for a second say that I'd never do this again based solely on how miserable I'm feeling right now - I absolutely would do this again for these babies. I have to say though, this nausea is really wearing me down - does anyone have any tips, other than the sour candy?
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Holy Hooters, Batman!
You know, I always thought that your boobs didn't really grow that much until the second (or even third) trimester. Hurt, yes. Feel sensitive, yes. Maybe even sag a little. But balloon up this early? Craziness!
I'm about 9 1/2 weeks now, and my cups runneth over. In fact, my bras have been too small for nearly two weeks! I had no idea that some women had these sort of boob issues this early in a pregnancy.
I wasn't exactly flat chested to begin with (before the funbags started swelling, they were a D), and frankly, I'm getting a bit alarmed at where this will end up if they continue at this rate for the next 31 weeks. I have visions of something like this:
I know I need to buy a new bra. I know it's not good for my poor girls to be stuffed into something a half (or, more likely, an entire) size too small. On the other hand, I don't really want to shell out money for a new bra now - especially since anything larger than a C comes with a higher pricetag in Australia - only to need another one in two or three more weeks.
Does anyone else have this problem? Any advice? Should I just bite the bullet and give the girls some comfort? Or should I wait for a little while longer and see if they slow down a bit?
I'm about 9 1/2 weeks now, and my cups runneth over. In fact, my bras have been too small for nearly two weeks! I had no idea that some women had these sort of boob issues this early in a pregnancy.I wasn't exactly flat chested to begin with (before the funbags started swelling, they were a D), and frankly, I'm getting a bit alarmed at where this will end up if they continue at this rate for the next 31 weeks. I have visions of something like this:
I know I need to buy a new bra. I know it's not good for my poor girls to be stuffed into something a half (or, more likely, an entire) size too small. On the other hand, I don't really want to shell out money for a new bra now - especially since anything larger than a C comes with a higher pricetag in Australia - only to need another one in two or three more weeks.Does anyone else have this problem? Any advice? Should I just bite the bullet and give the girls some comfort? Or should I wait for a little while longer and see if they slow down a bit?
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Have you hugged your toilet today?
This has been me all week:
While I haven't actually thrown up, I've felt more or less constantly nauseated...you know how you can feel so sick that you actually wish that you'd throw up, just so you'd feel better, at least temporarily? That pretty much sums it up.
I've tried combating it by never letting my stomach get completely empty, since I've noticed that it's far worse when I'm actively hungry, and have also tried ginger tea and lemon candies, neither of which have seemed to do much (except for flavoring my constant burps with an incredibly disgusting rotting ginger aftertaste).
The only thing that helps is nibbling on dry crackers, with the occasional slice of cheese or a hard boiled egg for protein (sadly, I'm still off most fruits and veggies) - maintaining that little bit of food in my stomach seems to be the only thing that keeps me from losing it altogether. If anyone has any other tips, I'd love to hear them!
In other news, my first ultrasound is tomorrow, and I keep wavering between excitement and nervousness...wish me luck!
While I haven't actually thrown up, I've felt more or less constantly nauseated...you know how you can feel so sick that you actually wish that you'd throw up, just so you'd feel better, at least temporarily? That pretty much sums it up.
I've tried combating it by never letting my stomach get completely empty, since I've noticed that it's far worse when I'm actively hungry, and have also tried ginger tea and lemon candies, neither of which have seemed to do much (except for flavoring my constant burps with an incredibly disgusting rotting ginger aftertaste).The only thing that helps is nibbling on dry crackers, with the occasional slice of cheese or a hard boiled egg for protein (sadly, I'm still off most fruits and veggies) - maintaining that little bit of food in my stomach seems to be the only thing that keeps me from losing it altogether. If anyone has any other tips, I'd love to hear them!
In other news, my first ultrasound is tomorrow, and I keep wavering between excitement and nervousness...wish me luck!
Friday, September 4, 2009
What do you feed the person who eats nothing?
Thus far I've managed to avoid true morning sickness (yeah I know - it's still early days yet!), but for the last four days or so, I've grown some serious food aversions. The thought of virtually everything makes me nauseated. And when I say everything, I mean...everything.
It's a daily struggle to think of something - anything - that I can stomach. For the past few days, the only things I've been able to choke down are grilled cheese sandwiches and red meat, preferably a plain hamburger patty. I couldn't stand veggies, and fruit was out of the question. The idea of chicken or fish made me want to puke.
(As a side note, when I tried to find an image of these things together for this post, I found this:
It's called a Hamburger Fatty Melt, and is a hamburger patty sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches. I seriously could have lived off this for the last three days. Healthy, I know.)
But today, even grilled cheese and red meat don't sound good. Mr Bibliosaur volunteered to go to the grocery store and asked what I wanted for dinner - maybe plain pasta? Since just the idea of pasta started my stomach flipping wildly, I wracked my brain for other ideas. Finally I came up with two things: sweet potatoes and apple juice. Those were literally the only things I could think of that sounded appealing - in fact, my mouth is watering right now just thinking about sweet potatoes mashed with butter. Oh sweet baby...come to mama!
I really want to be able to eat healthily for this baby - and for myself, since I've slowly lost 8.8 pounds (that's 4 kilos, for my fellow Aussies) in the last two months. The last thing I want is to put all of that back on in the next couple of weeks.
But what do you eat when nothing sounds good, and the things you can choke down tend to be high fat and don't exactly amount to a balanced diet? Does anyone have any tips?
It's a daily struggle to think of something - anything - that I can stomach. For the past few days, the only things I've been able to choke down are grilled cheese sandwiches and red meat, preferably a plain hamburger patty. I couldn't stand veggies, and fruit was out of the question. The idea of chicken or fish made me want to puke.
(As a side note, when I tried to find an image of these things together for this post, I found this:
It's called a Hamburger Fatty Melt, and is a hamburger patty sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches. I seriously could have lived off this for the last three days. Healthy, I know.)But today, even grilled cheese and red meat don't sound good. Mr Bibliosaur volunteered to go to the grocery store and asked what I wanted for dinner - maybe plain pasta? Since just the idea of pasta started my stomach flipping wildly, I wracked my brain for other ideas. Finally I came up with two things: sweet potatoes and apple juice. Those were literally the only things I could think of that sounded appealing - in fact, my mouth is watering right now just thinking about sweet potatoes mashed with butter. Oh sweet baby...come to mama!
But what do you eat when nothing sounds good, and the things you can choke down tend to be high fat and don't exactly amount to a balanced diet? Does anyone have any tips?
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The one where Bibliosaur turns into a soggy mess
Like Legalosaur, I live in a country with free healthcare - and 99.9999% of the time, I love it (this is coming from an American living overseas, so I've experienced both sides of the coin). But, as she has said before, "this means that you cannot really dictate things on your terms, or get [optional] procedures that you would really like done just because you asked and you have your fat wallet in your hand." And ultrasounds are a very good example of this.
In Australia, you usually get one ultrasound at 12 weeks for the NT scan and then one at around 18-20 weeks. That's it. Aussie docs maintain that frequent ultrasounds are not really necessary unless it's a high risk pregnancy, especially since babies tend to not love them. So when I showed up for my first doctor's appointment today, I was already prepared to discuss a first ultrasound date of at least seven weeks from now. I could have tried to weasel my way into an earlier ultrasound by saying I wasn't sure when my last period was (and thus snagging a dating scan), but my doctor knows me well enough to know that wouldn't be true. Plus I'm a terrible liar. I go seven shades of red when I lie.
So this afternoon, I went into my doctor's office. And I sat down. And I smiled. And I told her I was pregnant again. And then I was suddenly so overwhelmed with fear and stress and emotion that I burst into tears. I can't imagine it was a pretty sight - I'm an ugly crier.
Yup. That's pretty much what I looked like. Just soggier.
My poor doc. Here she probably thought it was going to be a happy appointment - her patient who miscarried is knocked up again! - and instead I was a hysterical, sobbing mess within two seconds of seeing her. She instantly started reassuring me, then told me she would schedule me for an early ultrasound to help me feel less stressed about this pregnancy. I looked up at her and blubbered, "Really? *sniff* We can*sob* see the baby sooner?"
Yes indeed we can, and way sooner than I was expecting: she has scheduled me in for a 7 week ultrasound, which is a mere eleven days from now!
I'm so relieved...if I had to wait until 12 weeks, I think I'd probably have turned myself inside out with worry. I know that my doctor also miscarried with her first pregnancy, so even though we've had our differences, I'm deeply grateful to have someone sympathetic to what I'm going through. I'm doing my absolute best to think positively about this pregnancy, but frankly, I'm still pretty terrified. I'm so excited to know that in just a week and a half, we'll be able to hear our little one's heart beating!
In Australia, you usually get one ultrasound at 12 weeks for the NT scan and then one at around 18-20 weeks. That's it. Aussie docs maintain that frequent ultrasounds are not really necessary unless it's a high risk pregnancy, especially since babies tend to not love them. So when I showed up for my first doctor's appointment today, I was already prepared to discuss a first ultrasound date of at least seven weeks from now. I could have tried to weasel my way into an earlier ultrasound by saying I wasn't sure when my last period was (and thus snagging a dating scan), but my doctor knows me well enough to know that wouldn't be true. Plus I'm a terrible liar. I go seven shades of red when I lie.So this afternoon, I went into my doctor's office. And I sat down. And I smiled. And I told her I was pregnant again. And then I was suddenly so overwhelmed with fear and stress and emotion that I burst into tears. I can't imagine it was a pretty sight - I'm an ugly crier.
Yup. That's pretty much what I looked like. Just soggier. My poor doc. Here she probably thought it was going to be a happy appointment - her patient who miscarried is knocked up again! - and instead I was a hysterical, sobbing mess within two seconds of seeing her. She instantly started reassuring me, then told me she would schedule me for an early ultrasound to help me feel less stressed about this pregnancy. I looked up at her and blubbered, "Really? *sniff* We can*sob* see the baby sooner?"
Yes indeed we can, and way sooner than I was expecting: she has scheduled me in for a 7 week ultrasound, which is a mere eleven days from now!
I'm so relieved...if I had to wait until 12 weeks, I think I'd probably have turned myself inside out with worry. I know that my doctor also miscarried with her first pregnancy, so even though we've had our differences, I'm deeply grateful to have someone sympathetic to what I'm going through. I'm doing my absolute best to think positively about this pregnancy, but frankly, I'm still pretty terrified. I'm so excited to know that in just a week and a half, we'll be able to hear our little one's heart beating!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Getting it on for the first time
Today was the first time since I got the BFP that we've had sex. Actually, now that I think about it, it's the first time we've done it since I ovulated. There was no reason that we held off between my O-date and the BFP, but there was after I got that first (yes, first - I'll post about the rest later) positive pregnancy test. And it's all due to me.
When I miscarried, it happened the day after we had sex for the first time following my BFP. We weren't getting it on very much because I felt so exhausted - my sex drive was nonexistent - so it was a pretty good day when we finally did the deed. And then I miscarried.
Now, I know that the two things had nothing to do with each other. I absolutely, positively, 100% know that sex didn't cause the miscarriage. Whatever went wrong had already happened before that night. But it still left me feeling frightened and wary this time around; even though I intellectually understood that sex would not cause a miscarriage, emotionally I was far less secure. It was irrational and I knew that, but I couldn't help it. And since I've read that some pregnant women spot after sex, I was even more nervous - even if the spotting was harmless, seeing that blood would have freaked me out.
Mr Bibliosaur was very supporting, encouraging me to take all the time I needed to feel confident enough to give it a try. So today, after sleeping in for a loooooong time (it's amazing how much the fatigue wipes your libido!), I told him I was ready. And it was fine! We went slow and there wasn't any spotting, so I'm feeling far more confident about getting it on in the future.
People keep telling me to enjoy the first trimester sex now, before the morning sickness hits - but honestly, I'm having a hard time getting in the mood because I'm just so tired all the time. Am I alone in this? Is everyone else getting it on all the time in the first month or two? I miss having regular sex, but how do you get past the fatigue?
When I miscarried, it happened the day after we had sex for the first time following my BFP. We weren't getting it on very much because I felt so exhausted - my sex drive was nonexistent - so it was a pretty good day when we finally did the deed. And then I miscarried.
Now, I know that the two things had nothing to do with each other. I absolutely, positively, 100% know that sex didn't cause the miscarriage. Whatever went wrong had already happened before that night. But it still left me feeling frightened and wary this time around; even though I intellectually understood that sex would not cause a miscarriage, emotionally I was far less secure. It was irrational and I knew that, but I couldn't help it. And since I've read that some pregnant women spot after sex, I was even more nervous - even if the spotting was harmless, seeing that blood would have freaked me out.
Mr Bibliosaur was very supporting, encouraging me to take all the time I needed to feel confident enough to give it a try. So today, after sleeping in for a loooooong time (it's amazing how much the fatigue wipes your libido!), I told him I was ready. And it was fine! We went slow and there wasn't any spotting, so I'm feeling far more confident about getting it on in the future.People keep telling me to enjoy the first trimester sex now, before the morning sickness hits - but honestly, I'm having a hard time getting in the mood because I'm just so tired all the time. Am I alone in this? Is everyone else getting it on all the time in the first month or two? I miss having regular sex, but how do you get past the fatigue?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Telling the World
I'm thinking maybe I should've just hired this guy to come to work with me this morning!So today I'm 10 weeks pregnant, and I chose that day to reveal to the world that we're having a baby!
I was really nervous about it...though I don't know why! Everyone has been overjoyed. Of course, we've already told close friends and family, a couple of co-workers each...even our City Council representative (to be fair, she's also a friend of ours). But today, we made it public. I started out by uploading a bunch of pictures of all the onesies and baby clothes we've collected so far (not a ton, but enough to get excited about!). I put those pics on Facebook a couple of days ago, but kept the album private and viewable only by me. I also prepared a blog entry for my personal blog, but waited to publish it. So this morning, before heading to work, I pulled the plug - I published the album on Facebook, posted a comment announcing the pregnancy, and published the blog entry.
When I got to work, I just started telling people. I wasn't sure how to go about it at first, but once I got the ball rolling, it was pretty easy. I work in an office with 50-something other people, and 95% of our staff is women - so you can imagine it's been a pretty fun environment for this kind of news! We have one other co-worker who's already pregnant, and she's due any day - so I'll just take over for her as the office Pregnant Lady.
When I got to work, I just started telling people. I wasn't sure how to go about it at first, but once I got the ball rolling, it was pretty easy. I work in an office with 50-something other people, and 95% of our staff is women - so you can imagine it's been a pretty fun environment for this kind of news! We have one other co-worker who's already pregnant, and she's due any day - so I'll just take over for her as the office Pregnant Lady.
I've had lots of smiles and hugs and happy conversations, and no less than three people told me that I'd made their day! Not to mention all the fun comments I've gotten on Facebook. Pregnancy announcements must've been must more sedate...and taken longer to spread...before the advent of the internet.
I've got another blog entry in me later on...we're currently searching for the right provider/delivery facility. But that's an entry for another day. For now, I'm just one smiley gal!
Be careful what you wish for!
I posted before that I was a little worried about my lack of symptoms when I got my BFP - I felt fine. Normal. Nothing like how I felt with my last pregnancy. Until now.
In the last two days, there has been a sudden onslaught of symptoms. First and formost - FATIGUE.
I typed "fatigue" in caps for a reason. I'm so exhausted that I literally want to burst into tears half the time - it doesn't help that my job can be physically demanding at times, which makes it even worse.
Second, the girls are getting pretty tender. In fact, they're downright painful!
I'm actually taking this as a good thing - they never really got sore last time, so I'm viewing this as a sign that my little one is nestled in firmly and my hormone levels are skyrocketing.
And just like last time, I'm burping like a mofo.
Sexy!!! Most pregnant women fart. I seem to burp. Classy, I know.
Out of these three, it's the fatigue that's really knocking me around - I'm desperately struggling just to make it through the workday. For the pregnant readers out there: how bad was your fatigue? Is there any chance this will wear off before the second trimester begins? Give me some hope!
In the last two days, there has been a sudden onslaught of symptoms. First and formost - FATIGUE.
I typed "fatigue" in caps for a reason. I'm so exhausted that I literally want to burst into tears half the time - it doesn't help that my job can be physically demanding at times, which makes it even worse.Second, the girls are getting pretty tender. In fact, they're downright painful!
I'm actually taking this as a good thing - they never really got sore last time, so I'm viewing this as a sign that my little one is nestled in firmly and my hormone levels are skyrocketing.And just like last time, I'm burping like a mofo.
Sexy!!! Most pregnant women fart. I seem to burp. Classy, I know.Out of these three, it's the fatigue that's really knocking me around - I'm desperately struggling just to make it through the workday. For the pregnant readers out there: how bad was your fatigue? Is there any chance this will wear off before the second trimester begins? Give me some hope!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Why do they call it morning sickness...
...when it happens at 6:oo in the evening? I had my first experience with this lovely pregnancy symptom on Sunday. Can't say that I enjoyed it - but on the positive side, it was a reassuring sign that things are going as they should in there!
On Tuesday, Mr. Citysaur and I headed for my first appointment with our midwife. I switched practices so we could deliver with a midwife. The practice we chose has eight OBs and 2 midwives, and the midwives share patients. We'll rotate between the two of them for our prenatal visits - and also have one visit with an OB at some point.
Overall, we liked the midwife. We were both a little surprised by how entrenched in the System she was. We chose a midwife so we could avoid some of that and have someone who would be supportive of our plan for a natural birth. She'll still be that, but she did say a few things about pain meds that were a little surprising. I suppose it's understandable, considering that she's in a practice full of OBs and has rights at the local hospital (where we'll be delivering). However, if we were too concerned about it, we could always go a few blocks down the street to the local Birth Center. I think we'll stick with what we've got.
We didn't get to hear the heartbeat or have an ultrasound at this appointment. Barring any complications, we'll only get one ultrasound, and we're saving that one for The Big One. Our follow-up appointment is set for the 14th, and we've been assured that we'll get to hear the heartbeat then!
Lastly, I read a great book this week that I'd recommend to anyone who's interested in the history of birth and birthing methods throughout the ages. It's called "Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born" by Tina Cassidy. Though some of the stories are pretty startling, I gained a lot of perspective from reading this book. It's a fairly quick read, and I found it fascinating.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Morning Sickness
Aside from the overwhelming fatigue and frequent bathroom breaks, the first few weeks of my pregnancy weren't bad at all. As I approached the end of week 7, I figured that if I did not have any morning sickness by week 8, that I probably wouldn't have any at all during this pregnancy. For a short while I had a glimmer of hope that I was one of those lucky women who didn't get morning sickness.
The night of week 7 day 5 was like any other night. I went about my usual activities but eventually went to bed a bit earlier than usual due to the fatigue. I woke up in the middle of the night, around 3am, and had to go to the bathroom. This was par for the course, so I thought nothing of it. I basically stumbled out of bed in a haze, went to the bathroom, and then stumbled back into bed in the dark. Only this time, I had trouble falling back asleep.
I layed there for some time, and then I started to feel a bit uneasy. Initially, it didn't even occur to me that this could be morning sickness... until the feeling became so overwhelming that I realized that I was about to throw up. Fortunately, I made it to the bathroom on time; unfortunately, I did not make it to the toilet in time! Ick! I did make it to the sink at least, but cleaning up chunky vomit from the sink isn't nearly as pleasant as simply flushing the toilet :(
From this night on, I found myself with a general sense of nausea all the time. It wasn't just in the morning, but was an all day kind of feeling - "morning" sickness really is such a misnomer. Often, it was worse at night, actually. I found that keeping my stomach full with frequent small snacks helped, as did eating sour candy. So much so that I went and bought some sour candy in bulk. I've heard some women feel better when they eat/drink ginger, but I did not try that. Thankfully, I had no further episodes of vomiting after that first one. Relatively speaking, I think I had a pretty mild case of morning sickness. I am not sure how some women manage who vomit multiple times a day - I guess there really isn't anything you can do but live with it, but still... just the constant nausea was enough to make me question whether I wanted to go through another pregnancy :/
The one thing about the morning sickness that made me feel better was that it was an indication that all was well with the baby and that the pregnancy was progressing as it should. It gave me a little more peace of mind as we waited for our 9 week ultrasound (which could not come soon enough!).
While the wait was unbearably long, it was all worth it when we saw our little peanut on the ultrasound! I was amazed at how much detail we could see on the ultrasound so early on... we could see little arms and legs!
We were also able to hear and see the heartbeat for the first time! It was so exciting and yet so surreal. It was hard to believe that I had this little being growing inside me... I had begun to develop the smallest little baby bump by 9 weeks. No one could tell, but I could tell by how tight my pants were starting to become. Other than that, the constant mild nausea was the only proof I had that I really had a baby growing inside me...
The night of week 7 day 5 was like any other night. I went about my usual activities but eventually went to bed a bit earlier than usual due to the fatigue. I woke up in the middle of the night, around 3am, and had to go to the bathroom. This was par for the course, so I thought nothing of it. I basically stumbled out of bed in a haze, went to the bathroom, and then stumbled back into bed in the dark. Only this time, I had trouble falling back asleep.
I layed there for some time, and then I started to feel a bit uneasy. Initially, it didn't even occur to me that this could be morning sickness... until the feeling became so overwhelming that I realized that I was about to throw up. Fortunately, I made it to the bathroom on time; unfortunately, I did not make it to the toilet in time! Ick! I did make it to the sink at least, but cleaning up chunky vomit from the sink isn't nearly as pleasant as simply flushing the toilet :(
From this night on, I found myself with a general sense of nausea all the time. It wasn't just in the morning, but was an all day kind of feeling - "morning" sickness really is such a misnomer. Often, it was worse at night, actually. I found that keeping my stomach full with frequent small snacks helped, as did eating sour candy. So much so that I went and bought some sour candy in bulk. I've heard some women feel better when they eat/drink ginger, but I did not try that. Thankfully, I had no further episodes of vomiting after that first one. Relatively speaking, I think I had a pretty mild case of morning sickness. I am not sure how some women manage who vomit multiple times a day - I guess there really isn't anything you can do but live with it, but still... just the constant nausea was enough to make me question whether I wanted to go through another pregnancy :/
The one thing about the morning sickness that made me feel better was that it was an indication that all was well with the baby and that the pregnancy was progressing as it should. It gave me a little more peace of mind as we waited for our 9 week ultrasound (which could not come soon enough!).
While the wait was unbearably long, it was all worth it when we saw our little peanut on the ultrasound! I was amazed at how much detail we could see on the ultrasound so early on... we could see little arms and legs!
We were also able to hear and see the heartbeat for the first time! It was so exciting and yet so surreal. It was hard to believe that I had this little being growing inside me... I had begun to develop the smallest little baby bump by 9 weeks. No one could tell, but I could tell by how tight my pants were starting to become. Other than that, the constant mild nausea was the only proof I had that I really had a baby growing inside me...
Sunday, August 9, 2009
What I've been up to
We're headed quickly toward the 8 week mark...I'll hit that on Wednesday. And with every day that goes by without incident, I feel more and more confident of this pregnancy. I'm beginning to truly revel in the fact that I am pregnant, and that Mr. Citysaur and I are going to have a baby!
The exhaustion is still with me, full force. I toss and turn all night, and I'm now regularly waking up at least once a night to go the bathroom - usually around 3 or 4 AM. I'm not working out like I used to because I just don't feel up to it when the alarm goes off at 5:30 in the morning, and by the time I get home from work, I don't have enough gas left in the tank to conquer a workout. I'm hoping that'll change in a few weeks - really counting on that 2nd trimester energy boost! On a positive note, I haven't really had to deal with morning sickness or much nausea to speak of - and I'm very thankful for that!
Last Saturday, Mr. Citysaur and I tackled the task of cleaning out our spare room. It had become a storage room for all our leftover wedding items (we just got married last December), and other various and sundry items. We cleaned out all the miscelleanous items, donating and recycling what we could. I moved a small bookcase into the room and loaded it with all my children's books and a few display items. Now the room is ready to be turned into a nursery!
We've already picked out a theme for the nursery. Back in college, I collected M&Ms memorabilia, and that's what I decorated my dorm room (and later apartment bedroom) with. I've saved all those items (everything from plush M&Ms to a wall clock to all sorts of candy dispensers, and more), and we thought it would be perfect for a baby's room! Nice bright colors, and will work for either a boy or a girl!
We spent this weekend "babysitting" my stepdad. My mom really wanted to travel out of town to see her parents, but couldn't leave my father alone (for those of you who are just joining us, he has terminal lung cancer). They only live 30 minutes away, so Mr. Citysaur and I packed our bags, brought along our dogs, and have been enjoying a nice little sleepover at my parents' house. It's been a great weekend, full of lots of fun, a few chores, and me making sure both my "boys" got fed plenty of good things to eat. Of course, the baby and I also had plenty to eat as well. As a bonus, we also got to get my storage tub of M&Ms stuff down from their shed, and we'll be taking it home with us today. I can't wait to start setting up that nursery!
We spent this weekend "babysitting" my stepdad. My mom really wanted to travel out of town to see her parents, but couldn't leave my father alone (for those of you who are just joining us, he has terminal lung cancer). They only live 30 minutes away, so Mr. Citysaur and I packed our bags, brought along our dogs, and have been enjoying a nice little sleepover at my parents' house. It's been a great weekend, full of lots of fun, a few chores, and me making sure both my "boys" got fed plenty of good things to eat. Of course, the baby and I also had plenty to eat as well. As a bonus, we also got to get my storage tub of M&Ms stuff down from their shed, and we'll be taking it home with us today. I can't wait to start setting up that nursery!All in all, it's been a pretty good couple of weeks. There have been some emotional ups and downs, but as I sit here and type this out, I am in a very good place. Still can't wait for our next appointment on the 18th! That will also be our first appointment with a midwife at the new practice we've chosen. More about that in another entry...
Friday, August 7, 2009
We're having a baby.
I went to the doctor's office yesterday. I was 12 weeks and 5 days. And... it looks like we're having ... A BABY!!!
She was able to find the heartbeat with the Doppler pretty much right away. Our lil bean was pretty active in there, and was moving out of the way as soon as we found the heartbeat.
I cried tears of relief after leaving the office. I was, in fact, a blubbering idiot even when I phoned Mr. Legalosaur to tell him the good news. He thought something had gone wrong I was crying so hard.
When I saw him later in the day, I played him a sound recording I took of our baby's heartbeat. He grinned so wide, I thought he might break his face.
Ladies, for those of you who have gone (or are going) through a miscarriage, the emotional and physical aftermath is not easy. The subsequent TTC journey is not easy. The subsequent pregnancy is not easy. None of it is easy, because you cannot help but worry and wonder if it's going to happen to you again. But, chances are, a successful pregnancy will happen for you. There is hope. And really, after such a devastating loss, all you can hang on to is that hope.
She was able to find the heartbeat with the Doppler pretty much right away. Our lil bean was pretty active in there, and was moving out of the way as soon as we found the heartbeat.
I cried tears of relief after leaving the office. I was, in fact, a blubbering idiot even when I phoned Mr. Legalosaur to tell him the good news. He thought something had gone wrong I was crying so hard.
When I saw him later in the day, I played him a sound recording I took of our baby's heartbeat. He grinned so wide, I thought he might break his face.
Ladies, for those of you who have gone (or are going) through a miscarriage, the emotional and physical aftermath is not easy. The subsequent TTC journey is not easy. The subsequent pregnancy is not easy. None of it is easy, because you cannot help but worry and wonder if it's going to happen to you again. But, chances are, a successful pregnancy will happen for you. There is hope. And really, after such a devastating loss, all you can hang on to is that hope.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Oink oink
I'm almost out of the first trimester, people!
Today I'm 12 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I think I'll choose the beginning of the 13th week as my "official" entry into the second trimester.
Aside: There's some debate about when the second trimester actually begins (ranging from the moment you hit 12 weeks, 13 weeks, 13 weeks 3 days, and some even say 14 weeks!). Yes, 13 weeks sounds good to me, which is also when you enter your 4th month of pregnancy.
Here are a few developmental highlights of the 12th week, from Babycenter:
The size of a lime, eh?
Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. Even if my boobs are the size of a large, ripe grapefruit... each of them... Yikes.
So, what did I do today to celebrate 12 weeks and 3 days of gestating?
No word of a lie, I ate 3 cupcakes that someone brought and left in our lunchroom to share.
THREE CUPCAKES! WITHOUT BLINKING. I should be ashamed and embarrassed.
But you know what? I'm not. Actually, I'm still hungry.
Today I'm 12 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I think I'll choose the beginning of the 13th week as my "official" entry into the second trimester.
Aside: There's some debate about when the second trimester actually begins (ranging from the moment you hit 12 weeks, 13 weeks, 13 weeks 3 days, and some even say 14 weeks!). Yes, 13 weeks sounds good to me, which is also when you enter your 4th month of pregnancy.
Here are a few developmental highlights of the 12th week, from Babycenter:
The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.
Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.
The size of a lime, eh?
Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. Even if my boobs are the size of a large, ripe grapefruit... each of them... Yikes.
So, what did I do today to celebrate 12 weeks and 3 days of gestating?
No word of a lie, I ate 3 cupcakes that someone brought and left in our lunchroom to share.
THREE CUPCAKES! WITHOUT BLINKING. I should be ashamed and embarrassed.
But you know what? I'm not. Actually, I'm still hungry.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Growwwwwwwwwwwwwly
The weirdest thing happened last night. My stomach actually growled so loudly that it woke me up from a deep sleep. At 3:00 am.
Is that not one of the silliest things you've ever heard of? It's almost as bad as tooting so loud in your sleep that you wake yourself up.
I have noticed that lately I've been more hungry than I was earlier in this pregnancy.
However, the nausea and food aversions are still present, so this makes things tricksy. If I do not have a "second dinner" before I go to sleep, I will wake up at night very hungry and nauseated. I may even puke (yes, I did that on Monday night from this very thing!).
So, I'm thinking I'm just going to have to embrace my inner Hobbit and start forcing myself to have second dinner in addition to my second breakfast.
Anyone want to help with forklifting me to the hospital at the end of this pregnancy? Because that's where it's headed, people!
Is that not one of the silliest things you've ever heard of? It's almost as bad as tooting so loud in your sleep that you wake yourself up.
I have noticed that lately I've been more hungry than I was earlier in this pregnancy.
However, the nausea and food aversions are still present, so this makes things tricksy. If I do not have a "second dinner" before I go to sleep, I will wake up at night very hungry and nauseated. I may even puke (yes, I did that on Monday night from this very thing!).
So, I'm thinking I'm just going to have to embrace my inner Hobbit and start forcing myself to have second dinner in addition to my second breakfast.
Anyone want to help with forklifting me to the hospital at the end of this pregnancy? Because that's where it's headed, people!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Thirteen Weeks
Well, technically I am 13 w2d...almost officially to the second tri! I got back from our work seminar in Detroit on Sunday evening and was so exhausted I slept 12 hours! I took Monday off and headed back into the office on Tuesday morning. All was well until the afternoon when I started to see spots while working on my computer. I blinked my eyes, added contact lens rewetting solution, closed the blinds and even turned off my overhead lights. No help! Then I got worried. My coworker stopped by and asked why I was in the dark and I told her what I was experiencing. She asked if I had a headache and mentioned that it could be high blood pressure causing my visual issues.
I called the advice nurse at my doctor's office and she said I should go home and take my blood pressure and call her back. I called my house and my mom answered (she lives with us) and told her I was seeing spots. She said, "You're spotting?!" and called out for my husband. With both of them on the line I explained, no not spotting, but spots in front of my eyes. They drove out to my office, my husband picked me up and drove me home in his car and my mom drove mine home. Once home, I took by blood pressure (my mom has a digital, at-home cuff) and it was quite low. My husband called the advice nurse and she said that I should lay down and rest and then retake my blood pressure again a bit later. I slept for four hours! Upon waking, we took my BP again and it was perfect. WHEW! What a relief. I have no idea why it was low or why I was seeing spots. The advise nurse said it could have been low from working too hard at the conference and the spots could have been caused by eye strain. So now, I am wearing my glasses at work, rather than my contact lenses and all is well. As for working too hard, yeah...16 hour days on your feet are tough whether you're pregnant or not! Thankfully, all is well and as of tomorrow, I am officially in the second tri!
According to BabyCenter:
I called the advice nurse at my doctor's office and she said I should go home and take my blood pressure and call her back. I called my house and my mom answered (she lives with us) and told her I was seeing spots. She said, "You're spotting?!" and called out for my husband. With both of them on the line I explained, no not spotting, but spots in front of my eyes. They drove out to my office, my husband picked me up and drove me home in his car and my mom drove mine home. Once home, I took by blood pressure (my mom has a digital, at-home cuff) and it was quite low. My husband called the advice nurse and she said that I should lay down and rest and then retake my blood pressure again a bit later. I slept for four hours! Upon waking, we took my BP again and it was perfect. WHEW! What a relief. I have no idea why it was low or why I was seeing spots. The advise nurse said it could have been low from working too hard at the conference and the spots could have been caused by eye strain. So now, I am wearing my glasses at work, rather than my contact lenses and all is well. As for working too hard, yeah...16 hour days on your feet are tough whether you're pregnant or not! Thankfully, all is well and as of tomorrow, I am officially in the second tri!
According to BabyCenter:
Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.
And from The Bump:
Baby's now the size of a peach!Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords...savor this, their nonfunctional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with his head now only one third the size of his body. And intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy -- much more convenient
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Playing the waiting game
Well, I've finally found a few minutes to sit in front of the computer and write about my first prenatal appointment on Monday.
It was largely uneventful. We went through my family history, Mr. Legalosaur's family history, and then an annual physical. Including the lovely internal exam and pap … that we all love to hate. I got a bunch of requisitions for all sorts of medical tests, including a full STD panel (oh joy!) and blood typing.
She didn't bring the Doppler into the office with her. I asked if we might try to find the baby's heartbeat, explaining that I knew the chances at this point in the game were only 50/50 of being successful, and promising that I wouldn't freak out if we couldn't find it. She agreed that we could give it a whirl, but with my retroverted uterus and the stage of gestation, she didn't hold out much hope.
Unfortunately, she was right and we were not able to find the heartbeat with the Doppler. My uterus is still snug within the pelvic cavity and she thinks the baby was just hiding. She did tell me my placenta sounded very healthy, and that the size of my uterus for 11 weeks is excellent. Since there's no ultrasound machine in that office, that was that.
Despite her encouraging words, I still feel like I'm hanging in limbo, or my own special form of purgatory. She told me last time, with my miscarriage, just a day before we found out our babe died three weeks earlier, that everything looked good and felt absolutely normal. This just proves to me how little we humans really know about pregnancy and gestation, despite thinking that we're all that and a bag of chips. (And I really do trust my doctor, she's a good physician, so I'm not convinced that it was human error last time.)
So now what? What else...? I wait. Wait until I go back on Tuesday to try again. At least she's letting me come in weekly to see if we can catch the heartbeat. I know some doctors send you away for a good 4 weeks before seeing you again. I couldn't deal with that.
Being that I've waited so long to tell my parents and my sister about this pregnancy, I've decided to just wait until we can find the heartbeart before sharing the news. I still don't feel like telling them, especially dealing with my mother asking me if I'm eating properly and telling me what to do. And with no ultrasound on the horizon except for the one I have scheduled at 19 weeks, the heartbeat is all I can rely on until then…
It's going to be a loooooooong next 6 days…
It was largely uneventful. We went through my family history, Mr. Legalosaur's family history, and then an annual physical. Including the lovely internal exam and pap … that we all love to hate. I got a bunch of requisitions for all sorts of medical tests, including a full STD panel (oh joy!) and blood typing.
She didn't bring the Doppler into the office with her. I asked if we might try to find the baby's heartbeat, explaining that I knew the chances at this point in the game were only 50/50 of being successful, and promising that I wouldn't freak out if we couldn't find it. She agreed that we could give it a whirl, but with my retroverted uterus and the stage of gestation, she didn't hold out much hope.
Unfortunately, she was right and we were not able to find the heartbeat with the Doppler. My uterus is still snug within the pelvic cavity and she thinks the baby was just hiding. She did tell me my placenta sounded very healthy, and that the size of my uterus for 11 weeks is excellent. Since there's no ultrasound machine in that office, that was that.
Despite her encouraging words, I still feel like I'm hanging in limbo, or my own special form of purgatory. She told me last time, with my miscarriage, just a day before we found out our babe died three weeks earlier, that everything looked good and felt absolutely normal. This just proves to me how little we humans really know about pregnancy and gestation, despite thinking that we're all that and a bag of chips. (And I really do trust my doctor, she's a good physician, so I'm not convinced that it was human error last time.)
So now what? What else...? I wait. Wait until I go back on Tuesday to try again. At least she's letting me come in weekly to see if we can catch the heartbeat. I know some doctors send you away for a good 4 weeks before seeing you again. I couldn't deal with that.
Being that I've waited so long to tell my parents and my sister about this pregnancy, I've decided to just wait until we can find the heartbeart before sharing the news. I still don't feel like telling them, especially dealing with my mother asking me if I'm eating properly and telling me what to do. And with no ultrasound on the horizon except for the one I have scheduled at 19 weeks, the heartbeat is all I can rely on until then…
It's going to be a loooooooong next 6 days…
Monday, July 27, 2009
Early Pregnancy
I've been a really bad Pregosaur. I don't know why, but I keep saying that I'm going to come home from work and blog, but then somehow I always end up putting it off until "tomorrow." Then before I know it, weeks have passed and I still haven't blogged about anything. I promise to be a better Pregosaur from here on out...
It actually wasn't too long after I started blogging on Pregosaur that we found out that I was pregnant. In fact, it was just a few days after I published my first post on this blog that we confirmed it. You might be wondering why I didn't just come out and announce it immediately. I wanted to shout it from the roof tops, I really did. I chose not to, however, for two reasons.
The first reason was because things are so uncertain in the beginning. So many things can go wrong and the miscarriage rate, I was surprised to find out, is about 20-25% in young, healthy women. I wanted to make sure that everything was okay with the baby first before making the announcement. That said, if something had happened, I think I would have blogged about it as an outlet for my emotions. Thankfully, everything has been progressing really well so far.
The main reason I wanted to wait before announcing my pregnancy was because I wanted the opportunity to blog about my IF journey. No matter how long or short, it's not an easy path to take, and I wanted to share my experiences with others to help those who have found themselves on that path, and for those that are not - to help raise awareness about IF.
I was really surprised how quickly the pregnancy symptoms came upon me after I got my BFP. I was immediately making trips to the bathroom at night to pee, something I had never done before. I always thought that the increased urination doesn't occur until the end of pregnancy, when the baby is pushing on your bladder. Turns out that your increased blood volume, in addition to the increased blood flow to the uterus will cause increased urination early on in pregnancy as well.
The fatigue was also overwhelming. I'm usually a night owl, staying up until midnight or 1am every night, but as soon as I was pregnant I found that I was ready to go to bed between 8-9pm!!! This wasn't something that was intermittent, either. I was consistently feeling fatigued every night after I got home from work, regardless of what my work day had been like. I was really surprised that a little being consisting of just a few small cells could be taking such a toll on me!
My breasts also started to become tender almost immediately, and I could already tell that they were growing. I always thought that the majority of mammary development occurred in the third trimester, but apparently for many women, it starts early on.
Those were my main pregnancy symptoms early on. Luckily, I did not have any morning sickness during the first few weeks. I was thankful for this, but at times it was hard for me to really feel pregnant. I know that every pregnancy is different... some women never get morning sickness and some get morning sickness with one pregnancy but not the other. Some have mild nausea, and then others are vomiting multiple times a day, requiring medications.
Regardless of which symptoms I had or did not have, I was thrilled to finally be pregnant. This joy was slightly hampered by the ongoing worry that something would happen to my baby and I would have a miscarriage. I had no reason to believe that things were going awry - I had not had any spotting or cramping - just mild twinges as my uterus was growing. Yet it was still so hard to keep the worry from the forefront of my mind. The five week wait for my 9 week ultrasound was even harder than any other 2 week wait I had previously endured. I just had to constantly remind myself that we had waited so long to finally be here that I was going to do my best to enjoy this pregnancy...
It actually wasn't too long after I started blogging on Pregosaur that we found out that I was pregnant. In fact, it was just a few days after I published my first post on this blog that we confirmed it. You might be wondering why I didn't just come out and announce it immediately. I wanted to shout it from the roof tops, I really did. I chose not to, however, for two reasons.
The first reason was because things are so uncertain in the beginning. So many things can go wrong and the miscarriage rate, I was surprised to find out, is about 20-25% in young, healthy women. I wanted to make sure that everything was okay with the baby first before making the announcement. That said, if something had happened, I think I would have blogged about it as an outlet for my emotions. Thankfully, everything has been progressing really well so far.
The main reason I wanted to wait before announcing my pregnancy was because I wanted the opportunity to blog about my IF journey. No matter how long or short, it's not an easy path to take, and I wanted to share my experiences with others to help those who have found themselves on that path, and for those that are not - to help raise awareness about IF.
I was really surprised how quickly the pregnancy symptoms came upon me after I got my BFP. I was immediately making trips to the bathroom at night to pee, something I had never done before. I always thought that the increased urination doesn't occur until the end of pregnancy, when the baby is pushing on your bladder. Turns out that your increased blood volume, in addition to the increased blood flow to the uterus will cause increased urination early on in pregnancy as well.
The fatigue was also overwhelming. I'm usually a night owl, staying up until midnight or 1am every night, but as soon as I was pregnant I found that I was ready to go to bed between 8-9pm!!! This wasn't something that was intermittent, either. I was consistently feeling fatigued every night after I got home from work, regardless of what my work day had been like. I was really surprised that a little being consisting of just a few small cells could be taking such a toll on me!
My breasts also started to become tender almost immediately, and I could already tell that they were growing. I always thought that the majority of mammary development occurred in the third trimester, but apparently for many women, it starts early on.
Those were my main pregnancy symptoms early on. Luckily, I did not have any morning sickness during the first few weeks. I was thankful for this, but at times it was hard for me to really feel pregnant. I know that every pregnancy is different... some women never get morning sickness and some get morning sickness with one pregnancy but not the other. Some have mild nausea, and then others are vomiting multiple times a day, requiring medications.
Regardless of which symptoms I had or did not have, I was thrilled to finally be pregnant. This joy was slightly hampered by the ongoing worry that something would happen to my baby and I would have a miscarriage. I had no reason to believe that things were going awry - I had not had any spotting or cramping - just mild twinges as my uterus was growing. Yet it was still so hard to keep the worry from the forefront of my mind. The five week wait for my 9 week ultrasound was even harder than any other 2 week wait I had previously endured. I just had to constantly remind myself that we had waited so long to finally be here that I was going to do my best to enjoy this pregnancy...
Saturday, July 25, 2009
A little pampering...
Today, I'm sitting on the couch with a laptop while I have a cleaning service scrubbing, dusting, vacuuming and steam cleaning my house. YAH BABY!
I actually feel pretty good today, so I'm a little guilty that I'm splurging to pay a cleaning service to give the house a good once over. But I figure I deserve it today. After all, today we're 11 weeks, little baby bean! I hope you're fist pumping and flipping about in my tummy enjoying our down-time.
Reaching the 11th week is both happy and terrifying for me.
I think I'll get into the terrifying bit first, and end on a happier note. This week is terrifying because in the 11th week with our last pregnancy, that's when I started spotting. And that's when we had an ultrasound that gave us the devastating news that our baby had stopped developing and had died. It was a really, really difficult week. Especially when we were so close to our first prenatal appointment, and we were so excited to share our news with everyone. The pain was crushing, although with time it feels more like a distant memory and something I can talk about without crying now.
I have had stabs of fear that this week a similar traumatic event will happen, even though there's really no reason for it. I just try to push these thoughts out of my mind. No point on dwelling on things that are beyond my control. After all, I still have fairly strong all-day-sickness and fatigue. However, things are changing these days which is a new development. Now I have times where I feel completely human again, like my "old self". And that's a little scary for me, because that's how I felt last time (although I never had awful morning sickness last time like I do this time).
However, this week is happy too. I'm super excited about my first prenatal appointment (two days!). I cannot wait to hear our baby's heartbeat on a doppler, it's an experience I've been waiting for. Waiting for a very long time, it feels like. And I'm excited to start showing, which I think it not too far away. I have a pretty swollen belly as it is (bloat!), but I don't think that I'm truly "showing" yet. It's more a factor of my inner organs getting smooshed up to accommodate my growing uterus. But I don't think my uterus has popped out of the pelvic cavity yet, at least I can't feel it. And I'm pretty stoked about feeling better again, being able to eat like a normal, healthy human being (yes, I still have wicked food aversions), and getting my energy back. At least until the third trimester.
Yes, there's a lot to look forward to. But there's still quite a bit that I need to get past first. I think I will start to stop worrying so much about the baby and his/her development once I'm past the 12th week, into the second trimester.
Maybe it's not such a bad thing to pamper myself a little bit, since I'm still not feeling 100% and I have a lot on my mind. In fact, I made a little promise with myself, if we can hear the baby's heartbeat on Monday. I will treat myself to a pedicure, FINALLY. I haven't gotten one yet this summer, and my feet are dying for it.
I'm not going to lie, though, part of me wants to continue the pampering today and just go get that pedicure NOW! (And no, my feet don't look that bad, PROMISE.) However, I'm a little superstitious and so I think I'll wait.
I actually feel pretty good today, so I'm a little guilty that I'm splurging to pay a cleaning service to give the house a good once over. But I figure I deserve it today. After all, today we're 11 weeks, little baby bean! I hope you're fist pumping and flipping about in my tummy enjoying our down-time.
Reaching the 11th week is both happy and terrifying for me.
I think I'll get into the terrifying bit first, and end on a happier note. This week is terrifying because in the 11th week with our last pregnancy, that's when I started spotting. And that's when we had an ultrasound that gave us the devastating news that our baby had stopped developing and had died. It was a really, really difficult week. Especially when we were so close to our first prenatal appointment, and we were so excited to share our news with everyone. The pain was crushing, although with time it feels more like a distant memory and something I can talk about without crying now.
I have had stabs of fear that this week a similar traumatic event will happen, even though there's really no reason for it. I just try to push these thoughts out of my mind. No point on dwelling on things that are beyond my control. After all, I still have fairly strong all-day-sickness and fatigue. However, things are changing these days which is a new development. Now I have times where I feel completely human again, like my "old self". And that's a little scary for me, because that's how I felt last time (although I never had awful morning sickness last time like I do this time).
However, this week is happy too. I'm super excited about my first prenatal appointment (two days!). I cannot wait to hear our baby's heartbeat on a doppler, it's an experience I've been waiting for. Waiting for a very long time, it feels like. And I'm excited to start showing, which I think it not too far away. I have a pretty swollen belly as it is (bloat!), but I don't think that I'm truly "showing" yet. It's more a factor of my inner organs getting smooshed up to accommodate my growing uterus. But I don't think my uterus has popped out of the pelvic cavity yet, at least I can't feel it. And I'm pretty stoked about feeling better again, being able to eat like a normal, healthy human being (yes, I still have wicked food aversions), and getting my energy back. At least until the third trimester.
Yes, there's a lot to look forward to. But there's still quite a bit that I need to get past first. I think I will start to stop worrying so much about the baby and his/her development once I'm past the 12th week, into the second trimester.
Maybe it's not such a bad thing to pamper myself a little bit, since I'm still not feeling 100% and I have a lot on my mind. In fact, I made a little promise with myself, if we can hear the baby's heartbeat on Monday. I will treat myself to a pedicure, FINALLY. I haven't gotten one yet this summer, and my feet are dying for it.
I'm not going to lie, though, part of me wants to continue the pampering today and just go get that pedicure NOW! (And no, my feet don't look that bad, PROMISE.) However, I'm a little superstitious and so I think I'll wait.
