Wow, SO much has happened since I last wrote. It has been on my mind to post things, and I keep losing track of the time. So here is the updates to fill you in:
It's a girl! We went in for our 20 week ultrasound, and of course the technician gave us her 'best guess', but she checked a bunch of times throughout the whole ultrasound (it was at least an hour or so) and each time it was a girl result to her, so we are very confident (though stranger things have happened). We have already painted her room pink, and I have to do some black rose stencils on an accent wall with the window. I can't wait to finish setting up the nursery, but I know we have to wait till after the baby shower, which won't be until January. But I can get started now, with what we have :) We are so excited! I felt like it was a girl, but I guess we all have a 50/50 chance with our guesses, right? Oh and we have decided to name her Alissandra Serina. We will probably call her Ali or Alissa. But yay, exciting!
So I would say my pregnancy has been pretty smooth sailing for the most part, with a few hiccups here and there like acne, morning sickness, spotting in the first trimester, etc. However, the afternoon after we got our ultrasound completed, I started to get a jabbing pain in my lower right area of my abdomen. I tried to ignore it the first day. The next day, it was absolutely crippling, and I was crying and could barely walk. I can only compare it to someone shoving a knife in my side and turning it (the exact location was on the lower right abdomen, almost near the groin area). I called our nurse hotline to talk to them, and amazingly enough, it was just round ligament pain! Some people get it worse than others, and it is often common in second and third pregnancies, so I was surprised to get it so bad. There is always a concern that it might be appendicitis, as that is also a stabbing pain, but has some other side effects too that I wasn't having. Also, when you are that far along in your pregnancy, your appendix typically isn't located in that area anymore. So I ended up purchasing a maternity belt. Let me tell you, that (and prayer, heating pads and Tylenol) worked! I went to the maternity store, walked in, and pathetically said "give me your best maternity belt, please!". It was $40, and was their 'heavy duty' one that had a front support, then a back support that Velcros onto the front, and even a top strap you can use to help you for back pain. It took the weight off of my pulling ligaments, and I only had to wear it for about 5 days. I'm not feeling the pain anymore and don't have to wear the belt, but it was a worthwhile purchase to me, and it can come in handy later in the pregnancy if any more ligament pain or back pain comes. I also hear having your belly supported like that can help prevent frequent dashes to the bathroom to pee, because the baby is lifted up a bit off your bladder. Sounds good to me!
So I was really bummed because at 20 weeks, I still couldn't feel her move. Every once and a while I felt a teeny flutter, but I didn't want to be a silly person to treasure gas bubbles, so I figured I would just wait till I was sure. At 21 weeks, I finally felt my little dear move! It felt like I had a random twitch in my uterus..and that's what I thought it was, but I thought that was a weird place to get a twitch. And it wasn't rhythmic or anything, and not exactly in the same spots. I asked some friends, and they were convinced it was the baby. Over the next few days, I kept feeling this more and more, and in different spots, so I knew it was her for sure. Funny story: I was with my husband at the movies, and she was being pretty active and I wanted her to be able to feel her for the first time! I grabbed his hand, and he kind of had to shove it down my pants (I was wearing those high waisted maternity pants) and I think we made the gentleman a couple seats down uncomfortable, thinking we were getting down and dirty, lol! Oh well, small price to pay for my husband to feel his daughter move for the first time :)
Now I am feeling her a bunch. It is still small and subtle, but its fun and reassuring. Last night, I had my first experience of her pushing against my bladder. It was a weird feeling..I had like little surges of REALLY having to pee, but just for that instance when she was pushing against it, haha. Oh it is all so very entertaining.
It is almost winter time now, and the doctors practically make you and your spouse get flu shots if you are pregnant, so we got those today. I hope we don't get sick from them (I know, people say that is a rumor, but I haven gotten sick immediately after getting one before, so pardon me if I am superstitious). Our next baby appointment is in a couple weeks. We have scheduled our labor and delivery classes to start in late January, so we should be done with those in late February. Baby is due April 1, but I'm predicting an early delivery (or at least I am going to do anything in my power to get her to come early by a week or two, with no limits to walking funny, getting my feet massaged, and any other old wives tales out there that wont jeopardize our health). Anyway, it has been a fun and educational few weeks!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Here we are at week 18...
Well it has been a few weeks since I have last checked in. To be honest, not much has happened! We had our 16 week appointment and got to see the baby on the ultrasound for fun, hear the heartbeat and see how much it has grown. The doctor for some reason said she wouldn't be able to tell the sex yet, even though my other friends said that they found out at 16 weeks (maybe it was a different machine or something?). So we are still waiting! But we should know November 13th, so we have a goal. I was checking out all the old wives tales, and per their stories, I am having a girl. Examples: I am craving orange juice like none other, my beauty has been stolen (I am having such horrible acne right now!) and there was one other one, but I am blanking it right now. Oh yea, pregnant brain. I'm finding that I am more at a loss for words at times, but that is about the extent of it. I am feeling pretty good now-a-days with no more morning sickness (yay!), but my paranoia and emotional roller coaster rides have set in. I know God is going to take care of me, and that His hand is over me and this little life I am growing, and that there isn't much that I can be in control of, but it is hard not to constantly be thinking and worry about things...especially with the extra hormones going on. I think He understands, and I have so much to be thankful for, but sometimes I just want to cry, and not for any real good reason either.
We just purchased and moved into our first home, so that is very exciting! The babies room is just sitting here with boxes in it..we don't want to set anything up because we will paint it once we find out the sex, and there is no point setting things up to just move them and take them out again. So moving and finances have been a little stressful. Oh another odd thing is that I am still not gaining weight. I am 6 feet tall, and I was a bit overweight to start with (my pre-pregnancy weight was 213). Today, I am at 204, but my first weigh-in at the 10 week appointment was 207. A healthy top weight for my height non-pregnant is 185, so I think I am still fine, and the doctor didn't say anything at my last appointment, but I wish I would have asked. Oh and WRITE DOWN your questions for the doctor! I totally spaced all of my questions, and kept remembering them after the appointment. Oops. I have another appointment in 2 weeks, so I have my list going now :) I worry about my weight and stomach size quite a bit because I feel like my stomach has been shrinking a little. But I have been feeling fine otherwise, it's just how I look. I like to look pregnant, not pudgy, haha. And I hope that the baby is alright, and that the extra 'pregnancy look' is just water weight or bloating, and I am bloating less or something for some reason.
Ok, here is an ugly bit: I really don't like sex right now. I feel bad for my husband. He is such a good guy. But having sex is weird! I don't like having any pressure on my belly (when he is on top of me missionary style), and I constantly think about how I probably shouldn't be on my back. Other positions make my growing belly and breasts move waaaaay too much for it to be comfortable, and I can't get turned on the way I used to..I don't even really want to be touched down there. The last time we had sex, I burst out crying and sobbing at the end (oh my gosh, poor husband). Some people say their sex drive gets increased when they are pregnant, and others say it disappears almost completely. I guess I'm the unlucky latter..at least at the moment.
I keep hearing and reading 'Now that you are in your second trimester, you should start to feel your energy returning'..and I think that is a load of crap. I am still exhausted all the time and would love to take a nap every day if I could. And I say listen to your body. Once this baby gets here, your nap time will be very limited, haha! I asked my other friends who have had children, and most of them have said they never got their second wind though their whole pregnancy, so at least I don't feel so alone.
My appetite has been growing, and it can be hard to find healthy things to munch on. I really don't like vegetables, but I do enjoy fruit. So I eat lots of fruit. Nuts are good in protein, and I just bought some triscuit crackers for the whole-grain baked aspect, and can be yummy with some cheese on it. I try to avoid the chips, but do indulge in them ever so often...and with Halloween in two days, I bought myself a caramel apple covered in M&M's just waiting to be devoured :)
Alrightee, I guess that's a good update for now! Until next time, probably shortly after November 13! :)
We just purchased and moved into our first home, so that is very exciting! The babies room is just sitting here with boxes in it..we don't want to set anything up because we will paint it once we find out the sex, and there is no point setting things up to just move them and take them out again. So moving and finances have been a little stressful. Oh another odd thing is that I am still not gaining weight. I am 6 feet tall, and I was a bit overweight to start with (my pre-pregnancy weight was 213). Today, I am at 204, but my first weigh-in at the 10 week appointment was 207. A healthy top weight for my height non-pregnant is 185, so I think I am still fine, and the doctor didn't say anything at my last appointment, but I wish I would have asked. Oh and WRITE DOWN your questions for the doctor! I totally spaced all of my questions, and kept remembering them after the appointment. Oops. I have another appointment in 2 weeks, so I have my list going now :) I worry about my weight and stomach size quite a bit because I feel like my stomach has been shrinking a little. But I have been feeling fine otherwise, it's just how I look. I like to look pregnant, not pudgy, haha. And I hope that the baby is alright, and that the extra 'pregnancy look' is just water weight or bloating, and I am bloating less or something for some reason.
Ok, here is an ugly bit: I really don't like sex right now. I feel bad for my husband. He is such a good guy. But having sex is weird! I don't like having any pressure on my belly (when he is on top of me missionary style), and I constantly think about how I probably shouldn't be on my back. Other positions make my growing belly and breasts move waaaaay too much for it to be comfortable, and I can't get turned on the way I used to..I don't even really want to be touched down there. The last time we had sex, I burst out crying and sobbing at the end (oh my gosh, poor husband). Some people say their sex drive gets increased when they are pregnant, and others say it disappears almost completely. I guess I'm the unlucky latter..at least at the moment.
I keep hearing and reading 'Now that you are in your second trimester, you should start to feel your energy returning'..and I think that is a load of crap. I am still exhausted all the time and would love to take a nap every day if I could. And I say listen to your body. Once this baby gets here, your nap time will be very limited, haha! I asked my other friends who have had children, and most of them have said they never got their second wind though their whole pregnancy, so at least I don't feel so alone.
My appetite has been growing, and it can be hard to find healthy things to munch on. I really don't like vegetables, but I do enjoy fruit. So I eat lots of fruit. Nuts are good in protein, and I just bought some triscuit crackers for the whole-grain baked aspect, and can be yummy with some cheese on it. I try to avoid the chips, but do indulge in them ever so often...and with Halloween in two days, I bought myself a caramel apple covered in M&M's just waiting to be devoured :)
Alrightee, I guess that's a good update for now! Until next time, probably shortly after November 13! :)
Thursday, September 6, 2012
The First Doctor's Appointment
We went in yesterday for the first doctor's appointment. Before we went in, there were always the little voices in the back of your mind saying 'you aren't really pregnant, it was a false test, there is something wrong with your bloated body and sore boobs, and it is all your imagionation', even though you know you are, in fact, pregnant. But nothing confirms it like the ultrasound. IT WAS SOOOO COOL!!! We did the vaginal ultrasound (where they insert the wand up your hoo-ha and see the baby from the inside) and it didn't hurt or anything. My husband and I stared at the screen in awe as the doctor started to describe what we were looking at. We saw the heartbeat, and heard it which was very fast (and normal). It was also MOVING a bunch! That is so crazy to me that this little person inside me is moving around already. I imagined it thinking 'what the heck is poking me, get it away!' as the wand was observing the baby. They took many snapshots so we could bring them home. I posted them on facebook as 'babies first photo', haha, and was able to share them with family members. God is so amazing, creating this little miracle inside of me. And this all confirmed that we had one (just one, phew!) healthy baby :) The doctor also said that since it had a healthy heartbeat and was inside the uterus, now the chances of a miscarriage was reduced to only 5%. That did put my mind at ease too. They also measured the baby and estimated my due date as April 1 (an april fools day baby, oh boy!). They put me at 10 weeks and 2 days (where I thought I was only 9 weeks and 6 days), so I was a teeny bit farther along than I thought I was. It is amazing to think I am already 1/4 of the way through my pregnancy!
I am still feeling pretty good, but man, is eating getting annoying and overrated. I start to feel nauseous when I start to get the least-bit hungry, so I have to constantly be nibbling on something. I don't want to be eating all the time, but I guess that is the only option I have, and the body is probably trying to get me into a routine of feeding the baby at all times. Anything for that little guy or gal, but it is still annoying. My spotting has stopped (and has stopped for the last few weeks) so that is more comforting as well. I don't seem to be too overly tired, though some days are harder than others. Now that we have a confirmed baby in the belly, we are more excited about getting baby items. We are still looking for a new home to move into, so I know it would be better to wait to get all the stuff, but I don't know if I will have the patience! :)
I am still feeling pretty good, but man, is eating getting annoying and overrated. I start to feel nauseous when I start to get the least-bit hungry, so I have to constantly be nibbling on something. I don't want to be eating all the time, but I guess that is the only option I have, and the body is probably trying to get me into a routine of feeding the baby at all times. Anything for that little guy or gal, but it is still annoying. My spotting has stopped (and has stopped for the last few weeks) so that is more comforting as well. I don't seem to be too overly tired, though some days are harder than others. Now that we have a confirmed baby in the belly, we are more excited about getting baby items. We are still looking for a new home to move into, so I know it would be better to wait to get all the stuff, but I don't know if I will have the patience! :)
Friday, August 31, 2012
9 Weeks
Well, I am officially at 9 weeks, marking yesterday. My nausea has been a little more tolerable, but I have to constantly be eating little snacks. If I start to get hungry, that's when I feel nauseous, and then you have to force yourself to eat to get through the nausea. It's kind of a weird system. I oddly don't feel ill first thing in the morning, but its more later throughout the day, usually a couple hours after my last meal. I have heard that eating lots of little meals or snacks usually does the trick, and it does in my case.
I feel so FAT! Lol :) I look like I'm further along than I am, and I keep trying to tell myself that it is okay, its just the bloating/digestive track slowing down, uterus expanding, etc. Baby Mo' is only the size of a grape right now. But I look pretty pregnant. Of course, thoughts of 'more than one baby' creep into my head, haha, but I'm sure it isn't that. And I'm not 'letting myself go' as I have actually LOST 6 lbs since I found out I was pregnant (probably due to no more junky drinks/alcohol). I feel pretty good. The exhaustion is getting better too. I haven't had to take a nap in a while, but I do feel very lethargic and don't always want to go do things (and I am a very active people-person). I have been wearing dresses almost for the past few weeks straight since they feel so much better to wear instead of pants pulling on my stomach. I do have the belly band which helps immensely, but I'm sticking with dresses while the weather still allows it.
I FINALLY get to go to our first doctor's visit next Wednesday. I hope we get to hear the babies heartbeat! Due to insurance complications (and the fact that Kaiser doesn't pay for ultrasounds), we may wait until October to get an official ultrasound if it is okay with the doctors (any out-of-pocket expenses that apply towards our deductible in the last quarter roll into next year). So maybe we will have to wait another month, but it would be really nice if we could somehow hear it on Wednesday. Here is wishful thinking!
That's about all for now. I'll have an update for you all after the appointment next week :)
I feel so FAT! Lol :) I look like I'm further along than I am, and I keep trying to tell myself that it is okay, its just the bloating/digestive track slowing down, uterus expanding, etc. Baby Mo' is only the size of a grape right now. But I look pretty pregnant. Of course, thoughts of 'more than one baby' creep into my head, haha, but I'm sure it isn't that. And I'm not 'letting myself go' as I have actually LOST 6 lbs since I found out I was pregnant (probably due to no more junky drinks/alcohol). I feel pretty good. The exhaustion is getting better too. I haven't had to take a nap in a while, but I do feel very lethargic and don't always want to go do things (and I am a very active people-person). I have been wearing dresses almost for the past few weeks straight since they feel so much better to wear instead of pants pulling on my stomach. I do have the belly band which helps immensely, but I'm sticking with dresses while the weather still allows it.
I FINALLY get to go to our first doctor's visit next Wednesday. I hope we get to hear the babies heartbeat! Due to insurance complications (and the fact that Kaiser doesn't pay for ultrasounds), we may wait until October to get an official ultrasound if it is okay with the doctors (any out-of-pocket expenses that apply towards our deductible in the last quarter roll into next year). So maybe we will have to wait another month, but it would be really nice if we could somehow hear it on Wednesday. Here is wishful thinking!
That's about all for now. I'll have an update for you all after the appointment next week :)
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
My first pregnancy and all it's details: the good, the bad, and the ugly
Hello to anyone who may be interested in reading a pregnant woman's journey to childbirth. My name is Rachel, and I haven't really blogged much in my life, but I thought maybe some women out there would be interested in taking a journey with me in my pregnancy, and be able to relate, laugh, cry, and be put at ease about things going on in their body. I have read a few books about pregnancy to prepare myself, but it hasn't been so easy to really absorb everything. This is just what is going on with me, in my body and mind, and I'm not really going to hide anything, so only read if you want to know the nitty-gritty details. I'm just about to hit week 8, so I'm going to zoom through these first parts, and then try to update regularly:
-Getting Pregnant
All of my friends seemed to get pregnant on their first month of trying. So needless to say, my husband Marshall and I got a little discouraged as each month passed by. I kept hearing people say 'the average couple takes 6 months to get pregnant, some less, some more'. And we weren't exactly in a 'rush' but in the back of my negative-nancy mind, I thought maybe we were barren. I am a woman of faith, so I was happy to welcome any type of life that God wanted to bless us with, but we knew we loved children and would be happy to adopt if it came to that.
I had fun reading different suggestions on 'how to get pregnant' online. I kind of did 'experiments' each month, doing things a little differently. One month, we had sex every-other day, but we were always rushed. I also had a bad cold and was constantly on cold medicine (I'm sure I was VERY sexy to my husband, with my stuffy nose and all). I read online that cold medicine could thin out your mucus, which could help the sperm to reach the egg. No luck. And since I wasn't ever feeling well, sex was more like a chore, and I didn't ever look for my happy ending. After that, I tried lying down for long periods of time after sex, and then tried the pillow under the hip technique, but I still didn't always look for my personal happy ending. After a while, the words of the wise 'Don't worry about it, just have fun with it' made me think that maybe my big-O actually did have something to do with it. After all, orgasms do make sex much more fun. So in the fourth month of trying, we had sex every other day, made sure I had an orgasm AFTER he came (every time!), then rested for a few minutes with a pillow under my hip (kind of a whirlwind of all the trial-and-error attempts). And VOILA! Next thing we knew (praise the Lord), we were preggo :) Guess we weren't barren after all. Who knows if the combo of all those things really helped or not, but in my mind, that is how we are going to do it from now on if we ever try to get pregnant again.
-Symptoms and Discovery
A couple weeks after my last period, I was having a serious 'PMS' day, and I was really confused as to why, since my next period wasn't planned for another week and a half. I can recognize (but not always admit) that I am PMS'ing, or at least being irrational and hormonal. At first I thought 'maybe this is the sign of pregnancy!', but amazingly enough, PMS and pregnancy symptoms can be VERY similar. My boobs started to get a little sore the closer I got to my 'cycle' date, and I started to get cramps. In the middle of the night right before my cycle was due, I had some very hard cramping and I thought 'Here comes Aunt Flo', but when I ran to the bathroom, to my surprise, there was no mess waiting for me. My cycle is normally only 25 days long, but sometimes can be 'late' and be more like 26 or 27, so it was hard for me to gauge when I should take a test. I was SO excited to take it though, in hopes that maybe our dream was coming true! I have peed on so many $1 store pregnancy tests, that it wasn't so new or foreign to me (I guess I really don't have much patience sometimes).
Anyway, the next morning, I got my $1 store pregnancy test and tested it. I waited a couple minutes, and with this particular test, there is one line for not pregnant, and two lines for pregnant. Since I have taken this test many times and stared hard at it to see if there was a second line, I knew that this new 'faint' line either meant it was a dud and some urine had leaked through the paper or something, I was seeing things that weren't there, or there was SOMETHING else up! But since I had never seen a faint line EVER before, I felt good about it. I got really excited and ran back to the bedroom, where Marshall was still sleeping. I jumped into bed and had a huge grin on my face. He looked up at me and smiled, asking 'are you prego?', and I just squealed 'I think so!!'. I then went on to Facebook and posted a simple ':)'. My friend Michelle knew what was up since we were both trying and called me that morning, asking me if I was pregnant. I told her what had happened. She was so excited for me, and urged me to go to the store and invest in a more expensive test that says 'pregnant' or 'not pregnant' just to be sure. So I did, and even though I was going to try and wait till the next morning (when your urine is the most concentrated) I couldn't (again the non-patient lady that I am) and peed on another stick. The screen blinked for a few seconds, and then the beautiful result said 'Pregnant'. Marshall took pictures of me smiling and proudly holding my pee stick. We were going to have a baby!
-Sharing The News
Along with the fact that I have no patience, I also cannot keep my OWN secrets. I knew that my mother was going to be upset if I told anyone else before her, but in order not to ruin my own surprise, I went ahead and called her on Oovoo (like Skype). I got to record her and my father's reactions, which was priceless and also a great memory. After we told them, we slowly told every close friend and family member. After everyone that we wanted to know knew, we went ahead and posted silly pictures on facebook. My husband posted a picture of a bun in an oven, and I posted a picture of a can of Prego sauce and an Eggo Waffles box. Once the first person got it, the comments started to roll in. We couldn't be more thrilled! I know that people typically wait after the 1st trimester to share with people to be safe, but we just couldn't wait that long, and knew that if things did take a turn for the worse, we would have the support of friends and family instead of dealing with it on our own.
-Weeks 4 - 8
So when you find out you are pregnant (by the account of a missed period), you are already at 4 weeks. They start counting by the first day of your last period. So even though we in reality didn't conceive till ovulation of the following month of the last period. you are still considered 4 weeks along. I joined babycenter.com to track my pregnancy, and looked up every little question I had. I called my OBGYN, and they actually don't want to see you until you are in your 8-10 weeks, so I still have yet to go to the doctor so see cute baby Mo' developing. But all my symptoms are going strong and I feel good.
Week 4 and 5 was just a continuation of breasts being sore and random twinges and twangs in my uterus, since it is now expanding and making room for baby Mo'. In fact, my breasts are STILL sore, and had to invest in a sleeping bra. It helped a bit, but it helps more to have a sleeping pillow, and shoving it between your breasts so they aren't putting pressure on each other. I did notice some brown spotting, which made me uncomfortable and nervous. I would have nightmares of miscarrying. I looked online, and many many women have this problem, but they advise you to let your OBGYN know. I did give them a call, and a nurse (sounding partially annoyed) reassured me that it was completely normal. Brown blood is old blood. If it is a bright red color and more of a period consitency, then that is when you need to be concerned. This spotting has lasted on and off for a while, and still continues very lightly even today (in week 7).
Week 6 and 7, I am bloating like a balloon. I can't believe it! I will wake up in the morning and look like my normal self, but once I put anything in my stomach, it starts to bloat and swell like crazy. I am finding it very uncomfortable to wear regular clothing, and I feel a little embarrassed to be looking this 'big' already. I know I have a legitimate excuse though. Your digestive system is slowing down so your body can absorb as many nutrients as possible for your growing baby. Also, it is very common to get very gassy and bloated. I have already started wearing a belly band with my pants, and enjoy wearing dresses so there isn't any extra pressure on my stomach. I did also start to get morning sickness. I have a phobia of puking, so my body thankfully hasn't had to do that yet, but I have felt nauseous a lot. Certain foods will immediately make me feel better or worse. It is different for everyone, but for me personally, plain water is evil (even though you crave it) and ritz crackers are my new BFF. I have also been wearing pressure point bands (you can get them near the pharmacy, they are also used for seasickness) on my wrists to help, which it does, but they can be slightly uncomfortable. I'm hoping this won't last long.
Hilariously, I want every food I see on the internet or TV. I see someone eating a cookie, I REALLY want a cookie. I'm trying to stick to healthy foods, but it is a little hard when certain items make you feel sick. I also haven't exercised in the last two weeks. It is hard to do any kind of physical activity when you feel nauseous. But I hope to pick up cycling or swimming soon, once I am up for it a bit more. They estimate most morning sickness is over around week 14, sometimes more and sometimes less.
Pre pregnancy, I used to take Advil very often and have an alcoholic beverage every day or so. Of course I cut both of these cold turkey the day I found out I was pregnant. I miss my Advil a little, but that's ok. I have only had smaller headaches here and there that I wish Advil could help with. I know you can take Tylenol, but I figure I would rather try to be as drug-free as possible while pregnant. I am taking prenatals, magnesium (to ward off migraines) and juice-plus every day for this kiddo and I.
Also something else that is odd is that on top of my stomach being bloated, it has started to feel firmer. Not fat firm, but 'there is something growing in there' firm. It is kind of surreal to poke my stomach, lol.
That's where I am right now! More to come I'm sure. Stay tuned :)
-Getting Pregnant
All of my friends seemed to get pregnant on their first month of trying. So needless to say, my husband Marshall and I got a little discouraged as each month passed by. I kept hearing people say 'the average couple takes 6 months to get pregnant, some less, some more'. And we weren't exactly in a 'rush' but in the back of my negative-nancy mind, I thought maybe we were barren. I am a woman of faith, so I was happy to welcome any type of life that God wanted to bless us with, but we knew we loved children and would be happy to adopt if it came to that.
I had fun reading different suggestions on 'how to get pregnant' online. I kind of did 'experiments' each month, doing things a little differently. One month, we had sex every-other day, but we were always rushed. I also had a bad cold and was constantly on cold medicine (I'm sure I was VERY sexy to my husband, with my stuffy nose and all). I read online that cold medicine could thin out your mucus, which could help the sperm to reach the egg. No luck. And since I wasn't ever feeling well, sex was more like a chore, and I didn't ever look for my happy ending. After that, I tried lying down for long periods of time after sex, and then tried the pillow under the hip technique, but I still didn't always look for my personal happy ending. After a while, the words of the wise 'Don't worry about it, just have fun with it' made me think that maybe my big-O actually did have something to do with it. After all, orgasms do make sex much more fun. So in the fourth month of trying, we had sex every other day, made sure I had an orgasm AFTER he came (every time!), then rested for a few minutes with a pillow under my hip (kind of a whirlwind of all the trial-and-error attempts). And VOILA! Next thing we knew (praise the Lord), we were preggo :) Guess we weren't barren after all. Who knows if the combo of all those things really helped or not, but in my mind, that is how we are going to do it from now on if we ever try to get pregnant again.
-Symptoms and Discovery
A couple weeks after my last period, I was having a serious 'PMS' day, and I was really confused as to why, since my next period wasn't planned for another week and a half. I can recognize (but not always admit) that I am PMS'ing, or at least being irrational and hormonal. At first I thought 'maybe this is the sign of pregnancy!', but amazingly enough, PMS and pregnancy symptoms can be VERY similar. My boobs started to get a little sore the closer I got to my 'cycle' date, and I started to get cramps. In the middle of the night right before my cycle was due, I had some very hard cramping and I thought 'Here comes Aunt Flo', but when I ran to the bathroom, to my surprise, there was no mess waiting for me. My cycle is normally only 25 days long, but sometimes can be 'late' and be more like 26 or 27, so it was hard for me to gauge when I should take a test. I was SO excited to take it though, in hopes that maybe our dream was coming true! I have peed on so many $1 store pregnancy tests, that it wasn't so new or foreign to me (I guess I really don't have much patience sometimes).
Anyway, the next morning, I got my $1 store pregnancy test and tested it. I waited a couple minutes, and with this particular test, there is one line for not pregnant, and two lines for pregnant. Since I have taken this test many times and stared hard at it to see if there was a second line, I knew that this new 'faint' line either meant it was a dud and some urine had leaked through the paper or something, I was seeing things that weren't there, or there was SOMETHING else up! But since I had never seen a faint line EVER before, I felt good about it. I got really excited and ran back to the bedroom, where Marshall was still sleeping. I jumped into bed and had a huge grin on my face. He looked up at me and smiled, asking 'are you prego?', and I just squealed 'I think so!!'. I then went on to Facebook and posted a simple ':)'. My friend Michelle knew what was up since we were both trying and called me that morning, asking me if I was pregnant. I told her what had happened. She was so excited for me, and urged me to go to the store and invest in a more expensive test that says 'pregnant' or 'not pregnant' just to be sure. So I did, and even though I was going to try and wait till the next morning (when your urine is the most concentrated) I couldn't (again the non-patient lady that I am) and peed on another stick. The screen blinked for a few seconds, and then the beautiful result said 'Pregnant'. Marshall took pictures of me smiling and proudly holding my pee stick. We were going to have a baby!
-Sharing The News
Along with the fact that I have no patience, I also cannot keep my OWN secrets. I knew that my mother was going to be upset if I told anyone else before her, but in order not to ruin my own surprise, I went ahead and called her on Oovoo (like Skype). I got to record her and my father's reactions, which was priceless and also a great memory. After we told them, we slowly told every close friend and family member. After everyone that we wanted to know knew, we went ahead and posted silly pictures on facebook. My husband posted a picture of a bun in an oven, and I posted a picture of a can of Prego sauce and an Eggo Waffles box. Once the first person got it, the comments started to roll in. We couldn't be more thrilled! I know that people typically wait after the 1st trimester to share with people to be safe, but we just couldn't wait that long, and knew that if things did take a turn for the worse, we would have the support of friends and family instead of dealing with it on our own.
-Weeks 4 - 8
So when you find out you are pregnant (by the account of a missed period), you are already at 4 weeks. They start counting by the first day of your last period. So even though we in reality didn't conceive till ovulation of the following month of the last period. you are still considered 4 weeks along. I joined babycenter.com to track my pregnancy, and looked up every little question I had. I called my OBGYN, and they actually don't want to see you until you are in your 8-10 weeks, so I still have yet to go to the doctor so see cute baby Mo' developing. But all my symptoms are going strong and I feel good.
Week 4 and 5 was just a continuation of breasts being sore and random twinges and twangs in my uterus, since it is now expanding and making room for baby Mo'. In fact, my breasts are STILL sore, and had to invest in a sleeping bra. It helped a bit, but it helps more to have a sleeping pillow, and shoving it between your breasts so they aren't putting pressure on each other. I did notice some brown spotting, which made me uncomfortable and nervous. I would have nightmares of miscarrying. I looked online, and many many women have this problem, but they advise you to let your OBGYN know. I did give them a call, and a nurse (sounding partially annoyed) reassured me that it was completely normal. Brown blood is old blood. If it is a bright red color and more of a period consitency, then that is when you need to be concerned. This spotting has lasted on and off for a while, and still continues very lightly even today (in week 7).
Week 6 and 7, I am bloating like a balloon. I can't believe it! I will wake up in the morning and look like my normal self, but once I put anything in my stomach, it starts to bloat and swell like crazy. I am finding it very uncomfortable to wear regular clothing, and I feel a little embarrassed to be looking this 'big' already. I know I have a legitimate excuse though. Your digestive system is slowing down so your body can absorb as many nutrients as possible for your growing baby. Also, it is very common to get very gassy and bloated. I have already started wearing a belly band with my pants, and enjoy wearing dresses so there isn't any extra pressure on my stomach. I did also start to get morning sickness. I have a phobia of puking, so my body thankfully hasn't had to do that yet, but I have felt nauseous a lot. Certain foods will immediately make me feel better or worse. It is different for everyone, but for me personally, plain water is evil (even though you crave it) and ritz crackers are my new BFF. I have also been wearing pressure point bands (you can get them near the pharmacy, they are also used for seasickness) on my wrists to help, which it does, but they can be slightly uncomfortable. I'm hoping this won't last long.
Hilariously, I want every food I see on the internet or TV. I see someone eating a cookie, I REALLY want a cookie. I'm trying to stick to healthy foods, but it is a little hard when certain items make you feel sick. I also haven't exercised in the last two weeks. It is hard to do any kind of physical activity when you feel nauseous. But I hope to pick up cycling or swimming soon, once I am up for it a bit more. They estimate most morning sickness is over around week 14, sometimes more and sometimes less.
Pre pregnancy, I used to take Advil very often and have an alcoholic beverage every day or so. Of course I cut both of these cold turkey the day I found out I was pregnant. I miss my Advil a little, but that's ok. I have only had smaller headaches here and there that I wish Advil could help with. I know you can take Tylenol, but I figure I would rather try to be as drug-free as possible while pregnant. I am taking prenatals, magnesium (to ward off migraines) and juice-plus every day for this kiddo and I.
Also something else that is odd is that on top of my stomach being bloated, it has started to feel firmer. Not fat firm, but 'there is something growing in there' firm. It is kind of surreal to poke my stomach, lol.
That's where I am right now! More to come I'm sure. Stay tuned :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)