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 :)
Friday, August 31, 2012
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 :)
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