I feel miserable today. My daughter decided that sleep was not the cool thing to do last night. I am running on about 3 hours of sleep and trying my best to function like a normal person. I have an annoying headache that has been lingering all day which I don't appreciate. I am not one to take pain medication unless I absolutely need it, so I am passing on the Tylenol for now. I am hoping that I can will the headache away.
This week at night before I go to bed I have been having some awful morning sickness. I literally laid on the bathroom floor the last two nights because I wasn't sure I could keep my dinner down. I do take my prenatal vitamins and other meds before bed since I know they tend to make me sick. However, I guess that tactic isn't completely working since I feel sick before I take them. You can only reduce symptoms so much right? Anyways, I would rather be sick right before bed than feel sick during the day when I need to be working and am conscious. I would much rather sleep through my symptoms.
I looked back at pictures today of how big the bump was at certain points during my pregnancy compared to now. Right now I look about the same as I did when I was 5-6 months pregnant with my daughter. It is getting progressively harder to hide and my pants officially no longer button comfortably. Only a couple more weeks until we spill the news and stop hiding it. The first trimester can seem like it takes forever for two reasons.
1. a lot of people wait until they finish the first trimester to share news of their pregnancy so their chance of miscarriage has dropped dramatically. Keeping something so exciting a secret for 13 weeks gets to be pretty hard. With my first pregnancy we didn't let the cat out of the bag until we hit just over 14 weeks because we had an ultrasound at that time, so we knew everything was okay.
2. The second reason the first trimester feels like it takes so long is because of the nervousness that miscarriage could happen at any time. It is a very anxious time for a lot of couples.
okay I have decided there are 3 reasons. The third can be summed up in a couple words : morning sickness, headaches, exhaustion. Those symptoms feel like they are never going to end, but often subside after the first trimester.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Pregnancy Envy - Pregnancy Journal - 8 Weeks
I am 8 weeks pregnant today and going into week 9. For some reason those numbers make me feel a lot better! I know won't stop being nervous about loosing the baby until he/she is born, but the additional weeks sure make the worry a little less.
Recently, I hesitantly told one of my best friends that we were pregnant, knowing that she had been trying for awhile. I know she would be disappointed if I would have hid it from her, since I knew she would tell me right away if she was pregnant. She sounded a bit disappointed but happy for us at the same time. I told her I would send good vibes her way and that I was hoping I was contagious for her, though I know this doesn't erase that feeling of hurt that you feel when you are trying and pregnancy isn't happening. I completely understand being happy that someone else is pregnant when you desperately want to be pregnant yourself. Those feelings of want and sadness are a part of trying to to get pregnant.
I call that feeling pregnancy envy. Its that feeling when you desperately want to be pregnant and someone else announces that they are. It is that sad, frustrated, anxious feeling that sinks in your stomach, when you know you want to be happy for them. I used to have those feelings anytime someone announced they were pregnant before I got pregnant with my daughter, wondering if I would ever get that chance. Those feelings are completely normal, and I understand them, so when I get less-than-ecstatic reactions, I can understand why. From my end now, I feel a little guilty...We hadn't been trying nearly as long, but I am sure we wanted another baby just as badly. For now I am remaining hopeful for her and trying to realize that my pregnancy needs to be celebrated by me.
Recently, I hesitantly told one of my best friends that we were pregnant, knowing that she had been trying for awhile. I know she would be disappointed if I would have hid it from her, since I knew she would tell me right away if she was pregnant. She sounded a bit disappointed but happy for us at the same time. I told her I would send good vibes her way and that I was hoping I was contagious for her, though I know this doesn't erase that feeling of hurt that you feel when you are trying and pregnancy isn't happening. I completely understand being happy that someone else is pregnant when you desperately want to be pregnant yourself. Those feelings of want and sadness are a part of trying to to get pregnant.
I call that feeling pregnancy envy. Its that feeling when you desperately want to be pregnant and someone else announces that they are. It is that sad, frustrated, anxious feeling that sinks in your stomach, when you know you want to be happy for them. I used to have those feelings anytime someone announced they were pregnant before I got pregnant with my daughter, wondering if I would ever get that chance. Those feelings are completely normal, and I understand them, so when I get less-than-ecstatic reactions, I can understand why. From my end now, I feel a little guilty...We hadn't been trying nearly as long, but I am sure we wanted another baby just as badly. For now I am remaining hopeful for her and trying to realize that my pregnancy needs to be celebrated by me.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Pregnancy Journal - 6 Weeks - Someone Hit Me With the Morning Sickness Stick!
6 Weeks 2 days
I am in week 7 of my pregnancy at 6wks 2d (strange how that works isn't it?) and I feel like this week someone has smacked me with a morning sickness stick and a dizzy stick. I really hoped for a morning sickness free pregnancy, but know that if 75%+ of women get it, that I am not likely to be free of it. I still think this is easier than my first pregnancy. With my daughter there were days I could barely get up because I felt like I would vomit everywhere. Now i can still function, though I feel queasy on and off throughout the day. Yesterday I was so dizzy I thought I was going to pass out in the shower.
It is amazing how despite the sickness, I am still super hungry.I stepped on the scale this morning and I am up a pound already. With my first I didn't gain my first pound until I was 16 weeks along (and then I gained VERY fast). I guess this one is going to be different! I am already reminding myself that I will gain what my body needs to gain assuming I don't eat excessively. I am still craving buffalo wings and jalapenos on a daily basis and I am pretty sure I could survive off them at this point. My husband thinks this is hilarious.
Tomorrow is my first ultrasound and I am incredibly excited, anxious, and nervous all at the same time. I really hope we see a heartbeat, and think that at 6wks 3d I should be far enough along to see it. We saw the heartbeat with our daughter at 6wks 0d so I will be a nervous wreck if we don't see anything
6 Weeks 4 Days
We have a heartbeat!
The ultrasound yesterday went well. I went in nervous that we may not see something, but my daughter being there helped take my mind off of it. My husband was occupying her most of the time, but there is no ignoring those cute baby giggles and chatter. The ultrasound was internal or transvaginal since I am so early in the pregnancy. We saw the embryo right away when the ultrasound started and saw the little flutter of the heartbeat right away as well. I was almost expecting it to stop during the ultrasound, after hearing so much negativity from some people about early ultrasounds. The heartbeat was at 125 which is perfect for this stage of pregnancy. They like the heartbeat to be at least over 100, so we were doing well. The baby is about the size of a grain of rice at this point, or about the size of a small bean. (I love all of the references to food when describing the size of the baby during pregnancy) The doctor said everything looked great and she didn't have much to say since all looked good. The pregnancy was located at the top of the uterus which is exactly where they want it. The doctor also said she sees no reason for anything to go wrong at this point. I couldn't help but think that this is quite the optimistic statement. However, she explained that seeing the heartbeat reduces the chance of miscarriage by quite a bit.
Overall I feel pretty good still. I definitely get hit with the morning sickness stick on and off, but it is definitely tolerable. Still nothing like my first pregnancy. The doctor already offered morning sickness medication if I need it, but I declined. I don't have it bad enough that a little food, hard candy, or cold water can't fix at this point. I am still exhausted and feel like I could take a nap at any point during the day. Hopefully within the next month and a half this all the tiredness and sickness disappears!
I am in week 7 of my pregnancy at 6wks 2d (strange how that works isn't it?) and I feel like this week someone has smacked me with a morning sickness stick and a dizzy stick. I really hoped for a morning sickness free pregnancy, but know that if 75%+ of women get it, that I am not likely to be free of it. I still think this is easier than my first pregnancy. With my daughter there were days I could barely get up because I felt like I would vomit everywhere. Now i can still function, though I feel queasy on and off throughout the day. Yesterday I was so dizzy I thought I was going to pass out in the shower.
It is amazing how despite the sickness, I am still super hungry.I stepped on the scale this morning and I am up a pound already. With my first I didn't gain my first pound until I was 16 weeks along (and then I gained VERY fast). I guess this one is going to be different! I am already reminding myself that I will gain what my body needs to gain assuming I don't eat excessively. I am still craving buffalo wings and jalapenos on a daily basis and I am pretty sure I could survive off them at this point. My husband thinks this is hilarious.
Tomorrow is my first ultrasound and I am incredibly excited, anxious, and nervous all at the same time. I really hope we see a heartbeat, and think that at 6wks 3d I should be far enough along to see it. We saw the heartbeat with our daughter at 6wks 0d so I will be a nervous wreck if we don't see anything
6 Weeks 4 Days
We have a heartbeat!
The ultrasound yesterday went well. I went in nervous that we may not see something, but my daughter being there helped take my mind off of it. My husband was occupying her most of the time, but there is no ignoring those cute baby giggles and chatter. The ultrasound was internal or transvaginal since I am so early in the pregnancy. We saw the embryo right away when the ultrasound started and saw the little flutter of the heartbeat right away as well. I was almost expecting it to stop during the ultrasound, after hearing so much negativity from some people about early ultrasounds. The heartbeat was at 125 which is perfect for this stage of pregnancy. They like the heartbeat to be at least over 100, so we were doing well. The baby is about the size of a grain of rice at this point, or about the size of a small bean. (I love all of the references to food when describing the size of the baby during pregnancy) The doctor said everything looked great and she didn't have much to say since all looked good. The pregnancy was located at the top of the uterus which is exactly where they want it. The doctor also said she sees no reason for anything to go wrong at this point. I couldn't help but think that this is quite the optimistic statement. However, she explained that seeing the heartbeat reduces the chance of miscarriage by quite a bit.
Overall I feel pretty good still. I definitely get hit with the morning sickness stick on and off, but it is definitely tolerable. Still nothing like my first pregnancy. The doctor already offered morning sickness medication if I need it, but I declined. I don't have it bad enough that a little food, hard candy, or cold water can't fix at this point. I am still exhausted and feel like I could take a nap at any point during the day. Hopefully within the next month and a half this all the tiredness and sickness disappears!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Jalapeños and Announcements - Pregnancy Journal - 5 Weeks
5 weeks 1 day pregnant
So in the past week we have announced our pregnancy to both of our mothers. My mother was immediately so excited for us and had a smile on her face for the rest of the time I was with her that evening. When we told my mother-in-law, it was a very different experience. My husband told her that we would be "adding another one to the mix" when we were having a conversation about children. She turned to me and asked if I was pregnant. I said yes and she then followed with "Was this a planned pregnancy?". Okay I know that may not be offensive to some people, but it is to me. No matter how you say it, I don't think it is appropriate to ask if a pregnancy was planned or if the couple was trying. She didn't mean it to come out the way it did, but it sounded a little concerned and curious all at the same time. When people ask if it was planned, they make it seem like you shouldn't be having a baby at that time. I tried to ignore that it bothered me and just went along since I knew she didn't mean it the way it came out. She continued to ask a bunch of questions, so I just ignored it for the time being. She was in tears (happy tears I think) by the end and congratulated both of us, but the comment lingered. There were a couple times I wished we hadn't said anything after that reaction, and it makes me hesitant in sharing the news with other family. We will definitely wait for a bit.
That reaction got me thinking about announcing a pregnancy and the different reactions that occur. With our first pregnancy we got some mixed responses because we were only 7-8 months into our marriage when we announced it. A relative responded with "But you just got married". For some reason people think that they know the best timeline for when you should have a baby, and their opinions show through in their responses. I believe that it is okay to think what you want, but that you should be tactful in how you respond. After all, the pregnancy may not mean a lot to you, but it means a lot to the people who are sharing it with you. Voicing your opinion or asking if the pregnancy was planned, can be taken offensively and only hurt the feelings of the parents-to-be. There have been a few pregnancies that I have been less than excited about, but it was never my place to say anything negative to the expectant mothers or fathers.
It seems like with any pregnancy you are going to have a variety of responses just remember that sometimes people don't filter responses and those responses may hurt. Just be prepared and remember that the only people who need to be excited about your pregnancy are you and your significant other.
So far I am just starting to feel a little morning sickness. This is nothing like what I felt with my first pregnancy, and it makes me a little nervous, while at the same time, thankful. With my first pregnancy, my morning sickness was a constant reminder that I was pregnant and I didn't worry as much about miscarrying because I ALWAYS felt sick. With this one, the thought of miscarriage is lying heavily on my mind since I don't have that overly obvious symptom. I still feel exhausted and like I could nap at any moment, but that could easily be justified by a bad night of sleep. Only 9 days now until our ultrasound so we can confirm everything is okay...
5 weeks 4 days pregnant
All I can think about this morning is how good a Jalapeño would taste. All the while I feel nauseas and a little dizzy. Thank you pregnancy for your lovely symptoms! I still don't feel nearly as sick as I did with DD which makes me start wondering if we will have a boy this time around. Maybe my body has done pregnancy once before so it is simply adjusting better? Maybe it's because I take my prenatal vitamins and other medications at night instead of in the morning... Either way it is crazy to me how good I feel compared to last time. I know this could mean that my lack of pregnancy symptoms is a sign that the pregnancy is not developing well, but I know I need to remain hopeful and not stress about this.
A friend of mine mentioned the Chinese lunar calender for predicting gender and mentioned that she has friends who swear by it. It seems like, in general, it is more right than wrong. All three calendars were right on with my daughter being a girl, but all three did not match up for this baby. I tried 2 where I put in my actual birth date and the conception date and tried one where I compared my age and conception month. The more specific ones both said this baby will be a boy and the general one said it would be a girl....Guess you can't completely rely on those! Here are a couple if you want to check them out yourself!
http://www.holodeck.com/pregnancy/chinese-cal.html - a more general version
http://www.thelaboroflove.com/chart/pred.html - a more specific version
So in the past week we have announced our pregnancy to both of our mothers. My mother was immediately so excited for us and had a smile on her face for the rest of the time I was with her that evening. When we told my mother-in-law, it was a very different experience. My husband told her that we would be "adding another one to the mix" when we were having a conversation about children. She turned to me and asked if I was pregnant. I said yes and she then followed with "Was this a planned pregnancy?". Okay I know that may not be offensive to some people, but it is to me. No matter how you say it, I don't think it is appropriate to ask if a pregnancy was planned or if the couple was trying. She didn't mean it to come out the way it did, but it sounded a little concerned and curious all at the same time. When people ask if it was planned, they make it seem like you shouldn't be having a baby at that time. I tried to ignore that it bothered me and just went along since I knew she didn't mean it the way it came out. She continued to ask a bunch of questions, so I just ignored it for the time being. She was in tears (happy tears I think) by the end and congratulated both of us, but the comment lingered. There were a couple times I wished we hadn't said anything after that reaction, and it makes me hesitant in sharing the news with other family. We will definitely wait for a bit.
That reaction got me thinking about announcing a pregnancy and the different reactions that occur. With our first pregnancy we got some mixed responses because we were only 7-8 months into our marriage when we announced it. A relative responded with "But you just got married". For some reason people think that they know the best timeline for when you should have a baby, and their opinions show through in their responses. I believe that it is okay to think what you want, but that you should be tactful in how you respond. After all, the pregnancy may not mean a lot to you, but it means a lot to the people who are sharing it with you. Voicing your opinion or asking if the pregnancy was planned, can be taken offensively and only hurt the feelings of the parents-to-be. There have been a few pregnancies that I have been less than excited about, but it was never my place to say anything negative to the expectant mothers or fathers.
It seems like with any pregnancy you are going to have a variety of responses just remember that sometimes people don't filter responses and those responses may hurt. Just be prepared and remember that the only people who need to be excited about your pregnancy are you and your significant other.
So far I am just starting to feel a little morning sickness. This is nothing like what I felt with my first pregnancy, and it makes me a little nervous, while at the same time, thankful. With my first pregnancy, my morning sickness was a constant reminder that I was pregnant and I didn't worry as much about miscarrying because I ALWAYS felt sick. With this one, the thought of miscarriage is lying heavily on my mind since I don't have that overly obvious symptom. I still feel exhausted and like I could nap at any moment, but that could easily be justified by a bad night of sleep. Only 9 days now until our ultrasound so we can confirm everything is okay...
All I can think about this morning is how good a Jalapeño would taste. All the while I feel nauseas and a little dizzy. Thank you pregnancy for your lovely symptoms! I still don't feel nearly as sick as I did with DD which makes me start wondering if we will have a boy this time around. Maybe my body has done pregnancy once before so it is simply adjusting better? Maybe it's because I take my prenatal vitamins and other medications at night instead of in the morning... Either way it is crazy to me how good I feel compared to last time. I know this could mean that my lack of pregnancy symptoms is a sign that the pregnancy is not developing well, but I know I need to remain hopeful and not stress about this.
A friend of mine mentioned the Chinese lunar calender for predicting gender and mentioned that she has friends who swear by it. It seems like, in general, it is more right than wrong. All three calendars were right on with my daughter being a girl, but all three did not match up for this baby. I tried 2 where I put in my actual birth date and the conception date and tried one where I compared my age and conception month. The more specific ones both said this baby will be a boy and the general one said it would be a girl....Guess you can't completely rely on those! Here are a couple if you want to check them out yourself!
http://www.holodeck.com/pregnancy/chinese-cal.html - a more general version
http://www.thelaboroflove.com/chart/pred.html - a more specific version
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Should I Find Out The Sex of My Baby?
To find out or not to find out....that is the question on a lot of newly expectant mother's minds. Here's my take: you are going to find out at one point or another, but when do you want the surprise to end?
I think I surprised a lot of people with my first child when I didn't want to find out the sex of the baby. It was a joint decision between my husband and I, but with me being a planner, it surprised a lot of my friends. I think it even irritated some people (not that this matters...it was my baby, my decision). I still got to plan a lot, just not in specific colors. Instead I had a gender neutral palate, with that would work well with the girl stuff I liked and the boy stuff I liked. With my second pregnancy, I think people assumed we wouldn't find out since we didn't the first time and weren't as surprised when we said we weren't finding out.
Regardless some things to keep in mind when deciding, or to help you decide whether to find out the sex of the baby.
1. Do you want to decorate the nursery in gender specific colors?
2. Do you want to know the baby's name before he or she is born?
3. Are you okay with everyone knowing the gender of the baby? Or do you want to surprise everyone? -There is always the option of finding out and not telling anyone the gender.
4. Are you okay with people referring to the baby by name if you share that name?
5. Are you hoping for a specific gender? - If you are I wouldn't recommend finding out. Gender disappointment can be rough and for some women it makes the pregnancy less enjoyable.
6. Do you feel that finding out the gender will help build a stronger bond with the baby? - My husband and I had agreed that in the event something was wrong with the baby we would want to know the sex so we could have a stronger bond with him or her.
Benefits of not finding out:
1. At baby showers, you are more likely to get the things you need instead of baby clothes. People LOVE to buy baby clothes, but they tend to shy away from the gender neutral. If you are worried about not having enough clothes, remember that when the baby is born, people will come bearing gifts...most of which will be gender-specific baby clothes. Also, keep in mind that you can purchase some boy and some girl clothing and return the clothing you don't need.
2. Choosing baby names - You get to pick names for boys AND for girls. Some people love baby name shopping.
3. The Anticipation - For some people the anticipation and excitement of not knowing makes delivery easier because there is a huge surprise waiting to be revealed. It is also exciting for everyone else waiting for the baby. To me, there is nothing like that moment when you find out a friend or family member has a baby and you get to hear what the gender is, what his or her name is etc.
4. The guessing - Throughout my pregnancies I have loved making jokes with my husband and friends about what the gender of the baby is and why. The baby gets crazy going shopping...must be a girl :) or this baby gets so worked up when football is on...must be a boy :)
I think I surprised a lot of people with my first child when I didn't want to find out the sex of the baby. It was a joint decision between my husband and I, but with me being a planner, it surprised a lot of my friends. I think it even irritated some people (not that this matters...it was my baby, my decision). I still got to plan a lot, just not in specific colors. Instead I had a gender neutral palate, with that would work well with the girl stuff I liked and the boy stuff I liked. With my second pregnancy, I think people assumed we wouldn't find out since we didn't the first time and weren't as surprised when we said we weren't finding out.Regardless some things to keep in mind when deciding, or to help you decide whether to find out the sex of the baby.
1. Do you want to decorate the nursery in gender specific colors?
2. Do you want to know the baby's name before he or she is born?
3. Are you okay with everyone knowing the gender of the baby? Or do you want to surprise everyone? -There is always the option of finding out and not telling anyone the gender.
4. Are you okay with people referring to the baby by name if you share that name?
5. Are you hoping for a specific gender? - If you are I wouldn't recommend finding out. Gender disappointment can be rough and for some women it makes the pregnancy less enjoyable.
6. Do you feel that finding out the gender will help build a stronger bond with the baby? - My husband and I had agreed that in the event something was wrong with the baby we would want to know the sex so we could have a stronger bond with him or her.
Benefits of not finding out:
1. At baby showers, you are more likely to get the things you need instead of baby clothes. People LOVE to buy baby clothes, but they tend to shy away from the gender neutral. If you are worried about not having enough clothes, remember that when the baby is born, people will come bearing gifts...most of which will be gender-specific baby clothes. Also, keep in mind that you can purchase some boy and some girl clothing and return the clothing you don't need.
2. Choosing baby names - You get to pick names for boys AND for girls. Some people love baby name shopping.
3. The Anticipation - For some people the anticipation and excitement of not knowing makes delivery easier because there is a huge surprise waiting to be revealed. It is also exciting for everyone else waiting for the baby. To me, there is nothing like that moment when you find out a friend or family member has a baby and you get to hear what the gender is, what his or her name is etc.
4. The guessing - Throughout my pregnancies I have loved making jokes with my husband and friends about what the gender of the baby is and why. The baby gets crazy going shopping...must be a girl :) or this baby gets so worked up when football is on...must be a boy :)
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