I have been completely miserable with regards to the morning sickness I've had. It's just been so unpredictable. One day I could feel pretty good (just the usual tiredness and a little nausea when I haven't eaten in a while), but then the next I could be throwing up every hour on the hour. It's been quite hard to deal with. I know that there are different medicines that you can take that make you feel better, but I'm a hippie at heart and don't like putting any unnatural substances in my body if I don't have to.... I'd rather deal with the sickness than know that potentially I could be hurting this little baby that's inside of me. So, I suffer willingly :)
Week 10 was by far the worst week... thankfully it was the week that I had off work, so I could stay home and be sick in my own toilet rather than the public ones at the University. It was also the week that we went for our first official prenatal doctor's appointment. To be honest I was a little nervous, as I'd never been to this particular hospital before, and I'd never met that particular doctor before etc. etc. And to make things worse we had a really hard time finding parking so I was getting a little stressed out... not good for the baby I know. But once we finally did find a parking space, and found the clinic, I was able to calm down since everyone there was really nice and welcoming though, which made things better.
The nurse that saw us was so sweet. She was great. But when it came time for her to use the doppler to try to find the baby's heartbeat she couldn't.... which I knew was ok especially this early on, but I was a little disappointed just the same. The nurse told me that my abs were to strong for her to get through, so that made me feel good. Then we had to wait and wait and wait for the doctor, since the doctor that we had was delivering a baby via emergency c-section. So after about an hour or so of waiting, a really young doctor met with us. She asked a bunch of questions and then gave me my pap. Well OUCH!!! I know this is probably too much information for a blog, but never before did I have a pap hurt like that in my life! When she was inserting the speculum she stabbed me in my vaginal wall and it started to bleed... then she continued with the procedure and asked, "Do you normally bleed when you have a pap?". I wanted to yell "NO!!! Normally I have a doctor who actually knows what they're doing!!!", but this doctor seemed nervous and young and I was trying to be nice. Anyway, finally the REAL doctor came in and she was amazing. Very nice and reassuring. But, because of the bleeding -- which the young doctor told the older one started before she even reached my cervix (which was true because of the stabbing), and because of the fact that I only had 2 regular 28 day cycles before I got pregnant (the 4 before that were irregular... 26 days one time 31 the next etc.), and because the nurse couldn't find my heartbeat, she wanted me to go to getting a "Dating Ultrasound" done. Too say the least I was disappointed again. Again, the hippie in me didn't want to be shooting any extra sound-waves at my little tiny developing baby if I didn't have to.
Then after that was all said and done, I had to go down to get blood work done, which is never fun. So, to say the least I went home crying and crying. What a horrible day. Approximately 2 hours later I got a call from the Ultrasound department, scheduling me in for the next day. So, after a night filled with horrible sleep and tears, I got up the next day trying to be excited about it all... which was REALLY hard because I had horrible morning sickness and I had to drink a lot of water which only ever makes me feel worse. In fact, on the way out of the house to leave for the hospital I had to turn around and run inside to be sick one more time before I left.
So, we find our way to the ultrasound place... and they called my name and gave me one of those ugly blue gowns that you know a gazillion people have worn before (YUCK) and then tell you to go sit in the main waiting room until they're ready for you. Well, it's not fun to have people walk up and down the hall and see you in that blue gown thinking you're sick or that something's wrong with you. So again, a rough start to a day I was trying to be optimistic at.
Well, finally they called Mitch and I back to the ultrasound room. "Here we go... " I thought to myself. We get to the room, and actually it was quite nice... all the lights were out except for the lights on the machine, which actually made it cozy. Mitch sat right beside me holding my hand, making me feel like no matter what everything was going to be ok. The Ultrasound Technician was SO sweet and friendly which made things much easier. So, up comes the gown to expose my flat belly, and I prepared myself for the cold gel.... which ended up just coming out of the warmer so it wasn't cold at all :) As soon as she put the transducer on me there appeared the little baby. The heart was beating at 176 bpm just as healthy as could be :). The technician moved it all around and took lots of pictures. Then did an internal ultrasound since the baby was still just the size of a prune. We could see the baby even more clearly, and we even saw it moving it's little leg. Mitch was SO excited, shocked and emotional about this. Anyway, after about a half hour of looking at our baby we finally were ready to leave the hospital. I left in a much better mood than I came in, even despite still feeling sick.
Anyway, those are the most significant things to note in this update. Until next time :)
How far along?: 12 Weeks 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: A little gained... back to my regular 155lbs.
How big is baby: The baby is now the size of a plum.
Maternity clothes?:Still no need but it's definitely getting closer... I can't wear my pants without doing the old elastic trick. I'm definitely feeling more "plum"p :)
Stretch Marks: Not yet. And from what I've read, they're a genetic thing in the way that if your mom had lots of stretch marks then you'll have lots.... well mom barely had any so I think I'm going to be ok.
Sleep: This is still my favourite word ever. I love sleep. It is my life saver these days.
Best moment this week: Having more and more breaks from morning sickness YAY!!! And, probably waking up this morning to Mitch rubbing my belly and saying, "I love your little bump... look it even hangs when you're laying on your side!"
Movement: Nope none yet.
Food cravings: Junk food... I am happy to say I haven't caved in yet, but I've been craving pizza, a big mac and french fries from Mc. D's... and OOOOoooo Chinese food... those noodles and veggies, fried rice, egg rolls and plum sauce, and of course chicken balls with sweet and sour sauce. MmMMmMm.
Food aversions: Not really at this point... I still do better with cold foods than I do with hot foods, but that's slowly changing :)
Gender: I have no idea yet. I want a girl, Mitch wants a boy, but we'll both be happy with whatever we end up with as long as he/she is healthy. (Ditto from last week)
Labor signs: No, thank the Lord.
Belly Button in or out? Innie
What I miss: Feeling capable... for the last little while I've felt incapable of doing even the most menial household tasks.
What I am looking forward to: Seeing the new stroller and car seat that got delivered this morning (it's at home, and I'm at work).... and then the 2nd, and hopefully final, ultrasound appointment on October 19th.... that's when we get to find out if it's a boy or a girl, and we can finally stop calling this baby "The grape" or "The plum" etc.
Weekly wisdom: Continue to eat, eat, eat :)
Milestones: The bump is showing a little
