It's been a week of ups and downs!
Over the past few days we have told our siblings the news. My sister Ellie is a nurse. She was please to hear the news, but also knows that we are still a while off the 'safe' time yet, so is cautiously optimistic. My other sister Becca was very excited, I could practically see her jumping through the phone! Tims sister and my brother Keygan were both excited too, Keygan more than I expected, which was nice.
I want to make sure I continue playing basketball as long as I can, since that's really my only regular exercise at this point. Basketball was cancelled this week unfortunately, but we kept our dinner date with our good friends Tom & Megan. I was glad we'd told our siblings, because Tom had picked up within 5 minutes of dinner! I called another good friend Eri yesterday to share the news with her. She is currently 30 weeks pregnant, so has a pretty good idea of what I'm dealing with! We had a good chat on the phone and I felt much better with her knowing. Two of my cousins have also have babies recently, so it won't be long before I share with them.
My morning sickness definitely isn't getting any better yet, in fact Tim actually thinks it's getting worse. There have been a couple of mornings this week where I've been sick multiple times. If I have a good day, I'll get a few hours in the afternoon where I feel ok. At this stage I'm very much taking things one day at a time. I'm just eating whatever I can get down and really trying to make sure I get enough fluids into me!
So far as work is concerned, I don't think I'll be able to go much longer without letting my boss know. Apart from anything else, I want her to start organising someone who can step in if things get worse. Work mornings I skip my laxatives, so I avoid the whole tummy massage thing, which seems to be the main trigger for my vomiting. It's been working so far, but I'm not sure how long it will continue to work for.
I've booked in my dating scan for the week after next, so I'm looking forward to that. I also have an appointment with Dr H booked for the week after that, but I think I'm going to go see my GP about going public. I just can't justify the thousands of dollars it's going to cost me, for such a small return. Since I'll be classed high risk, I'm going to be seeing Dr H and Dr D anyway!
So in summary, I feel like crap, but at least I have a couple of people I can talk to about it now and I can stop lying to my sisters every time they ask how I've been!
Saturday, 14 November 2015
Sunday, 8 November 2015
6.5 weeks
Another week in and I'm not getting any better. In fact, if you count the fact I've started vomiting, I've actually got worse. I know that morning sickness isn't a para specific problem, but this is about my whole experience, so you get all the 'normal'stuff too. The past couple of days have been particularly horrible. I had had a couple of big days and late nights, so I don't know if that has made my morning sickness even worse.
What was that show/movie where the women said "why do they call it morning sickness, when it hits you at every god damn minute of the day?" I've been trying to think of it all week!
Basically, if I'm having a good day, the nausea will leave me mid afternoon. I've had no appetite. I've managed most mornings to have a piece of toast, although I've gone off vegemite after having vomited it up twice. Anything I do eat is very plain and mostly just carbs, although I did make some vegetable and chicken soup a couple of days ago. I'm sick of it, but trying to get a least a small bowl of that down each day.
Dr H called me last week. She had got my results from my blood test and has given me a referral for a dating scan, since their machines are all upstairs. I need to go do that in a couple of weeks, once the pregnancy is big enough to see properly. She also spoke to me about baclofen, saying that the case studies she's been reading up on have all been exposed to huge doses, up to 200mg daily, so my taking 10-20mg a day is a very low risk. She also gave me the heads up on B6 and ginger for my morning sickness. I knew about ginger but of course had completely forgotten about it!
I read a study a few months ago, saying they had disproved baby brain, that it doesn't exist, which I found interesting at the time. Yeah, I'm calling bullshit on that! I'd lose my head at the moment if it wasn't screwed on!
I'm finding myself a bit conflicted at the moment. I know it's sensible to keep things quiet at the moment, that once the news gets out I get a whole new identity, but at the same time, I'm feeling so lonely. Tim has been really good, but he cannot possibly understand what this feels like, in the way I couldn't two months ago. I desperately want to talk about it, for others to understand what I'm going through, but it's really hard when the only two women I can talk to about it at the moment is my mum and Tims. Both of whom are busy women with a lot going on in their own lives at the moment.
We have decided to tell our siblings after the dating scan, so I guess it's only a couple of weeks before it will be out! And the rate I've been going lately, I'll only be awake for one of them anyway!
What was that show/movie where the women said "why do they call it morning sickness, when it hits you at every god damn minute of the day?" I've been trying to think of it all week!
Basically, if I'm having a good day, the nausea will leave me mid afternoon. I've had no appetite. I've managed most mornings to have a piece of toast, although I've gone off vegemite after having vomited it up twice. Anything I do eat is very plain and mostly just carbs, although I did make some vegetable and chicken soup a couple of days ago. I'm sick of it, but trying to get a least a small bowl of that down each day.
Dr H called me last week. She had got my results from my blood test and has given me a referral for a dating scan, since their machines are all upstairs. I need to go do that in a couple of weeks, once the pregnancy is big enough to see properly. She also spoke to me about baclofen, saying that the case studies she's been reading up on have all been exposed to huge doses, up to 200mg daily, so my taking 10-20mg a day is a very low risk. She also gave me the heads up on B6 and ginger for my morning sickness. I knew about ginger but of course had completely forgotten about it!
I read a study a few months ago, saying they had disproved baby brain, that it doesn't exist, which I found interesting at the time. Yeah, I'm calling bullshit on that! I'd lose my head at the moment if it wasn't screwed on!
I'm finding myself a bit conflicted at the moment. I know it's sensible to keep things quiet at the moment, that once the news gets out I get a whole new identity, but at the same time, I'm feeling so lonely. Tim has been really good, but he cannot possibly understand what this feels like, in the way I couldn't two months ago. I desperately want to talk about it, for others to understand what I'm going through, but it's really hard when the only two women I can talk to about it at the moment is my mum and Tims. Both of whom are busy women with a lot going on in their own lives at the moment.
We have decided to tell our siblings after the dating scan, so I guess it's only a couple of weeks before it will be out! And the rate I've been going lately, I'll only be awake for one of them anyway!
5.5 weeks
What a difference a week makes! I can't say I've really enjoyed the past few days.
We arranged dinner last Thursday to tell our parents, but ended up telling Tim's mum the day before as she was going away and couldn't make it. The next night we told Tim's dad and both of my parents. It was so good to be able to tell mum and talk to her about what was going on. I mean she's been through this before, so she knows what I'm going through and what to expect. Although I'm really kee to tell my sisters, I know she's right that once people know, it stops being about Tim and I and will become all about the baby. This is our last chance to be selfish, to just be us.
Everything was going fine until I told my mother-in-law I was sleeping well and I told my mum I hadn't been feeling sick. So now of course, I've been proved wrong on both counts! Add to that my post pranial hypotension, and I've spent the last week bouncing between three different versions of awful. I did have a few hours reprieve yesterday afternoon which was lovely and gave me a chance to catch up on some of the neglected housework. I'm pulling out every trick I can think of to get around the fatigue/exhaustion.
At least I'm not vomiting I guess. Although, judging on my previous week, I'm about to start, now that I've said it out loud. I'm just feeling 'off'' all the time, though drinking bubbly drinks and burping lots makes me feel better, even if it isn't the most ladylike behaviour.
I'm currently only working one day a week, that day being tomorrow. Saturday I was wondering how the hell I'm meant to manage that, but after yesterday I'm feeling a bit more encouraged about it. I've also picked up a bit this afternoon. So I'll go in tomorrow and see how I go. If it is too much, I'll have to let them know I'm not going to be available. I did speak to my boss a few months ago to let her know we would be trying for a baby soon and I really didn't know how long I would be able to keep working when it did happen. You would think I could manage one day a week!
I've been in contact with my para mum in Victoria this week again, asking her some more questions that have come up, like how she was effected from a mobility perspective and with catheters and so on. While her circumstances are slightly different to mine, it's very handy to bounce ideas and questions off her.
I haven't heard from the doctors yet, though I didn't really expect to. I don't imagine they will be scanning or anythign for at least a few weeks yet. I know if we want to test for downs syndrome, they will take a blood test at around 9 weeks, so we need to decide if we want to do that. I also need to decide if I want to go public or private. From what I've heard from others, it isn't going to make much of a difference for me. As I'm a high risk patient, I'll be attended to by the OB's anyway and the two that work at the hospital are Dr H and Dr D.
Hopefully I will work out how to deal with these symptoms over the next couple of weeks and I can start enjoying this a bit more!
We arranged dinner last Thursday to tell our parents, but ended up telling Tim's mum the day before as she was going away and couldn't make it. The next night we told Tim's dad and both of my parents. It was so good to be able to tell mum and talk to her about what was going on. I mean she's been through this before, so she knows what I'm going through and what to expect. Although I'm really kee to tell my sisters, I know she's right that once people know, it stops being about Tim and I and will become all about the baby. This is our last chance to be selfish, to just be us.
Everything was going fine until I told my mother-in-law I was sleeping well and I told my mum I hadn't been feeling sick. So now of course, I've been proved wrong on both counts! Add to that my post pranial hypotension, and I've spent the last week bouncing between three different versions of awful. I did have a few hours reprieve yesterday afternoon which was lovely and gave me a chance to catch up on some of the neglected housework. I'm pulling out every trick I can think of to get around the fatigue/exhaustion.
At least I'm not vomiting I guess. Although, judging on my previous week, I'm about to start, now that I've said it out loud. I'm just feeling 'off'' all the time, though drinking bubbly drinks and burping lots makes me feel better, even if it isn't the most ladylike behaviour.
I'm currently only working one day a week, that day being tomorrow. Saturday I was wondering how the hell I'm meant to manage that, but after yesterday I'm feeling a bit more encouraged about it. I've also picked up a bit this afternoon. So I'll go in tomorrow and see how I go. If it is too much, I'll have to let them know I'm not going to be available. I did speak to my boss a few months ago to let her know we would be trying for a baby soon and I really didn't know how long I would be able to keep working when it did happen. You would think I could manage one day a week!
I've been in contact with my para mum in Victoria this week again, asking her some more questions that have come up, like how she was effected from a mobility perspective and with catheters and so on. While her circumstances are slightly different to mine, it's very handy to bounce ideas and questions off her.
I haven't heard from the doctors yet, though I didn't really expect to. I don't imagine they will be scanning or anythign for at least a few weeks yet. I know if we want to test for downs syndrome, they will take a blood test at around 9 weeks, so we need to decide if we want to do that. I also need to decide if I want to go public or private. From what I've heard from others, it isn't going to make much of a difference for me. As I'm a high risk patient, I'll be attended to by the OB's anyway and the two that work at the hospital are Dr H and Dr D.
Hopefully I will work out how to deal with these symptoms over the next couple of weeks and I can start enjoying this a bit more!
4.5 weeks
So it turns out my original expectations were closer to my readjusted ones! I was due to get my period Saturday and managed to hold out until Monday to do a pregnancy test. I hadn't even finished peeing and it was showing positive!
I called up to see my GP, Dr G, but he was away, so I went to see one of the other doctors at my clinic. I was feeling a bit guilty for leaving for leaving him out of the loop, but I wasn't waiting til the end of the week. (I did email him to make sure he knew).
The doctor I saw instead ordered a blood test to confirm and went through all the basics, what foods to avoid etc, but between Dr G and Dr H, I think we had covered it all already. I called yesterday and the blood test confirmed it, pregnant 4-5 weeks! If we go off the date I got my last period, then it's five weeks tomorrow.
So far I've only told the two doctors and the dog. I'm bursting inside!! We have both sets of parents coming over for dinner tomorrow so we can tell them. I think Tim would rather keep it to ourselves a bit longer, but I need to tell Mum. And I can't tell her without telling the other three, so all the parents it is! I'm dying to tell my sisters, but our parents come first.
I think one of the reasons Tim wants to wait is because of the increased risk of miscarriage. That is the exact reason I need to tell Mum. If I do, I need her to know about it. Tim is wonderful and very supportive, but I need more than him if this pregnancy doesn't stick.
And so the adventure really begins!!!
I called up to see my GP, Dr G, but he was away, so I went to see one of the other doctors at my clinic. I was feeling a bit guilty for leaving for leaving him out of the loop, but I wasn't waiting til the end of the week. (I did email him to make sure he knew).
The doctor I saw instead ordered a blood test to confirm and went through all the basics, what foods to avoid etc, but between Dr G and Dr H, I think we had covered it all already. I called yesterday and the blood test confirmed it, pregnant 4-5 weeks! If we go off the date I got my last period, then it's five weeks tomorrow.
So far I've only told the two doctors and the dog. I'm bursting inside!! We have both sets of parents coming over for dinner tomorrow so we can tell them. I think Tim would rather keep it to ourselves a bit longer, but I need to tell Mum. And I can't tell her without telling the other three, so all the parents it is! I'm dying to tell my sisters, but our parents come first.
I think one of the reasons Tim wants to wait is because of the increased risk of miscarriage. That is the exact reason I need to tell Mum. If I do, I need her to know about it. Tim is wonderful and very supportive, but I need more than him if this pregnancy doesn't stick.
And so the adventure really begins!!!
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