Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The Heart Beat!

Today was a miraculous day, as far as being pregnant goes.  Well, maybe yesterday was more of the miracle.  Let's start with that...
All weekend I was pretty much on my deathbed.  I told Mark that I was convinced if something didn't change that this pregnancy might kill me.  I was so sick and couldn't eat, drink, or even really move.  I was exhausted from throwing up, and even water made me feel sick.  So yesterday after only an hour at work I made the decision that something HAD TO change.  So I text Mark to come and get me and take me to the Naval Hospital ER.  Being the awesome husband he is, he did it.  By 10 a.m. I was in the truck and we were on our way.  I began to feel like I was being dramatic and maybe I shouldn't go to the ER.  But then I had to hop out of the truck to go and throw up in the grass.  That settled it for me, I was going in.  In less than 30 minutes I was on an ER bed and waiting for the doctor.  He told me my chest pains were heartburn (which I figured) and that he could prescribe me Zofran for the nausea and vomiting.  I had already taken a Zofran from the RN and two Tums, so I was already feeling better by the time I saw him.  So by 11 a.m. I was in the waiting area to pick up my prescriptions.  I chose to go home and get some more rest before trying work again the next day.

So now for today!  This morning we had our first ultrasound.  I spent 30 minutes filling out all the paperwork (yeah, a lot of it).  After I finished they almost immediately called me back.  Yay for early morning appointments!  She started by taking some pictures of what looked like nothing.  And soon enough I could see our little itty bitty baby!  She showed us the heart beat and I started crying like the emotional woman I am.  And then we could HEAR the heartbeat!  I let a few more tears out.  Mark wiped one away and held my hand while she took some pictures.  In the end we got 3 pictures to take home with us.  She told us the heart beat was strong and steady.  I am so relieved to know that everything is okay.  It was such a rough weekend and I wasn't sure that we were going to be okay. But alas!  Our baby is a strong little guy (or girl!).  The RN prescribed me some Prenatals and after picking them up I came back to work.  I have managed to eat a cheeseburger and fries and yogurt and chicken noodle soup all before 3 p.m.  I'm slightly nauseous right now, but I have juice in the car so that should be solved in about 10  minutes when I leave to go home.

I have another appointment on 21st of this month for more blood work and peeing in a cup again.  Hopefully this good feeling keeps up and my food stays down.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Cheerios, Combos, and Cheese

So today is the first day in almost two weeks that I haven't once felt sick at work.  I haven't felt completely normal (pretty sure those days are gone forever), but pretty darn good.  I woke up and have been timid all day because I keep waiting for that sneaking feeling to sink back in.  I skipped the shower this morning since the hot water usually induces nausea faster than smelling my coworker's lunch.  Maybe that's what helped.  Maybe it was the Powerade I drank last night.  Maybe it was the bit of pork chop I ate.  Or maybe it's just my body working out this whole baby thing.  Either way, I'm feeling pretty positive about my prospects.  Which is good because Monday I was pretty convinced this baby was trying to kill me before it could even sprout a nose.

So going back to the past week...  I spent the majority of my time sitting at my desk at work thinking about throwing up, or actually being in the bathroom bent over the toilet thinking at any second my food/drink was coming up.  Usually nothing happened except a lot of icky  noises.  A couple times I did actually get sick, which really sucks.  But more than anything I just wanted to be able to eat like I did just a few weeks ago when I first found out.  It just hasn't happened for me.  I have been told to eat more healthy or that I wasn't eating enough, by someone who knew I was pregnant.  I wanted to punch that person because until you've been there, you can't fully understand.  Do you tell a person with a stomach bug to eat more or that the chicken soup they had has too much sodium in it?  No.  Why would you mess with the pregnant girl still in her first trimester?  I hope you are fortunate enough not to have morning sickness, but heaven forbid you do I will be more sympathetic to you than you were to me.  It's cruel to tell a pregnant woman she isn't eating right when that's already a top concern.  You think I'm not worried that my baby isn't getting the right nutrients?  I wouldn't force down TWO horse pills every night if I wasn't concerned.

Most people who know right now have been very supportive.  And even the person mentioned above is extremely supportive.  She offers me advice not to be patronizing, but just to try to be helpful.  I don't think she realizes that we can't all eat organic and homemade meals all the time.  It just isn't feasible when I don't have the energy to make a baked potato for myself (thanks Mark!), let alone stomach standing over a stove for an hour or more making a meal.  And poor Mark has taken to doing the dishes, laundry, and cooking.  If he does anymore I might have to pay him, even if I am married to the man.

So why the title?  My favorite food is possibly Cheerios.  It always goes down well, I never have an aversion to it, and I never feel like I might throw it up.  Combos are a close second.  They have cracker, cheese, and salt.  Much better tasting than saltines.  Cheese was put in there because it began with C and I can kind of stomach it.  I prefer milk though.  Dairy is very calming to my stomach in small doses.  I'm contemplating trying yogurt since it's supposed to be good for tummies too. Just need to be careful to find one with low sugar since spiking my blood sugar is just as bad as it bottoming out.  Little things I've learned about myself. 

My ultimate comfort food seems to be KFC.  I eat there once a week.  Their mashed potatoes are sooo good and easy to eat.  Their mac n' cheese is pretty decent too.  But their biscuits... Oh man, good.  Second to cheddar bay biscuits (which I'm sure I couldn't eat now since they have garlic).  Speaking of garlic, what a huge aversion!  The smell alone is enough to send me running.  I haven't figured out a tactful way to tell my coworker not to put it in her food she brings for lunch.  I really like her and don't want her to think otherwise just because the smell of her lunch makes ill.

So next Tuesday is the first ultrasound!  Mark and I are very psyched up about it.  The huge bummer lies in the fact that it's scheduled to be 4 hours long.  I'm going to have to pack half the kitchen to survive.  It should be interesting.  But we get to see our little baby's heartbeat and find out how far along I actually am!  I swear my stomach grew last night, and not just bloating.  I think it actually grew!  I told Mark I'm convinced I'm 1 or 2 weeks ahead of what my calculations say I am.  Tomorrow would be my 8 week mark, but I think it's more like 9 or 10.  I mean, my home pregnancy test was so positive so fast!  I could the positive line before the control line, that's how positive it was.  We'll see though!

Updates next week after the ultrasound!