Pregnancy: 14 Weeks 08/30/09

Today marks my transition from the first to second trimester.  In all the literature this is cause for celebration because it means that your chance of miscarriage greatly decreases.  It’s also supposed to mean the start of feeling amazing, although that hasn’t kicked in yet.  I have had my good days and bad days. Here’s how I’m feeling:

Crampy.  I have been swimming and doing yoga and walking which helps (did I mention that last week? I can’t remember, I’m losing my mind).  I really thought that I would get a reprieve from any menstrual symptoms but apparently not.

Big.  In the last couple days I have popped out and it has even caused me to pop some buttons.  I had to buy a skirt today at REI that just has a wide elastic waistband because all of my pants have become tight.  The button of my shorts went careening through the air at the store today and I had to hold them up for the rest of the day.  I don’t have any sweatpants but I have some Lululemon pants that I think will work for awhile and I’ll probably go to a second hand store and buy some boy jeans.  Maternity clothes don’t appeal to me at all and if Souris can get away without buying any maternity wear save for a pair of jeans, so can I.

Headaches. I got a doozy a week ago and I got another bad one yesterday.  Nothing really fixes it except time.  I imagine it’s the hormones because I haven’t experiences ones like this before.  I learned a couple of techniques at Prenatal Yoga today that I will try out and I have some tea that is supposed to help relax me.

Constipated. I never ever thought it would happen to me. FFFFFFUUUUUU

Still addicted to eggs. I’m over milkshakes though because I had the worst stomach ache of my life the other night after eating popcorn with butter and then a caprese sandwich.  It lasted all night and I think it was all the dairy or fat or something.  I can’t really think of any foods that I absolutely must have.  I get super super hungry but then I eat and I can’t finish everything. It’s a bit strange and annoying.

Thirsty as heck.  I have bottles of water everywhere because I hate the taste of the Brita water. I know I know, I’m horrible. But hey, you want me to be dehydrated?

Out of breath.  I’ve been having a hard time breathing really deep and sometimes I get out breath when walking up the stairs.  I’m not a ton heavier than I was, so It’s gotta be hormones or something.

I think that’s about it for how I feel.  In other news, I met someone at my Prenatal Yoga class today that has the exact same due date as me. How random.  She is super tiny and you can’t even tell she’s pregnant and then I look at myself and I have this bulge like I’m 20 weeks pregnant.  Krikey. Also, my cousin’s wife is due 2 weeks after me.  This is pretty cool because me and him are a month apart and there are pics of us crawling around together. It would be fun if our kids could do the same.

We are leaving in a week for SE Asia and I’m excited. I know I have to be cautious and ensure on the long plane ride I get up all the time and drink tons of water.  I’m well traveled so I’m not going to eat or do something that will be dangerous.  I will of course have Sean and Jason at my beckon call so I’m sure everything will be amazing.

That’s it.  Yaay second trimester!

Filed under: pregnancy, 14 weeks, second trimester

Pregnancy: 13 weeks 08/23/09

I have a stupidly bad memory and now that my little secret is out, I’m going to journal my experience carrying Sean’s spawn so if I ever “decide” to do this again I can kick myself in the head.  My books all seem to give me a weekly play by play so I will do the same.  A new week starts for me every Sunday and tomorrow I will be 13 weeks.

So far, I have felt pretty dang sick every day.  Not throwing up, but just constantly nauseous. I understand feeling shitty is actually a good thing in terms of how the pregnancy is going.  How sweet, the shittier you feel, the happier the baby is.

I get lots of mild cramps. Apparently my uterus is getting bigger, its about grapefruit size now.  For some reason all the books measure things in fruit, it’s kind of turned me off of it. Maybe they should have picked desserts so we all stop craving those. Mmm, my uterus is the same size as 2 scoops of ice cream. Gross.  Anyway, I was kind of nervous about the cramps b/c it can also mean miscarriage, but I didn’t have any other signs of that (blood) so that was all good.

My snot is different. I’m serious.  It’s a different color and consistency now.  I wake up and its plugging my nose.  No idea on this other than apparently getting stuffed up is common.

Some things taste super horrible to me now, namely the water in our Brita containers.  Sean changed the filters but it still tastes really like metal to me now.  I have to drink it flavored or have bottled water which I feel guilty about.

I absolutely love milkshakes.  I used to have them on occasion for a treat, but now I want them all the time. Oh that and Green Tea Frapuccinos from Starbucks. Can’t get enough.  I’m only supposed to be consuming 300 extra calories so these desires are not helping me try to pack the weight on slowly.

I think I smell different. Or I just get smellier faster. I used to be able to shower every other day no problem, but now I feel like I need to shower a couple times a day.  And its this musky smell that I’m not familiar with.

I’m getting over being really tired now, and instead can’t sleep very well. I wake up all during the night and don’t feel like I get into a deep sleep until after 5 or 6 which sucks because I keep getting up later and later for work.

I got this stupidly bad tension headache two days ago and it won’t go away.  I have had them before but never for this long.  I got a massage, relaxed, rested, got a mani pedi, drank lots of water, etc.  I read that all the extra hormones can contribute to it, so I suppose that’s the deal.  Just sucks because I’m dealing with all this other stuff and it makes me feel like I can’t function.

My boobs are gigantic. We are talking triple Ds. Ya. Apparently they just keep getting bigger and bigger and don’t stop until 3 weeks after I give birth. I’m scared because like, that means I have 30 more weeks to go. Am I going to end up an F? An XX? In addition to the size, my nipples totally look different.  I really don’t understand why all these changes have to happen so fast when I have 6 months to go.

I have a bit of a belly.  I have gained a few pounds so I think it must be bloating or something because there is no way I should be this fat.  The books say that some people will have gained  few pounds so I think I’m OK.  My pants aren’t fitting me very well, but again the book says that might start happening around this time so I’m not super paranoid.  I have been exercising – swimming, biking, walking, etc.  Not as much as I want to, and now that I’m starting to feel a bit better I will do it more.  I am paranoid to end up stupidly overweight, I just want to gain the normal weight so it doesn’t take forever to take it off.  I see women around Venice all the time that are hugely pregnant but also fit.  I want to be that way too.

I’m not going to lie, so far I am not enjoying this at all. The books say that when you go into your second trimester you start to feel great, then in your third you start to feel crappy again, so I will cherish the next 90 days.

As for the baby, in week 13:

• fingerprints have formed
• veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin
• body is starting to catch up with her head
• the baby is almost 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce
• baby’s intestines are migrating from the umbilical cord into his or her abdomen
• it’s liver begins to secret bile
• all twenty baby teeth have formed and are waiting under the gums
• it has begun to practice swallowing by taking in the surrounding amniotic fluid and passing it back into the amniotic sac through his urine
• it can now smile and his vocal cords are quickly developing, too.
• it’s beginning to look a little more human and less like an alien, as his eyes move closer together and the ears begin moving to what will be their normal position.

Filed under: pregnancy, 13 weeks

Baby Bonner: Online Feb 2010

I never thought that I would ever be writing these words, “I’m pregnant.” Yep, Sean Bonner and I are going to have a baby. I wrote a post awhile ago explaining that I have advanced ovarian endometriosis in addition to hypothyroidism and I was told by two different doctors that specialize in fertility that I had about a 1% chance of conceiving naturally. I guess I should have gone for that third opinion because they were both wrong (note to self, contact them and let them know the good news).

As per my post I did make some health changes.  I ate vegan for a little while, but found it too challenging, so I essentially am vegetarian but will indulge in seafood now and again.  I stopped eating dairy for the most part and started drinking rice and almond milk instead.  I upped my veggie and fruit consumption and of course don’t eat meat.  I don’t know if it made any difference or if it was Sean’s Superman Sperm, but we bucked the odds.  I still have endometriosis, but I am told that it might retreat during the course of my pregnancy.

Finding out I was pregnant was a MAJOR shock to both of us.  I had been feeling really crummy and attributed it to my endometriosis and made an appointment to see the doctor.  It was a couple of days before I went to see him that I took the pregnancy test and it was positive.  I started laughing because it was just too unbelievable to me.

Sean and I talked about kids in the sense that one day if we both wanted them we would look at adoption, but it was a very infrequent conversation. Neither one of us goes gaga for kids and I don’t have a ticking clock going off.  In fact, we had just started discussing a year long trip around the world. Getting pregnant was not something we planned or even thought we could plan.  All I wanted from trying to beat my endo was to not be in so much pain and to take back the choice to have kids so that if I decided to, I could.

Despite our apprehension with the situation, we went to the OB-GYN and sure enough, there was the little blob with the flicking heartbeat.  I’m put in the “high risk” category because I turn 35 in November but we just finished some screening tests and the doc said the baby looks healthy.  I decided to let people know after this doctor visit because let me tell you, keeping this secret at work when you are sick and tired is the hardest thing I have ever done.  I am so thankful to my boss whose wife is pregnant because I finally broke down and told him and he immediately started giving me info on doulas (I heart you Bob Moz!).

I am also very thankful to the people who have been supportive of me and it’s nice to know I have friends that are also pregnant or recently gave birth so I can inundate them with questions and be part of another club.  Of course I am the most thankful to my dude Sean who is very supportive despite being incredibly freaked out.  Didn’t we just get married? 🙂

So ya, I’m pregnant, and I’m super scared and nervous but I also have little moments of excitement.  I mean, who wouldn’t want Sean Bonner to be the father to their kid?  He’s badass, adventurous, loves cute things, has a bunch of rad toys, and is pretty dang smart.  I know everyone thinks that their baby is a miracle, but I honestly really think that.  The baby is due on Sean’s birthday in late February and in the Year of the Tiger which is the same as my Chinese Zodiac.  I think that just puts a cherry on top.

Filed under: life, pregnancy, holy shit