Week 9 and 2 days

Yuk, yuk and more yuk.  I am sick.  Yesterday I spent almost the whole day sleeping.  I had so much to do and I just bailed on it all.  I couldn't function. I got dizzy at Target and decided it was time to go home.  I just have so much indigestion and heartburn and diarreah.  I am tired all the time and really have to be strategic about how much I try and do in any given day. 

My friend miscarried this week.  She was 21 weeks along.  I just am so mad and depressed about it.  My heart breaks for her.  I have another friend who is not quite five weeks and she is so scared, she has had 6 miscarriages.  I just don't know how she has kept on going.

My list of symptoms -
--hips are killing me
--sleeping okay at night, but really tired all day
--nausea and dizziness but no vomiting
--headaches
--stuffy nose, some bleeding when brushing teeth
--diarreah
--gas!
--super smelling powers
--massive amounts of mouth watering
--hot
--huge boobs, not really sore anymore
--tummy getting big
--rest of body getting big

Week 7 - First Doctor's Visit

Today I woke up spotting, great.  I was pretty calm about it.  With Jac I had lots of spotting and it never developed into anything.  I don't feel any more crampy than I have been, pretty much the same.  I may have a little less nausea than I did a few days ago - but I definitely still "feel" pregnant. 

So I went to the doctor's and had to tell them I was pregnant.  Lovely.  They had no communication between the person who had booked my appointment and the doctor's assistant.  But after that was all cleared up it was a good visit, just sort of backwards.  I got blood taken, right in the office, which was lovely.  I peed in a cup.  And then they sent me for an ultrasound because I was spotting.

The doctor also talked to me about genetic counseling.  So basically you sit down with someone and they run tests and look at your history and sort of prep you for anything that could go wrong.  Not really my cup of tea, but it is best to be prepared for the baby's sake.  So I will do that in week 12 along with a comprehensive ultrasound called a "first look", and insurance pays for this because I am 35, woohoo.

I went to the ultrasound office, which was just down the hall from the doctor's.  They got me right in and did the test.  Everything looked great and I got see the baby and the heartbeat.  Lovely.  It is sort of what I needed to make it feel more real.  I am still in the "what in the world have I done" phase and definitely haven't entered the "I am so excited about this" phase.  So this was nice.  And to see only one in there was great too, no twins. 

So far so good, feeling a little bit better.  Hoping that by week 10 or 11 I am free and clear of the  nausea.  The spotting seems to have disapated.  Next appointment in 4 weeks.

Week 6 Almost Over

Oh, how I hate week 6.  The beginning of symptoms - lots of symptoms. 

--Am tossing and turning and not sleeping great.  I have busted out all the pillows and my husband has to dig around to find me through them all.
--I am sick to my stomach or have indigestion all the time.  Before I eat, after eat and everything in between.  The only time I feel truly good is while I am eating.  So I try to eat all the time.  I burp and fart, it is terrible.
--I drop everything.  My dexterity is terrible. Very clumsy, but for right now it is just my hands, I haven't fallen down or anything.
--Exhaustion comes and goes.  Mostly it comes. 
--Crabbiness and plain "I don't care about anything" ness.  My friend equated it to depression, it really is.

Oh the joys of pregnancy.  Jac keeps asking me why I don't feel good, we are seriously needing to tell these children.  (Just so I can complain more openly.)

I go to the doctor on Thursday for the first time. 

Symptoms Here - Week 6

Today I got some real symptoms, darn it.  So in general things have been smooth, no issues.  I basically think that all of the symptoms I have had were just my head messing with me.  But today, wow, nausea.  Yuk.  I was doing okay, maybe a little fatigued and this afternoon after doing some chores I HAD to eat an orange.  So I ate an orange and it helped the nausea a little, but then I laid down for about 30 minutes and that helped me a lot.  I was pretty good after an hour or so. 

So now I am worried I am going to have this happen every afternoon.  It is going to get rough. 

I also am starting to have some dreams and not sleep so great.  Just sort of tossing and turning, which generally doesn't happen to me.  I usually sleep like a log whenever my kids are up in the middle of the night.  So we'll see.

My sister is here this week and she is wanting me to stop drinking caffeine.  Which I think is a good idea in theory, it just may hurt which I am not prepared for.  But tomorrow would be the day to do it as I don't have anything at all going on and the kids are at school all day.  So we'll see, I think I already said that.

Prego - Week 5

You heard it!  I am pregnant.  I totally didn't think I was last week.  I was convinced because I started!  I wouldn't I think that I wasn't.  Well, I did the same thing that I did with my daughter, I had implantation bleeding for 3 days.  This mimicked my standard period as I generally spot early.  But one thing was different, I stopped.  I completely quit bleeding on day 4.  That was strange.  I had some constipation also on that day which is highly unusual for me. The next day, day 5 of my supposed period there was nothing, no blood again.  So I took a test, and bam, I am prego.  No doubt about it.

So, my due date according to my calculation is November 17, although I will definitely let the doctor give me an official one.  I am so excited that I will have an October or November baby.  I tend to go early, 1 week early with my son and 4 weeks early with my daughter, so it isn't unrealistic to think that I will have an October baby.   Although of course I want to go full term, both babies were perfect with great Apgar's even though they were early.

So here we go.  So far at the end of week four, tomorrow is Day 1 of week 5, I have no other symptoms.  Maybe a little more hunger and I was a little naseaus the other day when I ate too quickly, really no other symptoms. 

Day 21 - Third Day with Elevated Temp

I am actually not sure if it is day 21 or day 18.  I am now beginning to wonder if my spotting actually counted as day 1 of my cycle or not.  I didn't ovulate until day 16, and with a short cycle that seems odd.  But if it was actually day 13, that totally makes sense.  Regardless, I ovulated.  I believe it was Friday, could have been Saturday.  I have had an elevated temp since Sunday, so for three days. 

I just have to wait 15 more days to officially declare I am prego - or not.  I should start in 7 to 10 days depending on the whole starting date of cycle issue.  We'll see. (Honestly, don't feel like I am.  But it would be only four days post conception.)

Day 13 of Cycle - Gearing Up

Over the weekend I got to sleep in and I had a temperature that was higher than usual.  It came in at 98 degrees, whereas normally I am around 97.6 degrees.  I thought, holy cow, I am ovulating early.  But it was just because I slept in.  That extra two hours of sleep let my body temp rise .4 degrees.  So I went ahead and looked online at how big of a jump to expect when ovulating.

So the shift actually happens after ovulation by a day or two although it should start climbing immediately after.  And the shift is only .4 to .6 degrees.  I am also looking for the cervical mucus to indicate that I am in a fertile time period. 

So over the next couple of days, I should begin to see an increase in mucus and then by Friday I should see an increase in temperature. 

Day 8 of Cycle - Same old, Same old

Which is fine, there should be nothing exciting happening on day 8 of your cycle.  Just come off of my period and gearing up for the midmonth "work".  I am taking my temperature every morning.  I have been running at 97.8 or 97.9 degrees.  I should be up .4 to .5 degrees when I ovulate. 

We were talking tonight about how the kids still aren't quite sure about the whole "baby in the belly" thing and how all that works.  Jac at one point this summer said something to the effect of Mommy was in Daddy's belly, Jac was in my belly and Mia was in his belly.  Sort of psuedo Russian dolls.  Of one thing he is sure, he definitely came out of my belly.  How the rest of us got here, well we may never know.

Day 5 of Cycle - Started Basal Temp Readings

Yesterday was a good day.  I finally was fully convinced that I was not pregnant.  I started my period more fully, no more just spotting so of course that helped.  I also got some cramps, also a good sign.  I began to feel normal as the day wore on, very good.

This morning I started taking my basal temperature.  It was 97.9 degrees.  I run very cool during the first part of my cycle.  I started taking my temperature, maybe,  a year before I wanted to get pregnant the first time.  I had it in my head that it would be very difficult and I wanted to set myself up for success.

I tracked my temperature for a long time and it really helped me get to know my body.  It is good that I am doing this again.  I will get a better feel for my cycle as it stands now, because it has definitely changed since my first pregnancy. It is shorter and less predictable.  I will have a  little more assurance that I am ovulating because of the temperature swing.  All very good things. 

Day 4 of cycle - Feel Odd

I just feel odd.  The test was negative and I don't feel pregnant, but I do feel odd.  Next month I am going to assume that I have two fertile days.  One when I would normally ovulate and one when I could have a lunar ovulation. 

This is kind of odd and not widely accepted.  The theory is that you can ovulate any time during your cycle with the phase of the moon that you were born under.  I do think you have to be actively trying to conceive in order to spur your body to ovulate again.  I was born on a full moon, so I have a chance of ovulating everytime there is a full moon.  This month that will be on the 18th day of my cycle, which would be much later than a normal ovulation.  So we are going to give it a go on that day also.

The other thing that I am going to do is take my temperature.  This is helpful because it will keep me from spending too much money on tests.  I did take my second test this morning, because I just hadn't really started yet and sort of still had it my head that I was bleeding from implantation and the test just couldn't detect my hormone levels yet.  So with taking my temperature I will see the drop in temp and know that I am not pregnant even if I don't have a full blown period, just spotting.

The key with temperature taking is consistency.  I have to take it in the morning, before I get out of bed to get my basal temperature.  Then when it goes up, that means that I am ovulating or close to ovulating.  It will only go up a half of a degree or so.  Then it should stay elevated until the end of the cycle when it will either stay elevated because I am pregnant or it will drop because I will start my period.

So I am going to do both of these different things in February to see if we can have a successful month!  We'll see.

Day 28 of cycle - Negative Test

So I woke up early this morning to pee on a stick and got the old "your not pregnant" result.  No big deal, I think.  Maybe after six months of this I won't be so laissez faire, but today it is really okay.  We get to try again and this will mean an October or November baby which is very good.  I am not sure what will happen if we go two months without getting pregnant because I am not so sure I want a December baby.  But at some point I guess I will "take what I get and not throw a fit". 

So next month, I don't really have major things that I will change.  Potentially not excersizing so hard during ovulation.  I don't know, can you shake it loose? 

Day 27 of Cycle - Still Don't Know Yet

I don't think that I am pregnant.  I am not 100% sure yet though.  I actually have been spotting since yesterday, but it could be implantation bleeding.  This sounds far fetched to some of you, but really there is such a thing and I had with Mia.  Really  light spotting 6 to 12 days after ovulation.  The only problem is I could actually be starting, since my cycle is so short it is impossible to tell.

With Mia I actually thought it was my period and didn't think I was prego.  I took a test a few days later when Jeff told me I was acting pregnant.  This time however, neither one of us feels like I am pregnant, so I am probably not. 

But if I don't know by Saturday morning I am taking a test.  Either the bleeding will stop and I will take a test or it will get heavier and I will be on my period.  Only two paths to go down!

Day 19 of cycle - Headache

I woke up today with a headache.  I don't get many headaches and when I do I have a hard time functioning.  When I was pregnant with Jac I especially remember the headaches, not so much with Mia.

I am on day 19 of my cycle and could be pregnant by 6 days, that would mean that implantation could be occuring in four more days on Sunday.  More than likely this is the beginning of a cold or flu and not pregnancy hormones as they aren't supposed to really kick in until after implantation.  We'll see.  I felt great yesterday and today I fell yucky. 

I am going to go drink a glass of water.

Day 18 of cycle - Counting Down

I am counting  down the days until I can take a pregnancy test.  I should start my period on the 11th or 12th of February.  So I think I should be able to test this weekend.  We'll see, so far no other symptoms and my boobs don't really feel sore anymore.

I have been trying to work out pretty hard in January, but now I am starting to worry that maybe I should have taken it a bit easier the last couple of days.  Can you shake anything loose?  On TV they always tell you that you should lie back and relax for awhile and not do anything vigorous for days.  Who does that?  Really, can you be in a prone position waiting to be prego?  Yuk, I had to go on bedrest with Jac for one week and that was tough enough.  But to feel perfectly healthy and to lie back and rest for no apparant reason seems absurb.

I asked my doctor's nurse practioner when I was in last what type of exercise and food I should avoid.  She looked at me like I was crazy.  She said, everything in moderation.  You can do anything you want in moderation.  Then she came back and said, no contact sports like boxing of course.  She looked at me like I was an idiot for not knowing that I shouldn't box during pregnancy.  I really like her, she is old school.

Day 17 of cycle - Sore B**bies

I don't know why I didn't want to put boobies in my title, it just felt explicit.  Regardless, I think my boobs are sore but it could all be in my head.

On another note.  I found out a friend of mine who has had fertility issues and been trying to have a baby for I believe four years now had a big disappointment yesterday.  They found out that she won't be able to complete this cycle of IVF with an egg donor.  They have to wait to sync back up with the donor which will take four to six weeks.

I am so blessed to have to wonderful children.  They are happy and healthy and if God blesses us again that will be fantastic, but if it doesn't happen; that is okay also.

Day 16 of cycle - Here We Go Again

Well, this weekend was "The Weekend".  Jeff and I tried to conceive several times this weekend, I will spare you all of the gory details.

We have two children (almost said beautiful and wonderful before the word children) Jac age 4 and Mia age 3.  I am 35 years old and a few months and we decided that we weren't done.  Or more accurately I decided pretty soon after Mia was born that I wanted one more.  I just knew we had to wait awhile or we would need serious drugs.  Life is crazy when you have kids 16 months apart.  Not quite Irish twins, but they sure felt like it at times. 

Things have gotten more manageable.  Everyone is out of the terrible twos and everyone is out of diapers.  Not that we don't have our moments, it is just the time of "all hands on deck" seems to have dissapated a bit. 

So we are taking the plunge again.

I am terrified of being pregnant again.  I am not a good pregnant person.  I am also terrified of having an infant again, I am not good sleep deprived person.  I do believe that I may be the worst pregnant person and the worst sleep deprived person, because maybe I am a bit egocentric.  I do realize that women have been doing this since the dawn of man.  I do realize that other people out there have it worse and get less sleep and less free time than I do.  But I must admit at times I can be pretty selfish and just think about myself. 

This is to help document the pregnancy, birth and infancy of Baby C.  The baby that was hopefully conceived this weekend.  I know that Mia received distinctly less attention during the whole process as I had Jac to take care of.  I want to remember my last pregnancy and birth and reflect on the differences between it and the prior two.  Hopefully, this will help me retain all of those memories while creating new ones.