One of my early pregnancy symptoms is insomnia. I don't know what it is but when I'm pregnant something just prevents me from sleeping. And it's not even nausea, although lately that's been keeping me up some nights.
I've tried Unisom but only half the dosage. It would make me sleepy but then once I lay my head on my pillow I'd be wide awake.
I called my doctor's office to see if Unisom was ok or if they had another suggestion. The nurse practitioner suggested Benadryl. Well, that had pretty much the same affect.
And then I've tried Tylenol PM, but only on nights that I have a headache. That's been the best but sometimes even after taking that I'd still toss & turn for 2 hours!
Part of my problem is I get too hot really easily. Something else to blame on hormones! What's weird is it's really just my legs that get hot. And then they get restless which leaves me tossing & turning. So some nights I've had to take the comforter off my side of the bed & just use a quilt. That seems to help keep me from getting too hot.
I also wake up a lot at night. It doesn't take much. Lots of bathroom breaks which is normal of course. And sometimes that leaves me wide awake. Or I wake up to Jeremy's alarm & try to go back to sleep but I'm too awake. That's what happened today.
Naps have been terrible. I have tried to take a nap just about every single day since I found out I was pregnant but all I do is lay there wide awake. Or Shaylin wakes up crying through the 2-3 hours so even if I did fall asleep it wouldn't be for long. For some reason she's really been struggling with naps in the last month.
Hopefully once this trimester is over the insomnia will pass & I will start to sleep better again. Of course, then the 3rd trimester will soon come along & then I'll be so big & uncomfortable & won't be sleeping well again. I guess it's all in preparation for the new baby & getting my body used to living on very little sleep.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Pregnancy Update
I decided to wait until after today's doctor's appointment before giving a pregnancy update. I haven't been overly worried but still nervous from time to time.
We had a 2nd sonogram today. The one from 2 weeks ago was very early so we didn't see the baby. I knew we wouldn't but that was still hard. But today almost right away we saw a "mass" that was our baby. At this point the baby's arms & legs are beginning to form. That's hard to see on a sonogram though, so it looks like a big mass. But we could still see where the head is & see arm buds on the side & best of all, saw a tiny heartbeat. And we heard it! As much as just seeing the baby gave me a sigh of relief, hearing the heartbeat sent me to tears. It's just beautiful! The only thing more beautiful will be his/her first cry.
So why was I so nervous about this sonogram despite the nausea I've had for over a week now? It just still seems surreal to me. For so long I felt like I was just the woman who had miscarriages. Then I had a baby. So in some strange way I still feel like I'm "supposed" to have more miscarriages before I can have another baby.
Another strange thing that went through my head was fear that this pregnancy would end like my 1st one did. With that one I had a sonogram at 5 1/2 weeks & we saw nothing but thought it was too early. A week later we still saw nothing & knew we lost the baby. So somehow in my warped thinking I feared that this would be like my 1st pregnancy, like we were starting all over again. Granted, I didn't have near the kind of symptoms then that I have now.
Now I just feel so blessed. Nauseous, too. But most of all blessed. It was a long, hard road to have a baby. And as much as we wanted more babies, we knew that if Shaylin was all God chose to give us that would still be more than we once thought we'd get. So now to be 8 months away from having a 2nd baby, it's just overwhelming.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Yes, it IS hot enough for me!
I'm so glad I don't work anymore. I'm sure if I did I would still have customers walk into my office & ask "Is it hot enough for ya?". What does that even mean?!
Lately it's actually been too hot for me & everybody else. Today will be day 34 of continuous days of 100+ temps. The record was set in 1980 with 42 days. And based on the forecast we will likely set a new record in 2011. May as well if we're going to endure this heat, although it's not like we'll win a prize for it.
I heard that we reached 111 degrees in some areas yesterday. And according to weather.com it's predicting 110 for today through Saturday. Just now at 7:30am it's already 85 degrees!
The heat has really been affecting me lately. I've been feeling a little sick when I get too hot. And sometimes there's just no avoiding it. It really makes me feel for those pregnant ladies around here who are in the last weeks or days of their pregnancies. I can't even imagine how miserable they must feel! I pray they can get some relief soon, either with a cold front or by going into labor & getting to sleep in one of those extra cold hospital rooms.
I'm also praying for the people that have to work outside in this. In the first couple years of our marriage Jeremy was one of those people. He read meters for the electric company so there was lots of walking no matter the weather. If our meter hadn't already been read I would be looking out for our meter reader so I could offer him some iced water. A few people did that for Jeremy when he was out there & I really appreciated it. We do have a mailman that walks the neighborhood so my plan today is to place a note inside our mailbox letting him know that the cooler on the steps has water & Gatorade in it & it's for him. Hopefully he will take it & that won't see creepy. I just know it's hard enough walking this neighborhood because of the hills, let alone in 100+ heat!
I'm also tired of being cooped up in the house. And Shaylin is too. She so wants to play outside but there just isn't a good time to do it. As soon as it cools down, even to the low 100's, I'm going to have to take her to the splash pad so she can have some outdoor water fun.
Then there is my dogs. Kaylee in particular loves being outside. It's just the type of breed she is. Keira gets excited to go out but is always more excited to come back inside. And that may be because the heat is making her sick. So I have to be careful on how long I let them stay outside. Plus, these poor dogs haven't been on a walk in months. It's just too hot for us all to go out.
Hopefully all of this misery will end in another month of so. But that's a long way away. August tends to be the hottest month in Texas & it's only the 4th.
Lately it's actually been too hot for me & everybody else. Today will be day 34 of continuous days of 100+ temps. The record was set in 1980 with 42 days. And based on the forecast we will likely set a new record in 2011. May as well if we're going to endure this heat, although it's not like we'll win a prize for it.
I heard that we reached 111 degrees in some areas yesterday. And according to weather.com it's predicting 110 for today through Saturday. Just now at 7:30am it's already 85 degrees!
The heat has really been affecting me lately. I've been feeling a little sick when I get too hot. And sometimes there's just no avoiding it. It really makes me feel for those pregnant ladies around here who are in the last weeks or days of their pregnancies. I can't even imagine how miserable they must feel! I pray they can get some relief soon, either with a cold front or by going into labor & getting to sleep in one of those extra cold hospital rooms.
I'm also praying for the people that have to work outside in this. In the first couple years of our marriage Jeremy was one of those people. He read meters for the electric company so there was lots of walking no matter the weather. If our meter hadn't already been read I would be looking out for our meter reader so I could offer him some iced water. A few people did that for Jeremy when he was out there & I really appreciated it. We do have a mailman that walks the neighborhood so my plan today is to place a note inside our mailbox letting him know that the cooler on the steps has water & Gatorade in it & it's for him. Hopefully he will take it & that won't see creepy. I just know it's hard enough walking this neighborhood because of the hills, let alone in 100+ heat!
I'm also tired of being cooped up in the house. And Shaylin is too. She so wants to play outside but there just isn't a good time to do it. As soon as it cools down, even to the low 100's, I'm going to have to take her to the splash pad so she can have some outdoor water fun.
Then there is my dogs. Kaylee in particular loves being outside. It's just the type of breed she is. Keira gets excited to go out but is always more excited to come back inside. And that may be because the heat is making her sick. So I have to be careful on how long I let them stay outside. Plus, these poor dogs haven't been on a walk in months. It's just too hot for us all to go out.
Hopefully all of this misery will end in another month of so. But that's a long way away. August tends to be the hottest month in Texas & it's only the 4th.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Back to Reality
Yesterday was our first OB visit & we all went as a family. Shaylin was absolutely precious, especially for waking up extra early. She sweetly sat in her daddy's lap while I was being examined but once I could hold her she wanted me.
They had gotten my 2nd beta & progesterone counts back. The first was 1,267 for the hcg level & 16.7 for the progesterone. Both good numbers so we were pretty excited on Friday. Well, my 2nd beta count was 2,017 & it got me worried. It wasn't a full double like I was expecting. I was expecting something over 2,500. But my doctor assured me that it was good. My progesterone was up to 34.something, which is thanks to the extra daily dose.
They drew lots of blood, checking stuff like my iron level & a whole bunch of other stuff. The nurse missed the first time & hit a nerve. Holy cow! That hurt! She got it the 2nd try in the other arm though. I have very tiny veins so I try to be forgiving because I know I'm not an easy one.
Then we had a sonogram. I wasn't sure if they were going to bother since at 5 weeks you really don't see much. But I told them I'd feel better having one & I'll fight my insurance company if they raise stink about it. With my history of miscarriage I'm sure it would be approved.
And just as I expected we didn't see much on the sonogram. We saw the gestational sac, which is where the baby is. And we saw the yolk sac, which will slowly shrink as the baby grows. But being so early that's all we saw. I was disappointed but not surprised. Based on the measurements it actually has my due date moved back to April 3, instead of March 31st. But this doesn't worry me because I know I ovulated 2 or 3 days later than "normal". I always have. So that means the baby is right on track!
Despite a good report, I still got worried. A lot of it is just being back there again. Even after all the good visits during my pregnancy with Shaylin, I still have this fear walking in that office. And I feel bad because I LOVE my doctor. But he's very understanding & even acknowledged that I will always have fears because of my history. So it's nice to know he doesn't think I'm crazy.
I guess I just had a hard time being reminded of my reality, that I have a long history of miscarriages & that despite a completely normal & healthy pregnancy with Shaylin, the odds are still against me. What also got me yesterday was during the nurses questions when we first got there she asked (for clarification) if this was my 8th pregnancy. I cannot describe to you what that feeling is when I'm reminded of that. So I'm not going to try.
Later I talked to my mom & she said from reading she did that your hcg levels actually have up to 72 hours to double. That sounded familiar but it had been a long time since I'd read up on that. So I searched around & confirmed what she said. So as close as mine was it certainly would have doubled by 72 hours. So that made me feel better. And I just had to keep reminding myself that the sonogram, although it doesn't show a baby, shows that things are progressing as they should so far.
We go back on the 16th for another sonogram. I will be 7 weeks at that point so we should definitely see more by then. And then 2 weeks later we go back for our 2nd OB visit. If he wants to do another sonogram then, I'm so ok with that!
The whole visit just reminded me that we have a long road ahead of us. Everyday that goes by is a celebration. But everyday I will be asking God for strength to get through it.
They had gotten my 2nd beta & progesterone counts back. The first was 1,267 for the hcg level & 16.7 for the progesterone. Both good numbers so we were pretty excited on Friday. Well, my 2nd beta count was 2,017 & it got me worried. It wasn't a full double like I was expecting. I was expecting something over 2,500. But my doctor assured me that it was good. My progesterone was up to 34.something, which is thanks to the extra daily dose.
They drew lots of blood, checking stuff like my iron level & a whole bunch of other stuff. The nurse missed the first time & hit a nerve. Holy cow! That hurt! She got it the 2nd try in the other arm though. I have very tiny veins so I try to be forgiving because I know I'm not an easy one.
Then we had a sonogram. I wasn't sure if they were going to bother since at 5 weeks you really don't see much. But I told them I'd feel better having one & I'll fight my insurance company if they raise stink about it. With my history of miscarriage I'm sure it would be approved.
And just as I expected we didn't see much on the sonogram. We saw the gestational sac, which is where the baby is. And we saw the yolk sac, which will slowly shrink as the baby grows. But being so early that's all we saw. I was disappointed but not surprised. Based on the measurements it actually has my due date moved back to April 3, instead of March 31st. But this doesn't worry me because I know I ovulated 2 or 3 days later than "normal". I always have. So that means the baby is right on track!
Despite a good report, I still got worried. A lot of it is just being back there again. Even after all the good visits during my pregnancy with Shaylin, I still have this fear walking in that office. And I feel bad because I LOVE my doctor. But he's very understanding & even acknowledged that I will always have fears because of my history. So it's nice to know he doesn't think I'm crazy.
I guess I just had a hard time being reminded of my reality, that I have a long history of miscarriages & that despite a completely normal & healthy pregnancy with Shaylin, the odds are still against me. What also got me yesterday was during the nurses questions when we first got there she asked (for clarification) if this was my 8th pregnancy. I cannot describe to you what that feeling is when I'm reminded of that. So I'm not going to try.
Later I talked to my mom & she said from reading she did that your hcg levels actually have up to 72 hours to double. That sounded familiar but it had been a long time since I'd read up on that. So I searched around & confirmed what she said. So as close as mine was it certainly would have doubled by 72 hours. So that made me feel better. And I just had to keep reminding myself that the sonogram, although it doesn't show a baby, shows that things are progressing as they should so far.
We go back on the 16th for another sonogram. I will be 7 weeks at that point so we should definitely see more by then. And then 2 weeks later we go back for our 2nd OB visit. If he wants to do another sonogram then, I'm so ok with that!
The whole visit just reminded me that we have a long road ahead of us. Everyday that goes by is a celebration. But everyday I will be asking God for strength to get through it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)