8 weeks today!
Today I am officially 8 weeks pregnant. Or at least so my iPhone apps say. According to PRC I am 7 weeks and 4 days, but who really knows. Ask me and my answer is 8 weeks. End of story.
We had another ultrasound appointment today at PRC. Another $243 dollars for a quick 15 minute appointment, which leaves us bewildered for a minute about the cost of what has become a weekly expense, but once the little blobs of life appear on that screen, and the heartbeats, though faint, are audible, suddenly, the expense seems all worth it.
Still, as planned, we asked June (who served as our nurse today -- a pleasant surprise) and Dr. Salem when we can "graduate" to Kaiser, as the expense of $243 per week does add up, and they notified us that in two weeks, we will have our final appointment at PRC and will be able to go Kaiser from that point forward. Though I have loved everyone at PRC and our experience with them, I think I may feel more like a "normal" pregnant woman once we graduate back to Kaiser.
Other than that, I have slowly been developing the symptoms that now, I regretfully had been looking for. Although I have only vomited about three times during this pregnancy so far, I have endured bouts of almost unbearable queasiness. Yesterday, after going to breakfast with John at our favorite local bagel place (I had smoked salmon with cream cheese, capers, and onions on an egg bagel), we had planned on going to see a movie but by halfway through my sandwich I already knew that I would need to lay down ASAP. Sure enough, we got home and I laid down and fell asleep for two hours. I woke up still queasy but starving, but only had chicken broth and plain, dry toast. It only held me over for about an hour or so, but I was still afraid to eat anything further. Later that evening, I decided (albeit against John's better judgment) that I could hold in some chicken strips, and my ever-patient husband went out and bought me some. I ate it happily, and went to bed soon after in order to avoid whatever nausea or queasiness it may bring.
I have noticed that the key to stability in my digestive system is, oddly enough, to fight the gorging urges of a pregnant woman -- eat less. Being foodies by nature (perhaps what brought us together!), John and I eat our food with gusto and have tended to, at times, gorge. I noticed that if I keep my meals smaller, though eat more often, I tend to feel less queasy, if even at all. Of course, to many of us, this is natural but as my weight gain in the past 3 years may dictate, it hadn't been so easy for me. I have also noticed that although I have been eating, I have not liked to do so at all. Because I know that I feel sick thereafter, nothing ever sounds good or appetizing. I only eat because I know I have not only one but TWO little bodies to feed inside my belly. It's difficult to love food, but not to want it, but also to have to eat it. It's a catch 22 that I have gone through the past week or so. As I was warned, the sickness starts at around weeks 7-8 and boy, has it made it's presence known.
For now, both John and I are taking things day by day. Especially since we have both been off work for the past few days, he has been adamantly making me rest midday and not allowing me to spread myself too thinly and run too many errands in one day. Needless to say, I feel so unaccomplished and I am embarrassed to say that my house is a mess. It has been hard to gather the energy, let alone the will to do anything around the house. However, what needs to be done must be done. I actually conjured up enough drive to do a load of laundry tonight. It's a step, but I'm not expecting much more from myself for now.
We remain ever grateful and thankful to God for granting us our wish. Hard as the gastro-experience has been, I am grateful to even be going through it because I know that the end result is a reward beyond all we have ever dreamt of.
