Appetite is Back!

As of yesterday, my appetite is officially back! I'm very excited by this since I love food and hated not enjoying it for the last 4 weeks. Yesterday I ate a wonderful dinner downtown Honolulu that included a goat-cheese appetizer, peppery pork chops with some sort of cucumber/yogurt sauce, and vegetables. So yummy. And I enjoyed every bite! =)

I'm not sure if my morning sickness is finally lifting or the Unisom is working - but whatever it is, I'm stoked. Just in time to enjoy our honeymoon cruise to Mexico!

10 Weeks & First Prenatal Visit

Kyle and I went to Tripler Army Medical Center yesterday for my first official prenatal visit. It was a little disappointing because we had been hoping to hear the fetal heartbeat. Unfortunately they do not do fetal heartbeat checks at 10 weeks at Tripler, so we didn't get to hear that long-awaited "swishing" sound. Since I get emotional at EVERYTHING these days, I had to hold back my tears of disappointment. But I did get my lab work done and got to pee in another cup - so we did accomplish something. I think a part of me just wants to hear the heartbeat to confirm that this is all real, and that there really is a little kidney-sized baby growing inside of me. It is all so far-removed and surreal, that hearing that heartbeat will make it all more concrete for me. 

What IS concrete, however, is my persistent nausea and (new this week) headaches. The nausea has lessened somewhat since I began taking a half-tablet of Unisom in the evening. Thank goodness. The headaches are bearable and hopefully won't last too long. My understanding is that hormones peak during Weeks 9 and 10, then begin to subside as the placenta takes over that job. So hopefully after this week things will begin to improve. I'm becoming more optimistic as I near the end of my first trimester! I still wear my Sea-bands Kyle bought me - and while I might be imagining it, I think they actually help with the nausea!

This week, Week 10, our little guy or gal is just over one inch long. He/she is kicking his legs and moving his arms - as well as swallowing amniotic fluid. Tiny fingernails and toenails are beginning to form, and peach-fuzz hair is growing on her skin. All the webbing is gone from between the fingers and toes, as well. Most of his vital organs (liver, kidney, brain, etc.) are beginning to function this week as well! Amazingly enough, the little guy will actually respond to poking and prodding at this point, as well!

Vomiting

Up until yesterday I've been surviving my first trimester with mild to severe nausea, depending on the day. But I'd yet to visit the toilet to vomit. Yesterday morning at about 5:00 AM I woke up with the worst nausea I'd had. Thinking I needed to put something in my stomach (this usually helps), I went downstairs and forced down a few raspberries, apple slices, and saltine crackers. They all came back up again in about 10 minutes. Unfortunately  I was standing by the sink at the time and didn't have time to make it to the toilet - so I vomited everything up in the sink (which proceeded to get clogged up). After vomiting I had about 5-10 minutes of absolutely no nausea, as well as a burst of energy. So I cleaned up the sink and headed to bed. About an hour later, more vomiting. This time Kyle woke up and helped by rubbing my back and just helping me not feel so alone. This proceeded throughout the morning until around noon. I began to get worried that I wasn't keeping fluids down. The rule is 24 hours ... if you can't keep anything down for that amount of time, you have to go get fluids at the hospital.

Sometime in the early afternoon I was finally able to keep sips of ginger-ale down, as well as 2 saltine crackers. I kept sipping fluids throughout the afternoon and, despite a few more urges to vomit, kept everything down. The irony is, as much as I hate vomiting (and I HATE vomiting), I almost wanted to in the afternoon because I knew that the misery would be followed by a solid 10 minutes or so of relief. But my desire to stay out of the hospital was stronger, I suppose, and I kept everything down after that.

Yesterday was hard. I finally admitted to myself (after a conversation with my mom) that I just don't enjoy being pregnant. Maybe I will in a week or two - but right now, I just do not enjoy it. I also tried letting go of the guilt that I'm doing something wrong and that's what is making me sick. I know better than that (everything I read says that it has to do with hormones, and that each woman and each pregnancy is different). I also finally broke down and let Kyle buy me some Unisom to take with my B6. It is a sleep aid that can be used for nausea and is given the okay to use during pregnancy. I've been so adamant about not using drugs during pregnancy. But to be honest, I was more than excited to give it a try yesterday afternoon. I felt like I was going to die and simply wanted relief.

I don't think the Unisom helped my nausea yesterday very much, but it did make me very tired and I slept most of the afternoon and into the night. I woke-up feeling hungry and mostly nausea-free. I took another Unisom this AM (half a tablet) and am feeling okay. Not completely nausea-free ... but I'm able to get up, move around, and eat. I ate some oatmeal in the morning, as well as some Cheerios. The only problem is is that it makes me sleepy. But at this point, I'll take sleepiness over feeling like dying. We'll see how long it works.

Ugh.

While I am excited at the outcome of being pregnant (a son or daughter) ... the whole "being pregnant" thing is harder than I imagined it to be! I've now had fairly consistent nausea for almost 4 weeks - and while it has lessened some, it is still there, making me feel tired, lethargic, and grumpy. I'm still drinking my ginger tea and taking my B6 - but it gets frustrating. Especially when all the images I had of pregnancy were of a glowing, healthy woman out walking every day, eating fresh vegetables, fruit, fish and other incredibly healthy meals. I'm still optimistic that I will get there in another few weeks. But currently I still have to talk myself into my 1 mile walk - and then it is more of a slow stroll I endure. I'm living off of crackers, bland carbs, and cheese. I try to eat vegetables - but sometimes just the sight of them makes me stomach turn. Oh, the irony.

It's a good wake-up call for me, however. I often like to imagine the "ideal" - and can be quite harsh on myself and others when that ideal falls short. So all in all, it is probably good that God is bringing me a little reality in my life. I will also be way more sympathetic toward other women when they complain of morning sickness, fatigue, etc. Before experiencing it myself, I would have waived it off as needing to have an attitude adjustment. And while I'm fully aware that attitude CAN affect health and physical outcomes - I can now attest that despite trying to have a positive attitude about it all, one can still just feel downright crappy!

I'm still holding onto the belief that my morning sickness will begin to ease during the next week or two (weeks 9 and 10 are supposed to be the "peak" ... and I'm midway through week 9 right now). I am imagining a wonderful honeymoon cruise with Kyle where I am free of morning sickness - with an appetite for all the good food on board!

We have our first official prenatal visit at Tripler this Monday. I am hoping to hear the fetal heartbeat and know that this will remind us of the miracle going on inside of me - even when it doesn't feel so miraculous on the outside!

9 Weeks

Here's what our little guy looks like at 9 Weeks (more or less, anyways)! He/she is about the size of a large grape or small strawberry. The eyes will close this week as eye-lids grow over them. They will then remain shut until after Week 20 sometime. The tail has disappeared and all his/her organs and muscles are now functioning. The muscles do not yet move voluntarily as the brain has not developed to that point yet.

8 Weeks Photo

B6 Deficiency & Birth Control Pills

Today I was reading about the benefits of B6 in alleviating morning sickness. More specifically, the article discussed how women suffering from B6 deficiencies are more prone to suffer nausea during pregnancy. Interestingly enough, birth control pills are known for hindering the absorption of several nutrients - including B6, B12, and folic acid. I can't help but wonder if my body was slightly deprived of proper amounts of B6 (having conceived while still on the pill). Because I've been on the pill for almost 5 years now - there is a good chance this may have been the case. 

I began adding B6 supplements (100 mg of P-5-P ... the most active form of B6) into my daily regimen about 6 days ago. Interestingly enough, my nausea symptoms greatly improved about 4 days ago. While correlation does not equal causation (especially in this case, when so many factors are at play), it is interesting none-the-less.

Bran Muffins

Today marks day 4 of my nausea lightening up ... hooray! I still have a slightly nauseous feeling throughout the day, and I can't do much physically or I do get nauseous ... but overall, I'm thrilled to be feeling human again! Yesterday I got it together enough to make a batch of Joy of Cooking Bran Muffins. Yum. Mom wanted the recipe a few days ago, so I read her the ingredient list. After that, I couldn't stop thinking about them for several days - so I finally decided to just make a batch myself. I think they will make a great pregnancy snack: bran and raisins (to help with constipation and keep things moving!), yogurt (for that much needed calcium), molasses (high in iron) and calorie dense (it's hard with nausea to get enough calories down each day!). 

Kyle and I watched the National Geographic Video "In the Womb" last night. It's a great hour and a half look at fetal development during the 9 months in the womb. They are able to use 3-D ultra sound images now to look inside the womb at the fetus, watching it's movements, facial expressions, etc. Quite amazing. Anyone interested in learning more about fetal development should definitely watch this video. Just beware there is a birth scene at the end which surprised Kyle (he isn't quite ready for that part, but I promised him he would be by July). =)

Dandelion Root & Wild Yam

Reading through "The Natural Pregnancy Book: Herbs Nutrition and Other Holistic Choices" today gave me a few more ideas on morning sickness cures. One is the use of Dandelion Root. It is a bitter that helps to promote digestion, helps to calm the stomach, and supports the liver. The recommended dose is 30-40 drops of tincture in water 3-4 times a day. 

The other suggestion is Wild Yam. It is supposed to reduce irritation in the hollow organs, including the stomach and uterus. The book recommends 30 drops of tincture 4-6 times a day. Rather than buying a tincture, however, I am going to use the Mannatech product Plus, which happens to be derived from Wild Yam (lucky me!). Since Mannatech produces excellent products, I feel very comfortable taking the pill form instead of the tincture. The recommended Mannatech dose is 3 tablets per day. I've taken them in the past and had my face break out with acne rather badly - but at this point, I'd rather have a nausea-free next few weeks with acne. =) We'll see if it helps. 

Slight Reprieve

Tuesday and today (Wednesday) have been somewhat improved nausea-wise. I desperately needed a day or two of feeling better! I'm not sure how long it will last ... some people online say that their nausea stopped after lasting only a week or two, others say that their nausea would get better or worse, depending on the day. I'm afraid to even think the thought that perhaps I'm at the end of the worst! Right now I'm just enjoying the break I'm getting.

I quit taking the concentrated ginger capsules (they seemed to give me a gassy stomach and I was constantly having to belch!) and instead started grating 1 tsp. of fresh ginger into tea every several hours. Kyle also bought me sea bands (for sea sickness). These are small bands that fit around each wrist and press on a pressure point on the inside of the wrist. I have no idea if they are working or not, but I'm feeling good enough that I'm afraid to take them off. I should note that I was actually feeling better before Kyle brought them home - but I'm willing to do whatever at this point to stay feeling better!

Week 8, day 1 today! This week there are plenty of changes going on down there baby-wise. He/she is now 14-20 mm long - the size of a large lima bean. Eye-lids will form this week, while the brain continues to mature and form neuron connections at an amazing rate. A nose is now present, and arms and legs are lengthening. There is likely still some webbing between the fingers and toes, but the webbing will begin to slowly dissolve over the next week or so. My uterus, once the size of a small pear, is now the size of a large grapefruit! No wonder I'm constantly feeling slight discomfort in the abdomen. That's a lot of growth going on! My waist is definitely getting a "thicker" feel to it - though it is likely all due to intestinal distention. This occurs because the bowels slow down the movement of food through them in order to take in more nutrients for the growing baby inside. This is partly why, especially during the first trimester, eating a lot of food is not as important. The body will take out more nutrients from what little you can put in your body than it would otherwise. Quite an amazing design!