Has it really been 4 weeks?! I can’t believe it. My apologies to my cousin Nicole, I had no idea you read my blog… I hope you are doing well!
These past few weeks have flown by. They have been both busy and boring at the same time.
Here’s why I say they have been busy: My fainting has continued, and I get short of breath/dizzy after climbing a flight of stairs, or when I walk only a couple of blocks. I went to see a few doctors to see what is going on. After all of the doctor visits, I called my mom (a nurse) to piece together what all of these doctors told me.
My first stop was the OB for my scheduled 14 week appointment (side note – we heard the beautiful heartbeat again!). He said fainting is relatively common during pregnancy, but since it was happening so often, I should go get it checked out further. He sent me to a High Risk Specialist.
The Specialist was hysterical, great sense of humor, which helped me relax. He literally told me to eat hamburgers, French fries, cupcakes, greasy sandwiches, and ice cream. He also told me that during the second trimester, the mother’s blood pressure drops. He said that the baby is not affected by my fainting and that it is getting everything he/she needs, so that was a big relief. He sent me to a Cardiologist to make sure there wasn’t something more serious going on with me. Diagnosis: avoid low blood sugar, and gain weight. Got it. I figured I’d get another ultrasound, or at least he’d pull out a Doppler to listen to the baby’s heartbeat, but no luck. My addiction of hearing and seeing our baby was not fed this visit. Better luck next time.
My next stop was the Cardiologist. Not such a great sense of humor, but seemed to really know his stuff. They did an EKG and an ultrasound – not of my baby, but of my heart. I asked the tech if she minded moving the ultrasound down a bit, so we could have a peek of the baby. She was not so into the idea, apparently she has no interest in babies, only hearts. VJ seemed to think that my heart was interesting, but eh, I know my heart is beating… but I don’t know what our baby is looking like these days! So, back to the doctor: he said that my history of both low blood pressure and fainting, combined with the lower second trimester blood pressure is what is causing the fainting, dizziness, etc. It has nothing to do with my blood sugar level, and there is 'no need' to eat all of the foods the Specialist told me to eat. His exact words were 'let's not add Gestational Diabetes to the list'. Like I said, he was not as much fun as the Specialist. Kind of a buzz kill, actually. The biggest development came when he said that commuting to work is not safe right now, so I should work from home for the next 4 weeks (yikes!). That will bring me to October 11, and we’ll re-evaluate then.
That brings me to why these past few weeks have been boring. I have already been working from home for 2 weeks, and now I’ll be doing that for another 4. I don’t go anywhere by myself, except the grocery store and Panera which both 1 block away. Boring is good, though, better than getting picked up by an ambulance on the corner of the street.
Ok, now to the exciting stuff! I went for my ultrasound after my last blog post, and our baby looks like a BABY! I mean, this kid has legs, feet, toes, a head, and a face, including a pointy nose (that part he/she gets from me)! It was so much fun to see our little guy/girl.
Maternity clothes? Maternity jeans, and I am loving them. I may never go back to regular jeans again. None of my regular pants fit anymore, but since I don’t really go anywhere, I live in my maternity jeans and sweats all day, every day. A great perk of working from home!
These past few weeks have flown by. They have been both busy and boring at the same time.
Here’s why I say they have been busy: My fainting has continued, and I get short of breath/dizzy after climbing a flight of stairs, or when I walk only a couple of blocks. I went to see a few doctors to see what is going on. After all of the doctor visits, I called my mom (a nurse) to piece together what all of these doctors told me.
My first stop was the OB for my scheduled 14 week appointment (side note – we heard the beautiful heartbeat again!). He said fainting is relatively common during pregnancy, but since it was happening so often, I should go get it checked out further. He sent me to a High Risk Specialist.
The Specialist was hysterical, great sense of humor, which helped me relax. He literally told me to eat hamburgers, French fries, cupcakes, greasy sandwiches, and ice cream. He also told me that during the second trimester, the mother’s blood pressure drops. He said that the baby is not affected by my fainting and that it is getting everything he/she needs, so that was a big relief. He sent me to a Cardiologist to make sure there wasn’t something more serious going on with me. Diagnosis: avoid low blood sugar, and gain weight. Got it. I figured I’d get another ultrasound, or at least he’d pull out a Doppler to listen to the baby’s heartbeat, but no luck. My addiction of hearing and seeing our baby was not fed this visit. Better luck next time.
My next stop was the Cardiologist. Not such a great sense of humor, but seemed to really know his stuff. They did an EKG and an ultrasound – not of my baby, but of my heart. I asked the tech if she minded moving the ultrasound down a bit, so we could have a peek of the baby. She was not so into the idea, apparently she has no interest in babies, only hearts. VJ seemed to think that my heart was interesting, but eh, I know my heart is beating… but I don’t know what our baby is looking like these days! So, back to the doctor: he said that my history of both low blood pressure and fainting, combined with the lower second trimester blood pressure is what is causing the fainting, dizziness, etc. It has nothing to do with my blood sugar level, and there is 'no need' to eat all of the foods the Specialist told me to eat. His exact words were 'let's not add Gestational Diabetes to the list'. Like I said, he was not as much fun as the Specialist. Kind of a buzz kill, actually. The biggest development came when he said that commuting to work is not safe right now, so I should work from home for the next 4 weeks (yikes!). That will bring me to October 11, and we’ll re-evaluate then.
That brings me to why these past few weeks have been boring. I have already been working from home for 2 weeks, and now I’ll be doing that for another 4. I don’t go anywhere by myself, except the grocery store and Panera which both 1 block away. Boring is good, though, better than getting picked up by an ambulance on the corner of the street.
Ok, now to the exciting stuff! I went for my ultrasound after my last blog post, and our baby looks like a BABY! I mean, this kid has legs, feet, toes, a head, and a face, including a pointy nose (that part he/she gets from me)! It was so much fun to see our little guy/girl.
In a few weeks we’ll know if he/she is a he or a she. VJ and my mom are convinced it’s a boy. I have no idea, feelings, or intuition at all on whether it is a boy or a girl. I am definitely excited to find out, though!
Week 16 (almost) of Pregnancy:
How far along? 15 Weeks, 6 days
Weight gain/loss: I am up to 101 lbs
Week 16 (almost) of Pregnancy:
How far along? 15 Weeks, 6 days
Weight gain/loss: I am up to 101 lbs
Maternity clothes? Maternity jeans, and I am loving them. I may never go back to regular jeans again. None of my regular pants fit anymore, but since I don’t really go anywhere, I live in my maternity jeans and sweats all day, every day. A great perk of working from home!
Stretch marks? Nope, not yet, thankfully. I have decided to take this question out going forward, though. Let’s face it, chances are that one day the answer to this will be yes. What good will come from that? I will most likely be in tears while writing it, and do you really want to know??
Sleep? The ‘I’m so tired that I’m dizzy’ days are gone for now. I still go to bed early, and get about 9 hours of sleep a night, but at least I am not tired during the day anymore. Of course, that could be because I work from a couch these days.
Best moment this week? VJ and I had a great conversation about the baby and what life will be like when he/she gets here… so fun to hear him talk about it, he’s so excited. I am too, of course!
Best moment this week? VJ and I had a great conversation about the baby and what life will be like when he/she gets here… so fun to hear him talk about it, he’s so excited. I am too, of course!
Food cravings: Cheddar cheese and Ritz crackers, I have been eating them all week. At this moment, I am craving nachos, though. I asked VJ to get some stuff to make nachos on the way home from the dentist & I can’t wait for him to get home!
Gender: We’ll find out next month!
Gender: We’ll find out next month!
Belly button in or out? Still in.
Movement? I think I have felt it a few times, but nothing consistent yet… should be soon though!
What I miss? Walking more than a block on my own!
What I'm looking forward to: We are going to Pennsylvania next week and I’ll get to see my niece!!! I haven’t seen her since July, and I miss her so much!
Milestones: The baby is getting bigger, he or she is now the size of an avocado! It is sucking its thumb, can open its eyes (can’t see yet, though), and its movements are more controlled.
What I'm looking forward to: We are going to Pennsylvania next week and I’ll get to see my niece!!! I haven’t seen her since July, and I miss her so much!
Milestones: The baby is getting bigger, he or she is now the size of an avocado! It is sucking its thumb, can open its eyes (can’t see yet, though), and its movements are more controlled.
