Acupuncture, Coffee, Health Insurance and the Blessed Mother

I had my first acupuncture appointment last Monday and it was pretty great. She gave me some great tips about my diet. First off all, my favorite breakfast- yogurt with cereal is making me throw up, plain hot oatmeal will stay down. Also cold water is being replaced by warm water with a little bit of fresh ginger shaved into it. She examined me and said that my stomach and bowels were very weak and exhausted and I am too tense, I really need to relax. My chi is not flowing through my whole body making my hands and feet freezing and giving me headaches and nausea. I am going again on Monday and trying to relax more!

Sure enough, the doctor did prescribe me Zofran, the nausea medication since I have lost 5 pounds so far, but after talking with my parents, they absolutely agreed that it has not been on the market long enough and no way should I take it. Mom thinks my body is in shock from the lifestyle change in addition to everything else and I should have a very weak coffee in the morning with lots of milk, and a half glass of red wine at night to relax. I know a lot of people don't agree with this, but I trust my body and my family's advice. She was the president of the local La Leche League for years and my grandmother will be 101 years old in a few weeks. She has never taken medication or drank soda, but still has a gin and tonic every day. It's all about moderation. My mom also let it out that my aunt (mother to the doctor/lawyer/beauty pageant cousins) drank up a storm when she was PG!

To add to the stress, we are in a bit of a Health Insurance fiasco. I was working with a company for the last year and a half and got decent health insurance for me and DH. That partnership was ended in November and I my Health Insurance ends at the end of the month (AKA tomorrow). Well, they have to offer for me to keep the insurance under COBRA and were supposed to give me 60 days to decide whether to keep the coverage and pay them month to month. I have been harassing them non stop to send the paperwork, but it just arrived yesterday and it is going to cost $550 each per month to keep the coverage. Yes, $1100 per month! Now we have ONE day to try to get coverage somewhere else and pray that my OBGYN will take the new insurance. It is so unfair. I mentor pregnant teens and they just keep on having babies and living off the government, using the extra cash to buy Baby Phat sneakers and a nicer cell phone then I have, while I, a successful and tax paying citizen, have to struggle, save and work my ass until I am 30 just to have a baby and get to go to the doctor. I am a Democrat, I swear and I love my volunteer work, but sometimes I just get so frustrated by the way things are right now in this country.

One more thing. My parents told me they weren't going to tell anyone else, but yesterday I received a congratulations email from my Aunt and Uncle with the news that my due date, Sept 13 is the anniversary of the Blessed Mother visiting the three children of Fatima Portugal in 1917! WHAT A COINCIDENCE, right?! Haha, gotta love the Catholic side of the family. :)

Baby Blob!

And voila! Baby Blob!

The first US and appointment went really well, we saw the little blob and heart it's loud and fast heartbeat! Totally amazing!

7 Weeks 1 Day

My first appointment is finally tomorrow, I am so excited and nervous. I am pretty sure everything is OK so far since I have been feeling so bad. Hmm. This afternoon I have an acupuncture appointment which I really hope is going to help with the awful headaches and nausea. I spent most of yesterday researching the options in case my doctor prescribes something and I want to be ready with questions. Zofran is a prescription that seems to be prescribed pretty often in the US for severe nausea, but upon extensive research it looks pretty creepy to me. Is it just so new and I do NOT trust these prescription drug companies. Anyway, I don't want this blog to turn into my soapbox, although I guess it can really be whatever I want and I can write whatever makes me feel better to talk about.
The place where I am getting my acupuncture is a Holistic Center a few blocks from my house where I used to take Pilates a few times a week before I got too lazy/broke/busy. Now it seems they are starting a prenatal yoga class in February and I think the timing is just too good for me not to do it. I prefer Pilates to Yoga because I am tall and not all that flexible, but since it's prenatal, how intense can it be? They can't really look at me too badly when I can only do downward dog for 5 seconds because of my nausea, can they? Hopefully I can make some friends and just get out of the house for a little before DH wakes up on Saturday mornings.

Pickles

So yesterday I was feeling totally crappy as usual, lounging on the couch with my laptop and sort of watching a Harry Prince Jr. movie when my mind started wondering... I wonder if I will get any cravings? Like pickles and Ice Cream, gross...OH MY GOD....a PICKLE would be SO good right now. : Goes to fridge to look for pickles. None. : Oh well, I will ask DH to pick some up on his way home, back to movie.... But that won't be for three more hours!!.... Whatever, just watch the movie, forget about pickles... Then the strongest urge for a pickle totally overtook me, my glands in my mouth were salivating and I would seriously kill for a pickle!! It was the strangest thing. So, I bundled up and trekked down to the deli.. NO pickles! So, in the snow and ice I headed down to the Spanish deli.. also no pickles. Now, I do NOT do this kind of thing, I have barely left the house since the Target incident. I was nauseous and freezing, but cold NOT go home without pickles! So, I walked the other direction all the way to the grocery store and found the pickle isle.. and there they were! Just then DH called...

me: "Oh hi sweetie, I am very busy right now, what's going on?"
DH: "Um, where are you? What is that rap music in the background?"
me: "Oh, I had to get something at the grocery store"
DH: "Really? You are shopping for dinner? I'm glad you're feeling better!"
me: "Oh, no not really. I am just getting one thing."
DH: "What?"
me: "Pickles. It's really important. I have to go."
DH: "Oh, here we go"

I got back home with the pickles, I had even found a jar of delicious Organic Woodstock Dills! Yum! I can't describe the happiness as I curled up in my blanket, watching Harry Prince Jr., eating pickle after pickle after pickle.....

6 weeks 1 day

I am happy to be past the 6 week milestone, it sort of seems to be going by so slowly. I have felt SO ill the last few days it is crazy. My mom got DH some Daddy Baby books for his birthday and one describes morning sickness as being like a REALLY bad hangover. This is exactly how I feel. I haven't been able to get off the coach all weekend. I can't cook anything or do anything around the house. I am SO sick of watching TV but my head hurts too much to read. Yuck.

Friday night was DH's birthday party which went really well. I managed to carry around a beer all night and take sort of fake sips. I picked a Winter Ale which I don't like anyway so I wasn't temped to actually drink it. I made all this amazing food and didn't throw up while people were here at all. I also made a baked Brie with pecan and maple syrup, even though I know I can't have Brie, I really wanted to make it. Well, I managed not to eat any during the party, then the next day I woke up and saw the leftovers and ate the whole thing! I completely forgot! I felt so bad, but I looked it up and thankfully I used an american brand made from pasturized milk so all is good. I just can't believe I totally forgot like that!

On the bright side, if I keep throwing up everything AND my boobs keep getting bigger I am going to look fabulous!! Haha

Driving & Heaving

Today I went on a big shopping mission to get ready for DH's birthday tomorrow and I am exhausted! I know driving to Target and then the grocery store by yourself isn't much of a feat in most parts of the country, but in Brooklyn this is a huge day. Non stop traffic, honking, screeching, snow, black ice, yelling, no parking, detours, the dirty mall with one working toilet (yes, this is the only target in the NYC area). Finished the day off with dry heaving into an empty Target bag all the way home on the BQE (Brooklyn Queens Expressway), where it is actually impossible to pull off the road or even exit to a place where I could take a break. And I had to leave all the heavy stuff in the car because I just can't drag it all up the 5 flights of stairs. Isn't New York glamorous? Aren't I glad I live here, when I could live in a mansion almost anywhere else in country for what our apartment costs? Oh yes, but not for too much longer.

Now I am home and warm and happy and I am about to start making one of DH's favorite childhood meals, Shepherds Pie! I got fresh ground lamb and fresh veggies. Yum!

So It Begins..

I think I had my fist bout of morning sickness yesterday. I woke up just feeling totally crappy and in a bad mood and was very horrible to be around the entire morning. I couldn't find anything I wanted to eat until we agreed to make our favorite treat- Perogies with grilled onions, applesauce and yogurt (instead or sour cream). As soon as DH left for work, it came on so fast and I threw up lunch and had to sit by the toilet for awhile. Gross. I felt a little better after that and got a little work done and then became so ill again, dry heaving and gagging, and had to lie on the coach and watch House Hunters until DH got home for dinner. The thought of the nice steak and salad I was going to make was enough to make me feel really ill again, so my sweet husband went out and got me some bland soup instead and he learned to make himself a steak.
So far so good today, but it's only 9:30 AM.
I also found out that my cousin is PG as well, 8 weeks. Now, how did my Dad manage to find this out? Of course, he told his brother that I am pregnant but don't tell anyone, and my Uncle said that my cousin is pregnant but he isn't allowed to tell anyone either. So now both our families know, which is fine I guess but that is, let's see how many people... Aunt and Uncle, 6 kids, 2 are married, one had three kids.. that's already 13 of them. I love my cousin dearly and I am so happy for her, but my Dad and his brother are rather competitive with each other, and she is 2 weeks farther along. Not to mention she is 2 years younger than me and she and her husband are both doctors. She is also gorgeous and runs marathons. Her older sister is actually my age, she is the one with three kids already. She is also a beauty pageant queen and she and her husband are both lawyers. Oh, but now she is in Med school. I REALLY am not jealous of my cousins, I love them and those are not things I would ever have chosen to do with my life. To be honest, I have a pretty fabulous life myself, I am just saying we have a pretty competitive family.

Cute Book

If you are looking for a silly book to pass the time, this is pretty cute. I got it for my plane trip (yes, a few hours after getting my BFP I got a baby book) last week and it was pretty cute- very Bridget Jones. Her thoughts on strollers, being a "yummy mummy", getting the "it" OB and having a water birth with lotus flowers and Thai massage were very funny!

Got a Secret, Can We Keep It?

My mother called yesterday morning to say "Your father and I think that not being able to tell anyone is cruel and unusual punishment." Well, if you look at the statistics for the risk of losing the baby this early maybe you would agree that telling everyone I am pregnant, then having to tell everyone we lost it, would really be far worse. Now we see why people wait even to tell their parents. Especially if they are not good secret-keepers like mine AND live on a small island where word travels fast and everyone knows everyone.
I am still feeling good, no nausea yet. I haven't had a SIP of coffee which has been really hard, as has missing out of our nightly glass of wine with dinner. Since DH insists that I agreed before I got KU that I would be OK with him continuing to drink around me (I don't remember saying that), I poured myself a glass of prune juice which looks fabulous in the Riedel merlot and really looks just like wine.
I did a freelance job yesterday for a designer I work with every few months. At the end of the shoot she told me she couldn't fit in the samples anymore because she has gained 14 pounds - she is 19 weeks! It was all I could do to say "I am pregnant too!!" But there is such a huge difference between 19 weeks and my measly 4 weeks and 5 days. She has a 4 year old and I am sure she has waited this long to tell everyone for a reason and I so will take that lesson and try to keep quiet for another 2 months.

Ugh, I am finally home!

I had to fly back from LA today which was pretty awful. First, I ate a croissantwich meal at Burger King at the airport and felt so gross. What about my all organic nutrient rich pregnancy?! I am terrible! I can't believe I ate fast food! I feel so bad about eating that crap. Never again.
Then I was squished in the window seat so I had to have two guys get out of their seats every time I had to pee. Worst of all, my back was KILLING me. I had a herniated disc operated on a few years ago and I haven't had back pain like this since back then. Time to step up my Pilates and build all that muscle up around my discs or I am going to be in some serious pain when I actually have some extra weight to carry around.
The good news is that I don't have any morning sickness yet, that would have been really awful alone on a 6 hour flight.
I will stop complaining now, I am soooo happy to be home and sooo excited to see DH in a few hours and snuggle up and finally get to enjoy this amazing time together!

I Love...

My parents. Why was I so nervous? I am such a worrier sometimes. They were amazing and are SO excited. Mom says Dad may be a little OVER excited. Oh Lord, I don't even want to know. He already mentioned that it should either be named after him, or his Black Lab, Bucky. Unfortunately, my husband is half Jewish and in the Jewish tradition it is bad luck to name a baby after someone still living. :)
Going to hang out with my In-Laws today! Yay! Hopefully we can find a place that does non toxic organic mani/pedis and a yummy place for dinner so I won't be sad abut not getting to have Sushi ( I love the albacore in LA).

p.s. First day totally sans coffee has gone alright, but it is really just beginning to sink in that my life for the next 9 months will no longer include coffee, wine, sushi, smoked salmon or delicious cheese! Crazy!

AHHHH!!! I AM PREGNANT!!

I just can't believe it! So, I woke up early to go to the airport and still no AF. Actually, had a dream I had gotten it and gone back to sleep so I was surprised when I got up at 6 and went to the bathroom I was confused and decided to test with the fancy pants digital. When "pregnant" appeared, I just couldn't believe it. I ran back to bed and jumped on DH and showed him the test - it was a pretty amazing morning! Then quickly off to the airport for my business trip.
The flight was long (6 hours) and cramped (they couldn't get my ticket on my preferred carrier so no upgrade) and I couldn't sleep at all. When I go to my hotel here in LA I took the other digital and called DH - he wanted a second opinion before he got too excited. :)
It is funny having this little secret. I was too tired to go for drinks last night anyway, but I may have to start making up excuses for the rest of the week.
DH already told his parents because they happen to live in LA and I am going to see them while I am here. They are the most enthusiastic, loving people ever so I am so excited that they know. My mother-in-law also loves to buy me gifts and I have my heart set on paige maternity jeans an a bugaboo! How lucky am I?
My parents are wonderful as well- and we are actually very close- but I am much more nervous to tell them. Last night it was too late to call, and now I am still too nervous. What's the rush? I am only 3 weeks and a few days. Is an email announcement weird?

Going Crazy?

I know every single TTC blog has a post (or many posts) like this. Phantom symptoms, searching the internet like a crazy person, interpreting every possible twinge and cramp.
My cycle has been 24 days the last few months, and I am now on day 27. I have been cramping to death and expecting my period for the last week. I tested on CD 21, 23 and 25 and have run out of cheapy tests. Plus, after a little googling I see that cramping can also be a pregnancy symptom. Why, of course it can! Anything to make us crazier!
I do have my special digitals that I am saving for when things look really promising , so MAYBE if AF hasn't come in the AM I will take one. I am actually leaving for the airport early tomorrow AM for a business trip so it would be nice, if it were to be positive, to know before I leave and not get carried away with martinis at the convention or end up doing an HPT by myself in my bathroom at the Hyatt.
OK, back to Fertility Friend to look at the oh-so-helpful - HPT before + HPT chart gallery!