The One With The Things That Saved Me

When I was pregnant with Paige, I felt great... fabulous, even.  I didn't get sick and I was happy (I had MAYBE 2 mood swings the whole 9 months). The only 'side effect' was that I was tired.  I really, really enjoyed being pregnant & knew how lucky I was.

So, when I got pregnant again this time, I was very hopeful that it would be the same.  You know, like I would be one of those mutant women who have fabulous & easy pregnancies every time... ;)  (and I mean mutant with the most respect!)

I was naive...

So, in attempt to enjoy every moment & document my memories, I am posting today about the things that have saved me in this pregnancy (so far...).

Shakes
My friend Carlye told me about pregnancy rage when she was pregnant.  When I got pregnant this time, it took a little while to realize I was experiencing what she was talking about.  Its getting better, but still happens here and there.  I sometimes get annoyed for no reason & can't shake it.  Once I realize what I'm experiencing each time, I go get a shake (the ones from Nelsons Frozen Custard are saved for the worst episodes because they are the best & most expensive... well worth it, though), & often the trip to get a shake is accompanied by a trip to Target.  If by chance I can't get out of the house (which sometimes spurs the pregnancy rage), a candy bar or chocolate often helps enough.  Did I mention I have the biggest sweet tooth with this pregnancy? It's starting to worry me...

Gummy Prenatal Vitamins
Thank you to whoever invented these!  I am not the best pill swallow-er anyway, but I was so sick & would miss a few days at a time because I just couldn't swallow it &/or keep it down.  This, of course, concerned me, so I looked up online & found some gummy prenatal vitamins.  I think they are yummy, and Target even has their Up & Up brand of them (which means cheaper... and sometimes they have coupons for the Up & Up brand too... even better).

Zofran
I always thought Zofran was for the women who were throwing up all day every day in their pregnancy, so it didn't even phase me that it could help me.  Don't get me wrong, I threw up much more than I wanted to, and was sick to my stomach all day every day.  I think I was around 16 weeks when my midwife asked if I wanted some.  I said no, thinking that I was supposed to feel better 'any day now' and didn't want to waste money if I didn't need to.  I mentioned it to Rick a day or two later & he looked at me like I was crazy.  He talked me into calling my midwife back the next day to get a prescription & boy am I glad I did!  I got it right before we moved, so that was helpful.  It didn't make me 100% better, but I would take any little bit I could!  My morning sickness lasted for 5 more weeks... another reason why I am glad I got it when I did.


Rick & Paige
Without them being so patient, that would have made this pregnancy a lot harder!  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't easy for either of them, but the fact that Rick would come home & help clean (even more than normal), be patient with my food choices (what I could and couldn't eat), & pay extra attention to Paige on top of everything else he had going on, was so so so helpful!  Of course Paige is too young to really understand, but she did really well considering.  I could tell on my worst days that she needed extra attention & I am so grateful for Ricky stepping in when I couldn't.  I didn't like how it affected her or how hard it was on Rick, that's why I decided to take the zofran.


My Recliner
I have spent more hours than I can count putting my feet up on our recliner.  I've had to take many naps & resting breaks there.  Just call me a swussy :)  

Wrist Braces
I had carpal tunnel surgery back when Rick & I first met.  It's been really pretty good since then.  I had several friends & neighbors who had the surgery before me tell me that theirs came back, and mine slowly has been coming back, but it hasn't been too bad yet.  Pregnant women often get carpal tunnel, even if they haven't had it before, but when I was pregnant with Paige mine was actually better... weird.  This pregnancy, not so much.  I finally found the perfect, most comfortable braces out there & I wear them at night to ease the symptoms.  I wouldn't be able to tolerate it very well without them.  I call them my boxing gloves :)

Core Exercises
My stomach muscles have felt... well, torn apart.  I asked my midwife about it, assuming the only thing I could do was to buy a support belt, but she told me some exercises I could do for a few more weeks that would help.  Oh boy, am I glad I asked her!  It was so bad it hurt just to stand or sit, but lately I have felt very little pain there because of those exercises.  Hallelujah!! 

My Ultrasound
Because I was sick & exhausted for so long, I honestly didn't feel as excited about being pregnant again as I did before I got pregnant (gulp... I HATE admitting that).  Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to be able to be pregnant.  I was thrilled to know that I would soon be holding another baby that was created in my very own uterus.  I knew how lucky I was to have this opportunity.  I waited & prayed for this second baby for a long time.  I was beyond thrilled to have our family grow... but being sick 24/7 for 20 weeks straight starts to wear on you...  But once I saw that sweet little profile, foot, hand, heartbeat, etc. on the ultrasound, I was instantly in love.  It was exactly the thing I needed to boost my spirits & be more than excited about being pregnant... throwing up & all.  :)  It made it all worth it.  It was amazing.

Pregnancy isn't always the most comfortable time of life, but I sure am glad for all of these life savers!  They've made my pregnancy much more enjoyable, and I am so excited to meet this little girl!