15 Weeks and a First!

I've officially made it to 15 weeks.  This is starting to feel completely real and exciting!  I'm going to make a valiant effort to start writing a weekly update- I want to remember these little details 10 years from now!  So, here goes nothing:

Week 15:  (Ok, so I'm 15w 1d...)

Weight Gained: 9 lbs

Cravings:  Sizzling Rice Soup, Avocado & Cucumber Rolls, Gatorade

Food Aversions:  Most meat- I just can't do it.  Thank God for Greek yogurt, or I would get no protein!

Symptoms: Near-constant nausea, daily headaches, occasional BH contractions.  Also, pregnancy-related constipation is no joke.  That is all I'm going to say about that. 

How I'm Feeling:  Tired!  I'm actually grateful to my MFM for cutting back my hours- he seemed to know that I needed it before I did. 

Exciting Stuff: First Real Kick!
Today, after waking up from a 12 hour napping marathon, I rolled over and felt a very distinct kick on the left side of my belly.  I held my breath for a second, and two more little kicks followed.  Wow.  I've felt tiny little taps or flutters for a few weeks, but nothing that made me stop and pay attention.  These were honest-to-goodness baby feet going crazy.  I can't wait until their movement is more constant and predictable, because I keep waiting to feel them again!

Weekly Worries:  Still concerned about my cervical length.  Hopefully we'll re-check on Thursday at my OB appt.  Maybe the reduced work hours have helped!

I am so sorry... I'm a Pregnant Flake.

Guilty.  That is the one word that describes how I feel right now.  We'll throw Unreliable in there for good measure, just in case you need a broader picture.

I've cancelled on two events in the past week because I have no energy to do anything.  One was our monthly Bunco get-together, and the other was a friend's 30th birthday party.  I thought that if I skipped Bunco, I might have the energy for the party this weekend.  Obviously, my body wasn't listening to that methodology.  Between the nausea and exhaustion, I feel completely incapacitated.  If doesn't involve working or sleeping, it's probably not happening, and I just need to accept that.  Where is this 2nd trimester burst of energy that everyone swears should be settling in?! 

None of these side effects are particularly bothersome to me, because I know that it takes a lot of energy to grow two little people from scratch.  I knew what I was getting into when I begged God for a child.   The only thing that concerns me is how my friends must feel.   From the outside, I can imagine that I look like a complete flake who cannot be trusted to follow through on anything.

Maybe I should issue a blanket apology in advance- if I bail on you, I'm really, truly sorry.  We'll spank the babies when they get here for causing so much trouble in-utero.  :) 

Update: The Great and the Not-So-Great

Well, I survived my first appointment with out perinatologist and I really, really like him.  Actually, everyone in the office was great- his receptionist, the MA, the ultrasound tech...  they just made me feel comfortable.  Considering how unbelievably nervous I was, that was no easy task.  Now, on to the important stuff.

The Great News:  Everything looks good with the babies.  They are kicking around like crazy and just generally being cute.  The ultrasound tech was so thorough and pointed out everything she was looking at.  I mean everything- it appears that Twin A is our little boy, while Twin B is all girl!  Of course, that information was quickly followed by, "You can't hold me to this 100%, but I've never been wrong before!".  No worries- we're just glad that they appear healthy at this point!

Now for the Not-So-Great News:  My cervical length is 3.3 cm.  This is okay, but not fabulous.  It's a tolerable starting point and I am very thankful for that, because it could be worse.  However, my doctor has advised me to cut back on my work hours.  My schedule consists solely of 12-hour shifts right now, and he strongly suggested that I not work more than 8 hours/day.  For the past week, I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions during the latter part of my shift.  I thought it was too early for those, but apparently it is not.  He is concerned that I am over-doing things a bit, and research shows that healthcare workers who work 12-hours shifts have a much higher incidence of pre-term labor than those who have shorter hours.  So, I've talked to my boss and we are going to work out a schedule that makes everyone happy.

Overall, things are still looking good.  I knew that I'd have to cut
 back on work during this pregnancy, but I definitely was not prepared for it to happen this early.   In the grand scheme of things, I know that a few months of of working is nothing.  After everything we've invested emotionally and financially,  we have to take every precaution and I'll do anything to keep these babies safely tucked away as long as possible!

She does have legs, I promise! 

The Little Man, Baby A

 

Nervous Nelly

Today we meet our high-risk perinatologist.  In approximately 20 minutes, I will be sitting in his waiting room waiting for our NT scan.  And I'm a nervous wreck.  Truly,  I'm terrified that something is wrong with one of the babies.  In the past few weeks, several of the bloggers I follow have gotten devastating news about their pregnancies.  Maybe that's why I'm so freaked out right now.  Please say a quick prayer that everything is A-ok with the twinkies, and keep our fellow bloggers in your prayers as well!

Never say never...

As a potential first-time mom, there are a million things that I just don't know.  Google and I have become even better friends in the past few months (which I didn't think was even possible!) because I've been researching everything baby related.  During my late-night internet trolling, I checked out a site that my mom sent me, and discovered an amazing thing.  We have a diaper service in town!

To be completely honest, I'd never really considered using cloth diapers.  I vividly remember my mom swishing my youngest brother's training pants in the toilet when he was potty training, and being utterly disgusted.  No way was I going to sign up for anything that involved hand-washing baby clothes in the potty.  Not.Gonna.Happen.  So, when I found CottonTails, I was slightly grossed out, but a little intrigued.  As it turns out,  there's nothing remotely gross about cloth diapering- especially if you utilize a service that does all of the hard stuff for you!  

I really think that we're going to give it a try.  If we hate the service, or cloth diapers in general, we'll go buy a bunch of disposables.  And possibly eat some crow, because all of my friends think that I'm nuts for even considering this. 

Maybe it's me...

I swear that people have been saying and doing really stupid things lately.  It seems like everyone is just trying to tick me off!  Especially men-  they are particularly frustrating and aggravating.  Twice in the past few weeks, I've been talking to male co-workers when they just start to get under my skin- one of them was intentionally trying to annoy me. And Paul had the nerve to take his side!

Then I started to think about what's really happening.  In all of these circumstances, there's only one common denominator.  I am it.  They can't all be the problem... so it must be me.  I'm a hormonal, out of control mess lately!  Especially after working several straight 12 hour night shifts.  I can't expect these uterus-less men to possibly comprehend the insane changes that are going on, right?  Just because I'm pregnant doesn't give me carte blanche to be a raging witch, so I'm really trying to temper my reactions.  It seems to be working so far, because not a single man has told me that I've "hurt his feelings" lately.  Which is a good thing, because a 6 foot 6 inch, 320 lb man telling you that he feels wounded makes you want to scream at him to grow up, and that completely defeats the purpose of this self-control exercise.

I'm not promising to be Mrs. Perfectly Pleasant Pregnant Person.  However, I have recognized that I've got anger issues related to my constant hormonal state of flux and I'm attempting to remedy the problem.  It's a good start.