Tuesday, September 4, 2012

It gets worse before it gets better

Before getting pregnant, I had hoped to be one of the lucky girls who goes through the whole first trimester without ever feeling pregnancy symptoms. As soon as I got pregnant, I knew that wouldn't be the case since I'd been nauseous and worn out for a week before the test came back positive. After a few weeks of nausea and exhaustion coupled with food aversions and a heightened sense of smell I was uncomfortable but still counting my blessings that at least I wasn't vomiting. Week 7 day 2 changed that. I was up all night in the bathroom. It was miserable.

 Food aversions are increasing and becoming more hostile. My taste buds seem to have changed too- a cookie now tastes like pure sugar- which apparently is something I can't stand (this is news to the girl who learned to say "cookie" right after "mama" and "dada"). I now eat plain food- mostly starches, but nothing too sweet. I feel like my list of safe foods is dwindling by the day. I used to love food.

Now here's the truly awful part: I don't feel like eating 80% of the day and if I DONT eat, then I get even more nauseous, but eating in and of itself can make me nauseous. It's a catch 22.

The upside is that on Week 7 day 3 we got seabands that have made a WORLD of difference. I fully believe they are the reason why I have been vomit free for the last 36 hours. Peppermint sometimes has a calming effect on my stomach too. Also, progression of my symptoms has me a little relieved. As long as I feel sick, it means that my baby is most likely still growing like it's supposed to. These symptoms are presumed to be a result of increased hormones and HCG in my body. Those are only present because of the baby- so as long as I feel these symptoms, I can rest easier trusting that my baby is still ok.

In other news,

I think we're having a boy. I know that what I think we're having has no effect whatsoever on what we're actually having, and I know that my reasons for believing it are completely without scientific merit, but regardless, his name will be Caedmon August Jaeger. It's Celtic for "wise warrior." I like it a lot.

Reasons why I think I'm having a boy:
1. My mom had virtually no pregnancy symptoms when she carried me, but was extremely sick carrying my brother.
2. I absolutely cannot find a girl name that I like the way it sounds, fits with our name, and it's meaning.
3. I already own a considerable blue baby item that was intended for a friend's baby shower. I saw that someone else had already purchased it off the registry and I never returned the item.
4. Cameron and I chose Caedmon August Jaeger as the name of our first son several months before finding out I'm pregnant. We then happened to find out I'm pregnant in the month of August.
5. I always prayed that I would have a boy first because when I was a kid I wished that I had an older brother.