Would you believe I'm halfway done already with this pregnancy?? When I think back to the past few months time has flown by so quickly. It's WAY different being pregnant when you've got a toddler, because there is so much other stuff to focus on, it's impossible to be as obsessed with the pregnancy. In a way I really like this because it means less anxiety about things that could go wrong, but at the same time I am feeling way less prepared for this baby.
This past weekend was Mother's Day, and Sylvan and I were in Kincardine so I could recover from being very, very sick. Luke came up after work on Friday and we spent the weekend with Steve and Kathy. I felt short of breath all weekend and my belly felt huge. And I'm only 20 weeks! Eep! We had a great Mother's Day weekend though, with nice weather... a big Rangers win against the Capitols (WOO!), church on Sunday and dinner out in Tiverton before coming home.
Something I'm really thankful for this time around is that I have no hip/S.I. joint pain at all so far. At this point with my first pregnancy I felt like a cripple and I could hardly walk up and down stairs because of the horrible pain I was experiencing. I also started getting a pinchy sensation in the upper right area of my belly because of the way Sylvan was positioned... and I don't have that at all yet this pregnancy. Those 2 things were the worst things I dealt with when I was pregnant with Sylvan, so I'm very happy that I've been virtually pain-free this pregnancy!
Another thing, my morning sickness seems to have finally worn off. I had struggled very intensely with vomiting and everything lovely that goes along with that for a few months of this pregnancy. Diclectin was my constant faithful companion. I don't think I need it anymore, so that's great.
I had to start a new medication recently to prevent migraines. I was on Imitrex earlier on in my pregnancy, and my doctor sent me to see a neurologist to make sure this was the safest way to proceed in a pregnancy. The neurologist was extremely cautious about medications, and actually suggested that I "take plain Tylenol, and look into other forms of treatment such as acupuncture." This REALLY surprised me, since most doctors are a little more laid back about treatments, and I wasn't nervous about taking Imitrex since it's been done a lot by other women who suffer from migraines in pregnancy. My regular doctor took me right off Imitrex, and said he would get back to me about other treatment options. Finally I was given the go-ahead to start Propranolol, which is actually a heart/blood pressure medication. I have to take it twice a day and it is meant to work as a prophylaxis medication, ideally preventing migraines before they happen. It's a bit crazy if you look up Propranolol online to see what it is used for, because it is used for everything from stage fright, panic, hand tremors in people like surgeons who need steady hands, malaria, severe infantile hemangiomas, post-traumatic stress disorder, nightmares, aggressive behavior in people with brain injuries, and the list goes on! YIKES! When I found out it is used to treat stage fright, I had a moment of panic wondering what crazy antics I'm bound to get up to in front of crowds of people in the next few months... but then I took my propranolol, and the panic went away. Ha ha, just kidding. Sort of.
The past few weeks have been particularly brutal for another medical reason. I had been taking a painkiller daily to treat migraines, and when my supply ran out, I saw my doctor... and he basically said, "there's no way you should be taking this medication... you're going to have to deal with the withdrawal symptoms until it's out of your system." I proceeded to have one of the worst weeks of my entire life. Insomnia, sweats, chills, hot flashes, anxiety, extreme muscle weakness, etc. etc. etc. plagued me day and night until the medication left my body. It's impossible to truly describe how hellish that week was. I can't imagine what heroine addicts go through, seeing as the amount of drug in their system and the length of time they were hooked on drugs make the withdrawal so much worse. I have never felt so sick in my life, and Luke had to take quite some time off work to take care of me. Steve and Kathy came down from Kincardine to help with Sylvan and their help was absolutely invaluable. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the amazing people in my life who supported me through that! I am SO grateful. And I never want to take pain medication ever again. :/
Anyway, let's end this post on a positive note... this coming Wednesday, we have our 20 week ultrasound, and we are hoping to find out if we're having a boy or a girl! Luke and I both think we're having a girl, but only time will tell! I will be sure to update when we find out... I can hardly wait.
