In most of my pregnancy books, they say that the seventeenth week of pregnancy marks the time where the baby will begin to start to hear noises outside of the body.
So tonight, when we went to see Alien vs Predator R, I was surprised to feel the familiar little tapping in my lower abdemon which continued to last for most of the movie. Baby Herm either really hated the show, or loved it.
But considering I was ready to fall asleep because the plot was terrible and there was absolutley no suspence whatsoever, I'm hoping that Baby Herm was just trying to "get out" as soon as possible.
2007-12-24 (17 weeks)
A Personal Choice, So I Can Sleep At Night
About a month and a half into my pregnancy, I started to realize how sick I was going to be during my first trimester. I was surprised to realize that it truly felt like I had a bad flu bug, day in and day out. I had no idea that it could be like that for a pregnant woman, and aside from my own Mother, many of the women I talked to about it - could not relate.
I am now seventeen weeks into my pregnancy, and am still very sick. A week ago, I started to get a bleeding nose, every time I coughed or vomited. Apparently it's a result of having an increased amount of blood volume in my body, and because I no longer have a period, my body has to get rid of it somehow. This means, I usually have a bleeding nose at least 2-3 times in a day; and they are not "light".
Because of these recent events, and the fact that I am just not getting better, the anti-nausea pill has been brought up in conversations a lot. I personally had a million reasons why I didn't want to take the pill. First of all, it has only been on the market for twenty years, which for me, is not a long time. How long does a medication have to be tested until we will experiment with it on our children? Two years? Five months? Sixty years?
I knew that other Mothers had taken the pill, and I knew that others had not. It is a personal choice, one that I do not believe should be made lightly. I also do not believe that one should be made to feel guilty about not taking it. And even though people mean well, everyone has their own opinion about what a woman should do during her pregnancy. How she should react to certain situations, and what she should do to make these situations better.
A lot of people tend to compare my situation with theirs, which for a lot of women, is impossible. I was surprised to realize that a lot of people who encouraged me to take the pill, had little to none morning sickness themselves.
But what was most frustrating, was to find out that there were a few people who believed I was not taking this pill, out of pride. My Mother managed to get through all nine months of her pregnancy while being sick, and it shouldn't be a reason why I am trying to do the same. I was told by yet another person, that I am not a hero.
I understand that these comments are coming from people who are simply worried about me, and about my health. But I also want to make it clear that I am in no way trying to prove anything to anyone. I am not trying to be the pregnant woman who got through it all, without help. The only opinion I truly care about and matters to me, is that of my husbands. And if he told me that he could not see me go through this any longer, and that he wanted me to try the pill, I would put on my shoes and run down to the pharmacy and take it where I stood.
But he hasn't. Obviously it has been hard for him to see me at times, so sick. He's made it clear to me though, that he supports my decision, and stands behind me with whatever I choose to do. Whether I take the pill, or not.
In the end, I would love to be able to feel normal again. I would love to be able to go to someone's house for dinner, and keep the food down. I would love for my husband not to have to hold kleenex over my nose while it bleeds as I clutch the edge of the sink counter because I could not make it to the toilet. I would love to be able to be one of those women who enjoyed being pregnant. Who loved being pregnant.
I am not refusing the pill because of pride, and I am not trying to make some sort of statement or prove that I'm "tough". I am not looking for sympathy, and I certainly have not been trying to let nature take it's course just so I can get a pat on the back.
I am simply trying to give my baby the best start to life it could possibly have. And even if you don't agree, the bottom line is that it is my body. It is my baby. And I am not willing to risk anything on a drug that an imperfect man made, just because they say "It's safe."
And in the end, when the baby's here, and these months are but a distant memory, I won't have to worry about it anymore. I won't have to dwell on it anymore, and be made to feel doubt about my decisions; from people that really should have no say in this at all.
But I do know one thing. If there's ever another woman who ends up going through the same thing that I have been, I'll know exactly what to say to her.
She's her baby's hero. She doesn't need to be anyone else's.
2007-12-20 (16 weeks)
End of the Year Cravings
I've started to have some serious cravings for citrus. I've loved lemon's for a few weeks now, but recently I've started craving everything else. Mango, grapefruit, oranges, and any juice made from the above fruit. I also can't get enough of the sour stuff. I love, love, love these little candies; which are basically found at any gas station or convienence store. I've never been so thankful that we live near a
7-11 than I have been these past two weeks.
Other than that, I haven't really been craving anything out of the ordinary. In fact, usually it's the opposite. I'll have sudden and strong dislikes for food all around me, even if I see it on the tv. And even if it smells fine or looks good, I'll start to gag just because it's there and I can see it. And ugh, heaven forbid if you eat it in front of me.
But this all means that I'm starting to eat a lot more than I was previously, which means that my pants are gradually getting more and more tight and I've been forced to wear the largest size pajama pants I can find, just so I'm comfortable. I've even thought once or twice about stealing a pair of Chad's jeans the next time we go out.
Come to think of it, I bet his boxers would be a lot more comfortable too.
**New Belly Pic in the Album**
2007-12-19 (16 weeks)
Our Baby Has a Song
Well, December is coming to an end and it's so hard to believe that a new year will be quickly upon us. I'm finally pretty much over my morning sickness, and my appetite has returned, which means I'm once again able to out-eat my husband.
This past weekend we went to my hometown and visited my parents, which is always so refreshing and I miss them more and more every time I have to leave. They sent us back home with snacks, another oh-so-comfy pair of pajama's for me, and the new and fancy Scrabble game with the spin board which has already had a few uses in the two days we've been back home.
Chad also bought me a beautiful new glossy blue Yamaha accoustic guitar. Bandit has seemed to have some serious issues with this new and strange contraption that is always sitting in my lap, and even while I'm playing he will push his head under my left arm and attempt to squeeze his way onto my lap. He didn't seem to enjoy the thought of something else taking up *his* space on my knee's, until last night when Chad and I decided to write a cute little song for our baby. Before I knew it, the dog was konked out on the couch beside me, sleeping so heavily that he continued to pass gass as he snored. I'm not sure if that was the desired effect Chad and I had been expecting, but Bandit doesn't seem to dislike the guitar so much anymore.
Thanks so much to all who sent encouraging emails regarding my last post about the pap test. Even though I'm reassured and told not to worry or stress out over it, this has proven difficult for me - especially with all these awesome pregnancy hormones that make me feel like a basket case every once and a while. So thankyou, thankyou, thankyou, for the emails and the support. As always, it means a lot.
