So far, this pregnancy has been pretty much text book.  I can literally tick off all the symptoms I have had against pregnancy text books lists.

Symptoms I have had include...

Nausea 

- started round the 6th week, starting fading once the 2nd trimester kicked in, thank God!

Vomiting 

oh yeah, I can't even count the number of times... though there was..

- a few 'hanging out of the car door into the car park' episodes.

- 1 public toilet episode.  I had just eaten, and seeing as the closest toilets were adjoined to the eatery, I did my best to vomit silently, so not to get the 'do you have an eating disorder looks' when I exited the toilet stall.  Oh the joys of being skinny.

- a handful of vomiting in plastic bags and bowls in the car, I learnt to leave home prepared.

- numerous toilet bowl hugging episodes.

- a few unexpected shower spews.

- many kitchen sink trips, (ok, ok, I know this is gross, but it was often the closest and with our garbage disposal attached I could just turn on the tap, hit the button and it would all be whirled away.... too much info?)

- 1 in the mouth spew when I bent over to pick up some washing, that was delightful.

Uterine Cramps

- these continue to get stronger and more frequent as bub grows.  Lately when I sneeze... ouch!

Stuffy, Congested Nose

- this symptom has thankfully stopped, it drove me crazy, and often led to me being sick because of the drip, drip, drip down the back of my throat.  I swear I would go through a box of tissues in 2 days!

Headaches

- again, this was worse in the first trimester

Gas

- burp, burp, burp, burp, burp.  Enough said.

Larger Boobs

- this is one of the few symptoms that is actually somewhat enjoyable.  It is quite funny to see an actual cleavage forming, and nice to be able to wear tops and dresses that would have previously left me looking like a pancake on a stick.

Darkened Nipples

- check.

Frequent Need to Urinate

- this one only really started in the 2nd trimester, and it is driving me crazy~!

Fatigue

- oh yeah.

Tightness of Clothes Around Waist

- again, starting to get really annoying.

Dizziness or Faintness

- this one often rears it's ugly head when I am out trying to do Christmas Shopping.

Food Aversions

- hated all food in the first trimester, especially ONIONS!!

Food Cravings

- nectarines, dried apricots and Southwest Cheese Steak Subs were the only things I could eat.

Nosebleeds

- x 2, both after vomiting.

Bloody Gums After Flossing

- this happens infrequently, but one time it was so bad I had to hold a tissue against the pooling blood!

Memory Loss

- what was I just typing?

Emotional Instability

- thankfully, this hasn't been too bad.  At least I think it hasn't.  My husband may tell a different story.  But I am pleased to say there has only been a handful of teary episodes, and only one truly manic episode where I threw a novel at the wall.  Only once.

Symptoms I have not had include...

Constipation

Swelling of Hands and Feet

Heartburn

Varicose Veins

Hemorrhoids - Dear God, please don't let me get hemorrhoids!!!!

Today as I was walking to the train station I checked our mail and found a letter from the hospital awaiting me.  My initial thought was, 'gee, I hope this isn't bad news'.  It was quite the opposite.

After months of waiting, I found out we have been allocated a place at the Birthing Centre!  The Birthing Centre is run by midwifes, is located on Hospital property, but has a completely natural approach to child birth.  There is little intervention, (only unless needed), little drugs, (eek, can I do it?), water birth suites and your husband can stay the night in your room!

I am so happy.  Places at the Birthing Centre are few, so you have to put your name down months in advance and wait to see if you are one of the few that get drawn from in a lottery, I kid you not!

Praise God!  He has given us a place!  Out of all the hopeful mothers, we have a place!  My girlfriend had a water birth at the centre, and she said the midwife just sat back and allowed her and her husband to birth the baby, only stepping in to monitor the baby every now and then.  She said the midwife said, "I'll just be sitting over here, let me know if you need me".

Now that sounds much better than what I have heard happens in the hospital ward...i.e. "This is your doctor, this here is a team of students that are going to be viewing your birth, these other people are Fred, George and Mike, just ignore them and take your gear off.  Lie down on the bed, chuck your legs in the stirrups and let's get this episiotomy happening, lunch is at 12 and we don't want to miss it".

Ok, maybe I am exaggerating a little bit here, ok, a lot.  But I have heard some horror stories!! 

I am not sure how my birth will work out.  And I am constantly reading birth stories where the woman planned this and that and at the end of the day it all went out the window and every medical intervention known to the modern world was required, but I do know my girlfriends that have birthed in the hospital wards have had, epidurals, (that they originally thought they would say no to), episiotomies, stitches, forceps, inductions, caesars etc etc.  And my girlfriends that birthed in the Birthing Centres have had... natural births.

I am hoping I will fall into the later category, but if not, at least I have an opportunity to give it my best shot, in the best possible surroundings for it.

Oh, and did I mention I think I am going to do a water birth!  YAY!

Throughout this pregnancy The Hunger has come and gone in cycles and seasons.  In the first few weeks, I was ravenous.  All of my life I have had a tiny stomach that would only allow small portions of food to be consumed before it would reach full, but in the first few weeks of pregnancy, that limit was stretched!  My husband was amazed at the amounts of food I was eating, and it felt good.

Then along came morning sickness in week 7.  The inability to keep anything down turned The Hunger into some kind of maniacal monster, some kind of ravenous, skull cracking, bone braking type of creature that would approach me in the still of night and leave me cowering with fear, whimpering with pain and crying out for mercy. 

The Hunger was hard to appease.  I would offer it a morsel tentatively, only for the stomach to spew the food back up, offended and angered, wanting more, something else.  It would plague me at all hours of the day and night.  I would relax when it's firey wrath had abated, or so I thought, only for it to come storming into the room again, murderous and wanting blood.  I despised The Hunger.  It was around this time that The Hunger was named.

Hunger pains didn't acurately describe the monster.  'I'm hungry', was weak and a half truth.  But The Hunger, like The Pope was some kind of 'other world entity' that deserved, in fact demanded, such acute definition.

Around week 13, week 14 The Hunger seemed to relent, for real this time.  Most of my morning sickness was gone, I could eat quite steadily, and The Hunger, had decided to leave me alone.  Nice. 

But alas, a new season has sprung, or so it seems, the last few days and nights have seen The Hunger visiting again in the still of the night, leaving me tossing and turning, willing it away.  The Hunger has come and awoken me at 5am, like it used to.  It has forced me into the kitchen in search of sustenance, anything to stop the pains. 

As I am not vomiting, (fingers crossed), anymore, my only conclusion is that The Hunger has come under strict instructions, 'fatten her up'!  Don't get me wrong.  This is a good thing.  The 3 kilos I lost during morning sickness have been sorely missed, and I want my little baby bean to have the opportunity to feast, no gorge, if they so require, so I guess this time, The Hunger is here to help, I just need to see it that way.

I also need to find a way to keep up with it's relentless demands, before it has the chance to get nasty.

Oh My Goodness!  I just did the biggest projectile vomit EVER!!!!!!!

I had just finished a bowl of vegetable and lentile soup, very nourishing.  And decided I should try and take my Elivit, pregnancy multivitamin, which I have been unable to swallow since about week 8.  So I crushed it up into a powder and put it into a glass of vegetable juice.  Mind you, I did not feel like taking a vitamin, nor did I feel like a glass of vegetable juice, but my reasoning was, "it's not for me, it's for the baby".

So, I sat down and attempted to get through the glass of vegie juice.  A slow process. Sip, sip.  I didn't even make it halfway through the glass when that familiar feeling started churning in my tummy.  Oh no! I haven't been sick all week!

It swirled around for 5 minutes or so.  I had to spit into a tissue, to clear the back of my throat, this was a bad idea.  My throat started feeling 'gaggy', then the stomach spasms started.  I tried to ignore them.  Swallowing.  The spasms got more violent.  Then came the salty feeling under the tongue.  Still I tried to ignore them, after all, I haven't been sick all week!  Bad idea.

By the time I got to the closest vomit container, which happened to be the sink, my mouth was past 'full of vomit point', and the pressure burst my lips open, literally spewing vomit ALLL OVER the floor, cupboards, sink,  and wall.  I must had tried to shut my mouth with my hands, because it was all over my forearms, hands and face!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS!  I was even standing in it!

This was like a scene out of some kind of shlock film.  First thing I did was run the tap and wash my face!!! That was disgusting.  While I was moping it all up with wet papers towels, and multi purpose spray, I thought, 'at least I know little baby bean is still growing and doing well".  Nothing like a pregnancy symptom to remind you you are still pregnant.