One in Tucson and one in my womb! :D \:D/
The one in Tucson will be ready when the one in my womb comes out and Pop is writing a separate entry for that. The one in my womb is now 33% occupied. There are so many new things I'm learning/experiencing and this was harder than I thought! I initially thought that being pregnant, I could still do the things I do, just heavier. Now that I'm actually experiencing it, I realize that it takes more sacrifice, paranoia and annoying symptoms to deal with.
First 5 weeks
It's only now that I came to know that they count the weeks of pregnancy starting from the LMP so they still count the first two weeks prior to conception. No wonder doctors always advise to stop drinking and eat healthier as part of preparation. When my monthly visitor didn't come, I thought it was due to new medication that I was taking so I didn't think much of it. But then, it seems that my body didn't want me to ignore as I experienced some severe itching. (Ugh #1) The cold weather did not help with my dry skin as well. Symptoms aside, I was still continuing what I planned to do for the month which consist mostly of spoiling Popy on his birthday month. Maybe its a good thing I did that because now he has to spoil me for the next 8 months. Bwehehe! On the other hand, I hope I won't regret not being aware of my food and activities during that time.
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| Baby's first flight |
Week 6
On Halloween night, after we came back from trick or treating, I concluded that there is a big possibility that my speculation was right. Since I haven't confirmed it yet through a test, I thought to let Popy know indirectly. That night, I put a hotdog bun in the oven with a sign indicating "Trick or Treat?" I thought he would see it the next day when he prepares some breakfast or dinner. I was wrong! He didn't prepare breakfast and it was taking him a while to start making the dinner so I started it myself. He turned on the heat on the oven without checking it! Needless to say, the bread burned. At this point, I was so furious! I threw the bread in the sink and cursed in frustration. I've been stopping myself from opening the oven ALL DAY so that he would open it! I was starving myself for nothing! Hello, mood swings! So much for telling it indirectly. :-|
Non-existent photo of trick or treat bun in the oven
The following weekend I bought a test during grocery shopping. It immediately came up positive so I confirmed it to Popy by handing him the Prego jar from our fridge. I won't reveal how long it took him to get that. :p I guess he was still in denial at that point because his instinct was to look up reviews for the test that I bought.:)) Being the miser that I am, of course it was the cheapest one in the store and the reviews were not that good. In my defense, if the HCG is there then is no denying it! :)) So for additional confirmation, Pop bought a more expensive and "more
accurate" kit. The kit contains two tests. As expected, it was positive
for 3+ weeks. 3+ weeks was the maximum period on the test. There was no
need to test it one more time so (shameless plug) I have an extra test if anyone else needs it! :)
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| The cheap one |
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| The "more accurate" one |
Week 7
We wanted our parents to be the first to know so we had a little project to announce it to them. Initially, it was suppose to be through a postcard but Pop was so excited, he wanted a frame to go with it too. :)) Here is a sample of the picture that we sent them:
I also borrowed some materials from the library to get some ideas on nutrition and exercise. Career mode!
- What to eat when you're expecting / by Heidi Murkoff, with Sharon Mazel and Arlene Eisenberg
- Pregnancy cooking & nutrition for dummies / by Tara Gidus.
- What to expect when you're expecting [videorecording] : the workout / Lions Gate Entertainment.
Review: The first two above are recipe books while the last one is a dvd. I don't know if it's the nausea (Ugh #2) or I'm just not used to the "American" way of healthy eating but I cant seem to find the appetite for some of the recipes: most of which are salads and ginger-based ones. Ginger is said to help with nausea but it seems to have an opposite effect on me! The dvd offers 6 classes: 3 for cardio, 2 for toning/sculpting and 1 for relaxation/cool down. It was helpful, just need to bypass the annoying intro to each class every time.
Speaking of cooking, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my husband for being my houseband. Since I became sensitive to smells, he has taken up most, if not all, of the housework without me needing to ask for it. He also makes sure that I drink my medicine, vitamins and water. Ang swerte-swerte ko talaga! :D Thank God na siya napangasawa ko. (Bawi-bawi lang kase sinungitan ko sha nung last week. Hehehe!) Sobra-sobra yung pagdamay nya, nagpapalaki rin ng tiyan at nakiki-utot. Bwahaha! TMI!
Week 8
I found online a free Healthy Pregnancy Class for first time parents at Tucson Medical Center so we took the opportunity to attend it. Either they haven't advertised enough or June is not a very popular birth month as there was only one other couple in the class which is not bad as it made the class more interactive. Our instructor gave out some informational materials, had us watch some videos interviewing real-life pregnant couples, showed life size illustrations of a growing belly and demonstrated some pregnancy exercises/relaxation techniques. My husband also got to experience how heavy and uncomfortable it will be by wearing the empathy suit below.
Work it!
The last part was the tour around the hospital: birthing rooms, nursery, etc. Though it was very nice, I didn't bother taking pictures because I probably won't be delivering here because this is a little bit farther from where we live but it's good to know the options.
Week 9
Finally, we got to see our baby and hear the heartbeat for the first time via the ultrasound. Wow, thank you Lord!
So relieved that I haven't screwed it up completely so far. Pop also rewarded me with a maternity pillow since I was having "sleep disturbances" (Ugh#3) and difficult time finding a good position to sleep. After an afternoon nap with it, it was the best sleep I've had in days.
Week 10
Thankfully, the doctor said that it was safe to fly/travel for me so went to Long Beach for Thanksgiving. We stayed with my high school friend Frida. I missed this girl and our visit was very timely as well. Aside from being a registered nurse, she is also in her second trimester of her second pregnancy so I got a lot of tips, advice (and baby formula!) from her. We were so spoiled with her during and even after our half week stay that our stomachs were full for a week. Amazing how diligent she is cooking, hoping I would get my diligence back on my 2nd trim as well. Our genie granted us Kare-kare and hilaw na mangga with bagoong. Yum! On top of that, may take home pa kami: SANSRIVAL!!! (topeng), baked mac, giniling, tinupis and leche flan. The baby definitely never went hungry this week!
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| Frida's kare-kare |
Week 11
This was a rough week. I guess eating too much and lack of exercise during the last week has taken its toll on my body. I also went shopping for maternity clothes which might have been unhygienic. I just didn't know what to do with myself so I had to call in to triage to report my symptoms. I was advised to use some medication for the infection (Ugh#4) and was scheduled an appointment earlier than should be to consult with doctor regarding the abdominal cramps (Ugh#5) and vomiting (Ugh#6). The doctor concluded that it was gastro-intestinal related and I should try heartburn medication and should make sure I get a lot of fiber and water. (Frida also advised to have 30mins walk daily to release possibly compressed air' as the gastro-intestinal system tends to be slower during pregnancy). I was so relieved that the symptoms were secluded to me and was not affecting the baby and the heartbeat is still strong. Heartbeat
Week 12
Everything is so itchy! Avoiding the stretch marks is harder than I thought. :( I tried calamine lotion and cocoa butter lotion but my skin is still so red and itchy. I wish I knew how to resolve this. On a better note, at least I can still sleep it off most of the time.
Also, I never thought that I would have a problem gaining weight but it seems that my nauseous dates with john are inevitable. I guess I was wrong in thinking that I should already be past this. I now have less than 2 weeks to gain the recommended two pounds for the first trimester. 0.8 down, 1.2 to go! Holiday binging, here I come!
Week 13
We flew to New Jersey for the holidays to visit my Lintag relatives. This is perfect with my weight gain goal since Filipino holidays = lots of food! Also, we decided to say our greetings and share our gift through Facebook.
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