26 weeks 5 days... entering the 3rd trimester

Well we've made it to the 3rd trimester!!! I couldn't be happier!

We got to have an ultrasound this last week and got some great shots of baby! He had his eyes open at one point, was chewing on his fingers, and trying to pull his feet up to his mouth. He is perfect!

I've realllllllly been missing my friend Jeff this week. He passed away a few months ago but I know he is watching over us. He would have loved all this and there's been so many times I've wanted to pick up the phone lately to call him or run out to his house for a hug. Whenever I've gone through a rough time or had amazing blessings and excitement to share he was the first one I called. He always knew the right thing to say and he would have been an amazing Uncle Jeff.. we miss you terribly my friend. 

The home health saga continues.. we've got boxes of medical supplies and an IV pole as living room furniture now. LOL I'm still getting IV zofran every 6 hours around the clock as well as oral medications to combat the nausea and vomiting and IV fluids to help with the dehydration. I'm so grateful.

Here's Eric giving me Zofran in my IV along with some fluids. He's become a nurse LOL

Here's the obligatory belly shot for today :) 

My favorite Facebook post this week: 

Had an awesome freak show going on last night... of course the minute I lay down to go to bed is when baby gets super active LOL he was going nuts and was moving around and my belly was moving and it was way more pronounced and obvious to me now that those were body parts moving under my skin LOL it was like watching him moving around under a taut sheet this time. Kinda reminded me of an alien movie... except cuter.

 How far along? 

26 weeks 5 days! Here we are 3rd trimester!

How big is Baby? 

estimated to be around 2 pounds and about 14-15 inches long

Weight Gain? 

I GAINED!!!! yay! (that's a good thing LOL) I'm up 3 pounds!

Maternity Clothes? 

found a cute top to wear to my baby shower next month and I'm finally filling out the belly on the maternity tops haha

Sleep?

depends on the night.. some nights I can't sleep at all.. then the next night I will CRASH and sleep 10 hours! no matter what I have to get up at least 5 times a night to pee LOL

Symptoms? 

barf queen extraordinaire. LOL also been getting some swelling in my ankles and my back is sore. Oh and I'm getting super into nesting this week! 

Movement? 

oh my goodness. I'm convinced that this kid is going to be a sports hero before he's 4.

Food Cravings? 

shrimp, mexican food, banana creme pie, and fritos. I swear fritos are a never ending craving.

What I miss?

not having to wrap my arm up in saran wrap to take a shower LOL 

(gotta keep the PICC line dry)

What I am looking forward to?

we get to go to Joel and Gina's wedding tomorrow!! and it's my mom's birthday! Oh and my mom and some friends have been busy working on putting together a baby shower :)

  

Best moment of the week? 

getting to see our son's face in 3D on the ultrasound! I started crying immediately.

"For this child I prayed and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him."
1 Samuel 1:27

25 weeks! entering the 3rd trimester in a minute!

oops, I see I missed a couple weeks of posting.. originally I had decided I wanted to post an update and a belly shot every week throughout my pregnancy. It's my way of journaling the experience and something I can show our little guy someday. The last couple weeks have been busy and extra sick. Oh well LOL

So now we are at 25 weeks 1 day and almost into the 3rd trimester. Well actually today I got one of those email updates from an online Pregnancy site (american pregnancy) and it says today I am IN the 3rd trimester. The rest of the sites say next week. I guess there's a lot of variation so I think I'm just gonna go with next week and stay in the mindset that this is my last week of the 2nd trimester LOL I'm really happy about it because I've been worried about baby boy since I've been sick so much with HG and I figured once we made it safely to the 3rd trimester with him healthy then we'd be set. I'm told even if he came this early he'd have a good survival rate.. granted, I have no signs of him coming early and I'd like him to stay put til it's time to come out, but it eases my mind a bit with each passing week.

This last week I think I hit my limit as far as feeling like I just couldn't go another day as sick as I've been feeling. I've had more "bad" days lately, where even breathing makes me horribly nauseated and nothing seemed to ease it. The oral medications weren't helping, laying down didn't help, vomiting didn't help.. I had many days where I didn't keep anything to speak of down at all and Eric wanted me to call my OB by Thursday so I did. They had me come in first thing Friday morning and after about 20 minutes in his office he sent us directly over to San Gorgonio Community Hospital Labor and Delivery. We were there the whole day and a team of nurses placed a PICC line in my arm for IV fluids and IV nausea meds. Home health nurses are supposed to be delivering supplies and meds and getting me set up, hopefully today or tomorrow. Eric has already learned how to flush the PICC line for me and has been helping me wrap my arm in saran wrap when I need to take a shower (to keep the site dry). I'm extremely hopeful that once they get the supplies to our home and I can give myself IV fluids on a regular basis that hopefully I will feel much better and be able to get better nutrition and stay hydrated.

We also had an ultrasound this last week and baby looks fantastic. He is measuring right on schedule, moving like crazy, he was sucking on his fingers and kicking. So far so good :) Here's baby's face: 

My favorite Facebook post this week: 

I am sitting here totally nauseated and STARVING hungry at the same time. I am craving Red Lobster to the point of obsession. They should use HG as a torture device. I swear right now I'd give up state secrets if it meant I could eat LOL

 How far along? 

25 weeks 1 day! Phasing into the 3rd trimester soon!!!

How big is Baby? 

we didn't get a weight estimate at the ultrasound but the "what to expect when you're expecting" app says that he's about 2 pounds and about 12 inches long

Weight Gain? 

ugh. I lost 3 lbs this week.

Maternity Clothes? 

yep. that's all I'm wearing anymore. Definitely need a couple more maternity tops though because the ones I have won't fit over the 'girls' anymore LOL

Sleep?

yes please. I have been totally wiped out this week.

Symptoms? 

still the Barf Queen. Also been having some back aches and swollen ankles this week.

Movement? 

lots and lots. Baby is officially big enough that he can kick me hard enough to make me cringe. LOL

Food Cravings? 

ranch dressing, Red Lobster, glazed donut holes, watermelon, onion rings... not the healthiest cravings..

What I miss?

not feeling 'sick'

What I am looking forward to?

getting my IV fluids at home LOL

  

Best moment of the week? 

getting to see our son on the ultrasound.. he looked to be perfectly content in there!

"For this child I prayed and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him."
1 Samuel 1:27

21 weeks, more than halfway there!

Another week and baby and I are both growing. Here's my belly view from 2 days ago, and I swear it is bigger today LOL

We also had another trip to urgent care this week for more IV fluids and IV nausea meds. It seemed like the hyperemesis got WORSE rather then better this week and I've been pretty miserable most days but somehow still managed to visit a friend and some family.

Here is my hubby playing on his phone right under the sign that says "turn off cell phones" hahaha he's such a rebel. God bless him, he insisted on going with me and not letting me drive myself to urgent care and sat patiently playing games on his phone while I got 2 bags of IV fluids and waited for lab work.

This one got me laughing and I've been looking for stuff to keep me giggling this week. Depending on where baby is positioned during the day I haven't been able to see my toes, which was a big milestone to me!

My favorite Facebook post this week: 

I just had to run into the bathroom to throw up... again... (the ongoing saga) and as I'm leaning over the toilet I notice that it's spotless!! My husband had cleaned it while I was out getting diapers cuz I told him that the smell of the toilet makes me keep barfing even more (it was actually clean before but I have super sensitive smell right now cuz of being pregnant). That is seriously the most romantic thing anyone's ever done for me!! I cried! I am so in love.

 How far along? 

21 weeks 1 day. We've officially crossed the line past the halfway mark!

How big is Baby? 

not positive, some of the websites say he's around a pound now and is 

supposedly the size of a spaghetti squash LOL

Weight Gain? 

none this week but I'm not surprised with all the vomiting I've been doing

Maternity Clothes? 

nothing but. I scored an awesome deal recently at a yard sale.. got to talking with the gal and she had huge box of maternity clothes she'd recently boxed up and brought them out for me. I got prob 8 pairs of pants and 6 or 7 tops for $8!!! woohooo! now all I gotta do is find underoos that fit because none of my normal ones fit anymore.

Sleep?

I've been exhausted this week and had a couple nights where I was up and down sick so have been trying to take naps

Symptoms? 

just call me Queen Angel of Barf. Also been having a little low back pain this week and quite a few braxton hicks contractions (usually right after I vomit)

Movement? 

TONS! and finally hubby got to feel baby moving!!!

Food Cravings? 

oddly yes. my life is a constant wave of nausea then ravenous hunger then nausea then hunger LOL craving taco bell, glazed donuts, and ranch dressing

What I miss?

not feeling 'sick'

What I am looking forward to?

as I sit here typing I'm waiting to hear back from my OB. We've been waiting on blood test results that supposedly tell us our chances of genetic issues.

  

Best moment of the week? 

Eric getting to feel baby move.. FINALLY :) 

"For this child I prayed and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him."
1 Samuel 1:27

it's definitely NOT 'just morning sickness'...

My name is Angel and I have Hyperemesis Gravidarum. It's kind of like morning sickness on steroids and it can last the entire pregnancy in many women. I am 20 weeks 6 days pregnant today and my HG is still there. I am "lucky" because my HG is considered "moderate" meaning with all of the oral nausea medications I am able to keep down enough food/fluids that I do not require constant IV nutrition.. although personally I don't think ANY form of HG is anything but intense. When the meds aren't working the nausea is intense, it's the kind where you don't want to breathe and you don't want anyone around you to breathe. My sense of smell has never been so intense and when the nausea is bad I can't tolerate any smells. I've been in a store and had someone walk by who had recently smoked a cigarette and the moment that smell hits my nose (no one else can smell it by the way unless they walk up and purposely try to) I feel my whole world go upside down and all I can think about is vomiting. Same goes for perfume. Being in a warm room sets it off, so does loud noise. The truly strange thing is that when my nausea meds ARE working well I can eat and all I can think about is eating whatever I am craving (I am, after all, 5 months pregnant) and I still throw up some of what I ate most of the time but the nausea is such that it's not overwhelming and even though I feel it I'll still eat. That might not make much sense but after 5 months of nausea/vomiting you realize you still get hungry. At least I do.

I've talked to women who've had HG so bad they couldn't eat ANYTHING at all for months on end. I've also talked to some who were like me. I've even talked to some who almost died and even though they had given up everything because they so desperately wanted to have a baby (spent their life savings to do round after round of IVF), the HG has driven women to abort their child believe it or not. I'm so grateful that I haven't been THAT sick. There are women who literally are unable to get out of bed at all for months because they are so ill, not even to use the bathroom. Thank GOD I'm not one of those women.

Some days are tough.. and then there are some that are REALLY tough.. my afternoon and evening yesterday SUCKED. I was a wreck, crying hysterically, telling anyone who'd listen that I didn't think I could do this for one more day. I guess yesterday I hit a breaking point and they had made a VERY minor change to one of the nausea meds but apparently it was enough to offset the fine balance I'd had to that point. I lost it, I fell apart, I said those words that I think ALL mothers with hyperemesis say at some point.. "I don't want to be pregnant anymore". I didn't really mean that I don't want to be pregnant and I certainly did NOT mean I don't love my baby more than my own life, I just meant I couldn't take one more moment of the extreme nausea.. then I begged God for help. I begged like I've never begged before. I can't explain it but SOMEHOW I was able to get and keep one whole phenergan and one whole zofran down long enough for them to do their job. I still did some more throwing up last night after that but it wasn't the kind of nausea that makes you want to die and I could avoid going to urgent care or L&D for the IV stuff.

Today is MUCH better, I woke up every 2 hours all night as usual and kept track of when I needed to take my nausea meds and took them. I even turned on the light at 3am to dig them out of my purse and make sure I took the right ones (sorry Eric). I was able to get some sleep. Today I am optimistic again. I think I am allergic to being pregnant LOL but our son continues to grow strong and reminds me every now and then with a swift kick. Today I feel human again. I am discovering a whole new side to me

If you or someone you love has HG, please know that it is NOT 'just morning sickness', it is actually a whole different animal. There is a great website that can help, helpher.org, and there is a book called "Beyond Morning Sickness" that is wonderful. It's important for women to know that HG exists and that if you DO have it there is help.

20 weeks pregnant, half baked!

This week was my 2nd week off work on disability for hyperemesis and it is such a relief to be able to stay home although I'm going to have to get back to work soon. I'm still taking all the anti-emetics my OB prescribed for me and still vomiting, although not nearly as much! Still taking Protonix, Phenergan and Zofran as well as vitamin B-6. I'm happy to report I haven't needed any IV fluids/electrolytes in about a month!

Here is my 20 week belly shot, you can tell I was feeling nauseated that morning LOL

I was craving ice cream last night so in honor of us hitting the 'halfway point' of pregnancy I picked up some Ben and Jerry's Half Baked LOL unfortunately I lasted all of 2 bites and after about a half hour of trying to keep it down it came back up anyway.. LOL oh well. I'm getting to where most of the time I just laugh..

 How far along? 

20 weeks, baby can suck his thumb, hiccup, dance and kick, is growing hair, is starting to store fat, his arms and legs are in proportion to his body now so he doesn't look like a total alien, and his brain is developing at a furious pace!

How big is Baby? 

he is now 11 inches long and weighs in around 11 ounces!

They say he the length of a banana from butt to head :)

Weight Gain? 

I put on a pound this week!! I'm totally impressed with myself :)

 Gender? 

still a BOY! now we've had 3 (count em, THREE) confirmed penis sightings.. definitely a BOY! 

Maternity Clothes? 

yep!

Sleep?

I've been pretty tired this week and took a few naps

Symptoms? 

still the queen of barf.. now my OB says maybe it'll go away around 20-22 weeks LOL so I'm still crossing my fingers ;)

Movement? 

lots and lots! Eric still hasn't been able to feel him yet but I have!

Food Cravings? 

yep. Nectarines, cheese, chicken, shrimp, cookies, ice cream.

What I miss?

not barfing all the time.. I admit, with each week that goes by I keep hoping the nausea will go away soon LOL

What I am looking forward to?

to feel like I LOOK pregnant, for Eric to feel baby moving, to meet my little man... and appointment with my regular OB tomorrow to find out results of bloodwork and see what he thinks about me going back to work vs taking another week or two off..

  

Best moment of the week? 

going to my appointment with the high risk OB doctor and getting yet another ultrasound and being told that baby looks PERFECT and that I've got plenty of amniotic fluid in there (I've been worried about getting dehydrated with all the vomiting) and that baby is in the 70-80th percentile in growth. Oh and they did an echo on his heart and said it looked perfect. WHEW. They also said to just keep doing what I'm doing.. 

HALFWAY THERE!

We made it to 19 weeks! 

Somehow I missed posting last week, there's been a lot going on.. first the exciting stuff! Here are some pics of our Punkin boy from the anatomy scan ultrasound we had on Thursday...

 Here is his profile pic: he looks JUST like his dad huh? ;)

This is a pic of his spine.. so cool!

This week also marked the week that I ended up at my OB office as a follow up to missing yet 3 more work days in 2 weeks and another urgent care visit. I felt like I was falling apart because I have still been too sick to maintain a full time work schedule. The nausea is exhausting. My OB put me on maternity leave for 2 weeks to start and then we will re-evaluate. That started on Wednesday and it's been a HUGE relief to be able to be at home and when I need to throw up I can do it in the comfort of my own home LOL also because I haven't been having to be out driving and functioning I've been able to take the full dose of the nausea meds he prescribed (they make me drowsy). I've still been vomiting everyday this week but at least I got to be home doing it most of the time. I'm officially on the record as "high risk" and "hyperemesis gravidarum". LOL 

Tomorrow I have an appointment with another OB doctor who specializes in high risk pregnancy. Mostly I'm considered "high risk" just because of my age (39 years old) and I think maybe because of all the vomiting?

Anyway back to funner topics!!!!! Baby is kicking up a storm, mom is still having crazy cravings despite the nausea, and mom and dad are still throwing around name ideas. Oh and today I'm officially 19 weeks pregnant and have hit the "halfway point"! Our ultrasound this week showed us a baby who is VERY active, has a strong healthy heartbeat, appears to be growing just as he should be (he actually measured a couple days ahead again!), and still has a penis so we are as sure as we can be at this point that he IS in fact a boy!

 How far along? 

19 weeks

How big is Baby? 

he is now 10 inches in length and weighs in around 8-10 ounces!

Weight Gain? 

shout out to the makers of Phenergan and Zofran.. with your assistance I've managed to not lose anymore weight this week :) I think I might have even added a pound this week!

 Gender? 

still a BOY! we have seen a penis on the ultrasound on two separate occasions now so we are as certain as we can be LOL

Maternity Clothes? 

yep. nothing else fits.. like at all. Oh and ANYTHING that cuts into my belly at all drives me nuts and feels very uncomfortable!

Sleep?

I'm EXHAUSTED and want a nap every day LOL 

Symptoms? 

still the queen of barf.. but am grateful to be on disability for at least this week.. next step (if I can't get the nausea under control) is apparently a PICC line and IV meds/fluids. Neither me nor my OB doctor is wanting to do that at this point so we are all crossing our fingers I can keep up what I'm doing now and avoid it.

Movement? 

oh yes!!! eating sugary foods causes him to start break dancing in there. LOL he wouldn't sit still for even 5 seconds during the ultrasound this week.. we practically needed a high end camera to get a decent picture LOL

Food Cravings? 

believe it or not, as long as the nausea stays at like a 5/10 on the evil 'how bad is the nausea' scale then I STILL am starving, even when somewhat nauseated haha this week cravings included cookies, frozen yogurt, strawberries, SALT (was prob bordering on dehydrated again haha), and hamburgers.

What I miss?

ok I'll admit it.. I'm human. I miss not feeling sick every single day. Is it worth it? DUH. Yep. 

What I am looking forward to?

for Eric to be able to feel baby move through my belly.. should be anytime now, I'm guessing in the next week or two??? fingers crossed... I feel bad because I get to feel him all the time and Eric hasn't got to yet.

  

Best moment of the week? 

there were many... seeing baby kicking the crap outta the side of my uterus on the ultrasound, finding a cute dresser for the baby's room for only $10 at a yard sale, getting a HUGE box of baby boy clothes and an infant car seat from my beautiful friend Vanessa, getting a bunch of my 18 month old nephew's baby clothes, getting to see my family last weekend, the IMMENSE relief of finding out that I could stay home for a couple weeks on disability, the feeling of my belly stretching as baby grows, the artichoke heart chicken Eric made for dinner last night and it stayed down!!!!, getting some baby blankets from Aunt Karren yesterday, frozen yogurt run on Friday night (unfortunately that did NOT stay down).

17 WEEKS!!

Here we are, 17 weeks! :)

well this is the week that I woke up one morning and was laying flat on my back and looked down and noticed a good size bump sticking straight up! LOL it's one thing in early pregnancy to have a bump when you are standing up (gravity helps LOL) but when you are laying flat on your back is another story hahaha (yes this is how I rate my baby bump.. I'm kinda weird) anyway I definitely have one that doesn't go anywhere no matter what position I'm in.

Our little punkin is growing like crazy right now and I've got the appetite of a teenage football player to prove it. Even on my really nauseated days I am STARVING hungry all the time. I dream about food. It's kinda scary actually LOL I have a tiny stomach that's about the size of a highlighter so I can't fit much in at any one time so I eat all the time it seems and cross my fingers that most of it will stay down LOL

 How far along? 

17 weeks

How big is Baby? 

he has DOUBLED his weight in the last 2 weeks! (no wonder I'm starving) He's supposedly about 5 1/2 to 6 inches long -depending what website you read- and 5 ounces. He's about the size of a sweet potato!! 

His eyes are sensitive to light, he can hear, he is practicing breathing, and his immune system is developing rapidly :) 

Weight Gain? 

thanks to lots of help from my OB with nausea meds I have FINALLY gained some weight.. 6 pounds so far. eek.

 Gender? 

still a BOY!

Maternity Clothes? 

yep. Can't fit into any of my old pants or shorts anymore.

Sleep?

I'm EXHAUSTED and want a nap every day LOL 

Symptoms? 

still the queen of barf.. but it's getting a teeny bit better each month! been having a lot more low back/ hip aches and pains this week from all the growth going on in there! yay!

Movement? 

definitely feeling jabs!!! discovered this week that eating anything with sugar really gets baby moving! (note to self: don't eat sugar right before bedtime)

Food Cravings? 

pickles, nacho cheese, shrimp, nectarines and plums, PIZZA!

What I miss?

nothing. This week I'm embracing the nausea (yes, I AM officially crazy.. but what are my choices? LOL) and I am loving my bump and feeling baby moving! 

What I am looking forward to?

when baby gets big enough that Eric can feel him move too! I feel a little guilty that I am the only one who gets to feel all this LOL

  

Best moment of the week? 

Eric and I got out of the house Friday night and got to hang out with some friends at our local Farmer's Market. Also ran into friends who have a baby boy and I got to get a baby fix ;)

Yesterday I got to go with Aunt Karren to pick out fluffy fleece-y fabric for baby blankets and we ate some shrimp mmmmm! It was a fun day!