Week 13

I wish my belly looked more like I'm pregnant and less like I just really like cheesecake.

 

Cute puppies. They always come running up whenever a camera is snapping pictures. :)

SECOND TRIMESTER, BABY! <3

I am starting to feel a little better! I'm still really nauseous all the time, but I'm definitely grateful to be over the misery that was weeks 7-11..

On top of that, I've also gained two pounds, which is also a good thing, considering I lost EIGHTEEN pounds during the first trimester from being sick all the time. I'm now up to a whopping 16 pounds.I had my first appointment with my midwife, which was AWESOME. I really struggled with going back and forth between a birth center and a hospital birth with a midwife. There are pros and cons to each, but we ultimately chose the hospital midwife due to cost. The birth center would have almost been doable, but it was not covered by insurance at all, so any other medical issues we would have would be subject to our really high deductible. After hospital stay #1, we quickly realized that covering our deductible plus the birth center fee clearly was not going to be doable. That was a really difficult decision, especially considering that there is only one hospital midwife here. Due to other hospital visits, my appointment with her kept getting pushed back, which was really frustrating, because I so desperately wanted to meet her! Well, I had my appointment with her, and I LOVE HER! I like her even more than I like the birth center midwives! This just feels like a huge confirmation of my decision, and I'm so thrilled that it went so well! :)

Weeks 11-12

11 Weeks

I was still really sick during week 11, and my total weight loss capped at 18 pounds, putting me at a measly 114 pounds. I ended up having to go back to the ER this week (which was in Branson, MO when we were on vacation) because I was spotting for 8 days straight, which is generally the sign of a miscarriage, but PRAISE THE LORD everything was fine. There didn't end up being a reason to be concerned, and it was most likely the placenta starting to take over! t thought I was starting to get out of the vomiting stage, but unfortunately, after a five day break, it returned in full force. Side note: I may never eat Olive Garden's salad again.

12 Weeks

 I went back to the ER for the fourth time this week, the third time for fluids. I was vomiting even with the Zofran and Phenergan going directly into my bloodstream via IV, so I was admitted overnight. I had the same ER doctor that I had the first time, and he's great- best one there! He knew I didn't want to stay the night, so he snuck in the ultrasound machine to take a quick peek at Baby Soltow, who is apparently going to be an Olympic gymnast! The baby was bouncing from wall to wall, stopped and waved at us, and then started sucking his/her thumb! It was so cool to see the baby's sweet fingers and toes! <3

Cute boots courtesy of my mother-in-law. This baby is going to be STYLIN'!

Weeks 5-10

I'm not going to lie, this whole first part of my pregnancy has really been awful. I felt okay weeks 4-5, but since then it has been a downward spiral. 


During week 6, the nausea and migraines hit. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do much about the migraines because when you are pregnant, all you can take is tylenol for pain. Tylenol has NEVER worked on my migraines, so I've had to suffer through them. I keep reminding myself that I will sacrifice WAY more than this over the course of my child's life, so in the scheme of things, it's not really a major deal, even though it feels like one! :/


Week 7 brought the vomiting. Vomiting coupled with nausea and migraines is a blast. Starting week 6, day 6, is when I started to lose weight. I started pregnancy at 132 pounds.


Week 8 was the start of death. At 8wks 2days, I had to go to the ER. I had been unable to keep food or liquids down for four days, and I had lost eight pounds. I couldn’t even stand up anymore from pain and weakness, so Cody took me to the ER on Thursday morning at 7. They immediately got me hooked up to an IV and were pumping fluids into me. They did one bag, and then bloodwork, and my levels were still really bad, so they did another bag. More bloodwork, and levels were even worse. I was having really bad one-sided cramping, so the doctor did an abdominal ultrasound, but he couldn’t see the baby (although it was a crappy machine)! So, he ordered a transvaginal ultrasound. While waiting for that, I got another bag of fluids and they did more bloodwork to check my fluids and hCG levels. My fluid level was better, but not much, and my hCG levels were fine. We were all concerned that the pregnancy could have been ectopic because of the cramping. So, they finally brought the heavy duty ultrasound machine up and we could see the baby! We were so relieved and excited to see the baby for the first time. The one-sided cramping was due to a cyst I had that had ruptured! The baby’s heartbeat was 145, and the baby was measuring a few days small, which they weren’t really concerned about. Since my fluid levels weren’t getting much better, they decided to admit me to the hospital overnight for more fluids. Finally that night I was able to start eating and drinking. I had a total of like 10+ bags of fluids, plus a whole lot of Zofran (the miracle drug!) to help with the nausea. I was able to leave the hospital at noon on Friday, with a prescription for Zofran. I also had to stop teaching Zumba for the time being, as it takes all my energy to even wash my hair. I really hated week 8!


Week 9...this week, I was trying to recover from week 8! Whenever I wasn't working, Cody had me locked up in my room in bed. I religiously took my Zofran, but unfortunately, swallowing pills is quite difficult at the moment, plus the dosage was pretty low.


Week 10, this week, I had to go back to the ER. I lost an additional 5 pounds (currently down 13 pounds). I had my first appointment at my doctor's office with the nurse, and in less than three hours, I threw up six times, two of which were 30 minutes apart during my appointment. They sent me right over to the ER for more fluids. Unfortunately, this ER experience sucked and I didn't have as good care as I did during my last visit, and I left feeling just about as sick as I did before I got there because I could not deal with the horrible care. Thankfully though, the doctor did prescribe a higher dose of Zofran, which I had already been taking. This higher, dissolvable dose, has made life more bearable this week.


The second trimester is right around the corner, and I'm hoping that will provide some relief from my current misery as my hCG levels start to balance.