The Tale of My Pregnancies

Today marks the entry of my third trimester for my third pregnancy! I can honestly say “Thank God!” Pregnancy and I have never really been friends. I’ve had quite the time each pregnancy.

I have decided to sum up my pregnancy experiences not to complain, to gain sympathy, or anything of the sort…just simply for me to look back on one day and remember these joyful experiences.

Pregnancy #1: Before it even dawned on me that I may be pregnant, I was super nauseous. Lover Boy had so kindly bought me over-the-counter nausea meds that I had been taking for one full week before I even thought to take a pregnancy test. A few days after the test I went to my OB and saw the little peanut. I wasn’t even 5 weeks pregnant.

Basically, from the moment I got pregnant, I literally thought I was going to die. Lover Boy and I went to a Matchbox Twenty concert that evening of my 1st Dr. appointment and I felt so sick and dizzy that I had to sit for most of the concert, while everyone else stood up. 🙁

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My doctor put me on Zofran and Fenergan. Even both of those barely worked for me (for the remaining 8 months).

The first, second and third trimesters were beyond a nightmare. I not only threw up, but puked my guts up morning, afternoon, evening, middle of the night. You name it. I had to keep a garbage can in my car for my 10 mile drive to work and I cannot tell you how many times I had to pull over to throw up. Going to the grocery store was totally out of the question. The thought, sight, and smell of food would make me lose it. I would have to wait in the car looking like an idiot trying to “breath” while Lover Boy did all of the shopping. Work was the same way. I was a Recreational Therapist so I worked in an Assisted Living center (it was VERY nice, not like some where the residents are all grody, the place is nasty, etc). But regardless, I was pregnant and sick. The bathrooms and I became best friends for I would throw up multiple times at work daily. After work I came home every single day, put on my pajamas, laid on the couch with the dogs and literally did not move unless I had to pee – and usually slept (I was soooo tired the entire time). Then when Lover Boy was ready for bed, I’d walk into our bedroom and pass out again, waking up to throw up most nights.

Typically after your first trimester things start to change for the better and you’re not as sick. For me, this was absolutely not the case. I became more sick. I had lost a great deal of weight (nothing to be concerned about though my doctor kept reassuring) but I was actually showing in my stomach area. But the throwing up was worse as ever. Not one food was “ok for me to eat”. Even crackers I would throw up. One Sunday morning/afternoon I was still in bed and was on my 8th throw up spell for the day. Lover Boy called my doctor and they wanted me to get to the hospital for IVs because I was obviously very dehydrated by this point. So off my knight and shining armor carried me to the hospital. I received 2 bags of fluids. Felt better for a couple of days and then it started all over again.

Third trimester started and I was starting to show much more. Looking pretty normal in regards to the pregnancy look. I was especially sporting the “pregnancy nose”. Anyone know what that is? Well, we lived in the deeeeeep south of Georgia and most of the women I worked with where older black ladies whose lives were built around taking care of people. They were all too familiar with this “pregnancy nose” case and made sure I knew what it was! 🙂 ….basically my nose was so stinkin’ swollen it was HUGE! My face swelled up too though, but my nose was ridiculous! My hands and feet started swelling so I had to take off my wedding rings and my promise ring in the total fear that if I didn’t I would end up having to have them cut off (that’s how bad I was swelling). One day at work there was a little girl visiting and I heard her ask her mom “mommy, why is she pregnant but doesn’t have a wedding ring”….ahhh!! So that night my girlfriend (Bobbi, who lives by us here now in NC) and I went to WalMart (one of the only stores we even had in town) and bought a new “wedding ring”  (it was either 4 or 5 sizes bigger than my real ring).

Once I had regained my married status, the headaches I was getting (possibly due to my nausea meds) were becoming so intolerable. My doctor prescribed me Vicatin. I’m pretty sure that I may have only taken it once. I tried to mostly take Tylenol. However, one day my headache was so bad that it was going from my forehead around the back of my head down my back. The doctor had me go in to the hospital. They gave me a shot of pain killers in my rump and I slept the rest of the day at the hospital.

The day before I went into labor Lover Boy and I walked a million miles (we walked a lot during the pregnancy especially at the end to try to help my swelling) but this day we walked literally a million. We went for a walk, out to eat and saw a movie. We came home and I continued walking laps around our downstairs for over an hour. I was so ready to be done. My due date was in two days but I was beyond miserable. I was already off of work because I was soooo huge! Anyway, when I finally stopped walking, I got really nauseous and puked my guts up and went to bed. About 2 hours later, just after midnight, my water broke in bed and off we went to the hospital! At 11:17 our most precious baby girl was born. 8 pounds 4 ounces and 21.5 inches. She was huge! 2 pounds bigger than I was at birth! 🙂 But extremely healthy!

Exactly 12 months later, we started the pregnancy journey all over again. I simply had forgotten all of the troubles I had gone through and was beyond excited about having another baby!

My 2nd pregnancy was very much like my first. So rather than write it out again just imagine it happening exactly the same way. I ended up in the hospital for dehydration because I couldn’t stop throwing up again. I cannot tell you how many times Little Finch sat on the bed behind me holding my hair back while I spewed into the garbage can.

The only difference with this pregnancy was that I knew how great the light at the end of the tunnel would be so it made it all worth it and made it a little easier to make it through the day/night. The night I went into labor Lover Boy was still in SC on a business trip (and Little Finch and I were at home, at the house that sold earlier that day in GA). I drove ourselves to the hospital in the pouring rain around 1am. No one was waiting for me at the door and the only parking spot available was the very last one at the end of the furthest row. So I carried Little Finch inside and walked to the elevator, and went up to the delivery floor. There a nurse saw me and put me in a triage room. I ended up staying and Lover Boy made it in time for the delivery! I was sleeping when they woke me up to push (I was knocked out from the epidural) . The second I woke up I got really sick and threw up big time. (so again, I threw up all 9 months). At 7:20am we welcomed our handsome little boy!!…15 days early! He was 7 pounds exactly and was 19.5 inches.

*you can read more about his delivery HERE

Now 2 years later we decided to do it all again! I have been excited this whole time…and still am! I made a goal when I first found out that I was pregnant “not to end up in the hospital on IVs”. So far I have accomplished that goal! Thank goodness! I have definitely had my bouts of throwing up, but now that I’m a seasoned veteran with this, I have found a way to basically talk myself out of throwing up and overpower the urge/need to throw up. After both of my other pregnancies I ended up with 8 cavities each time. So 1. I really don’t want to destroy my teeth anymore from all of the puking 2. I don’t want to have to spend any more money on my teeth 3. if I lived in the old days, I’d either be toothless by now or would have a full set of wooden teeth *hopefully my teeth are doing better this pregnancy since almost every single one of them has a white filling!!

Even though I’m in my 3rd trimester now I still take my nausea meds almost daily. The sensation of throwing up can be so great, but I work so hard to not succumb.

In many ways this pregnancy has been easier simply because I am not spending my every waking moment with my head in a garbage can, toilet or sink. But, I have been having my fair share of other annoyances. On Halloween I had a gallbladder attack. It was the worst pain I have literally ever experienced. Then about a month later I had another, not as severe but still really painful. (you can read about my big attack HERE)

I’ve had the debilitating headaches again with this pregnancy as well. I’ve been put on a headache medicine which seems to do the trick (I try to only take when necessary).

All of the usual aches and pains that accompany pregnancy are present as well. But that’s OK. It’s to be expected.

The latest issue though that I’ve been having is that I am getting chest pains. They go across my whole chest at the top of my rib cage. Have no idea why or what’s causing them, but they certainly are not fun.

My acid reflux is in full swing. Like with both of my first 2 pregnancies it was awful. Even water sets it off. So far Zantac hasn’t touched the pain so I was switched to Prilosec yesterday and am hoping for the better! Regardless, I would be pretty certain that this baby will be a little hairy monkey like the first two! 🙂 (I prove that old wive’s tale to be totally true!)

Even though my pregnancies aren’t much fun, I would do it all over again, simply for the reward at the end. It’s funny how much you can love that little baby so much that you instantly forget all of the pain you suffered through those nine months…and how you don’t count it as a problem, pain or bothersome, you just simply count it as one of the most wonderful blessings in the world!

I’m super excited to meet the little squirt in about 3 months!!

Update 3/7/13: I’ve received a few emails asking some questions so I thought I’d answer them here:

1) Was your 2nd pregnancy similar to your 1st?

-yes. Absolutely. Pretty much an identical pregnancy

2) Was being pregnant the 2nd time easier because you knew what the end result was?

-absolutely! Although I was just as sick, the light at the end of the tunnel was much much brighter than the first go round because I knew how fantastic the end result would be!

3) Did you nurse during your 2nd pregnancy?

-yes! I nursed until baby #1 until she was 19 months…therefore, I was 7 months pregnant with baby #2. I had no ill effects or false contractions like some report.

4) Was everything OK with baby #2 since he was 15 days early?

-yes again! He was perfect! He didn’t need anything. He passed all of his tests with flying colors as well!…even his hearing test…which now that he’s two years old,  I question at times (hahaha!!)