Friday, March 9, 2012

Pregnancy!!! - 15 weeks

So, finally pregnant.
We'd decided to try plan B by the summer. A dear friend said she didn't mind being an egg donor for us and we thought it would be great if at least one of us could be genetically involved in the baby before trying adoption.
But I was putting off all of the work involved. We would have to find a lawyer and have papers drawn up and signed by both parties. I was also worried about the egg retrieval, whether it would hurt her or not, she was offering to do this and I was so impressed. I was relieved to have a plan B, so many people just try and try and try and get more and more discouraged, but we had a second option and I was getting more used to it. I was going to write a children's book about it helping to explain it to my kid early. My heart was not fully in it yet, but I was trying.
One of the hard things to take was admitting that the kid wouldn't have me in it at all. Not my eyes or my nose or my (I must say a gift from my mom) perfect toes.
But a plan B was better than no plan.
But, it seems unnecessary!!!!!!
I am now 15 weeks pregnant.
Of course very trepidatious as we approached the 8 week ultrasound appointment as the last two showed an almost empty placenta just sitting there. I was shocked to see a heartbeat! Such hope. (And savings as the egg donation, IVF procedure would have costed about 30k.) I knew (from my extensive online research) that the risk of miscarriage was down to about 2-3 percent now. Then at the 10 week ultrasound down to 1% and now at the 13 week down to less than 1%.
But still lots of people faithfully let me know about their or their sister's or friend's much later miscarriages. In the 18th or 20th or 24th week. Making it seem normal and very plausible. I smile and admit I'm still nervous. BUT PLEASE STOP TELLING ME!
The nausea has about left, mostly. And it was not that bad after all. I've always been nervous that my pregnancy would be like my mom's. She kept no food down for almost the first 6 months. Always weak and throwing up and feeling terrible. But, nope. I had some nausea from week 9 - 14 and it is about gone now. Only one incident of throwing up, after an ill conceived desire to drive down the twisty Route 1 to San Simeon and then eating a pretty heavy dinner. Ugh.
The stomach is getting bigger and the pants getting snugger. I've had to invest in looser yoga pants, from Target and the Goodwill. And ask a few folks for their old pregnancy clothes. I could buy new ones, but why? I checked out Craig's List too, there are options.
A little back pain the end of the first trimester but that is actually subsiding a bit, when I had expected it to continue and worsen the whole 9 months!
I've been tracking my weight on a nicely drawn graph in a little notebook. Only 6 pounds the first trimester, which I think is pretty good.
I got a great pregnancy exercise video (ha ha about 2 years ago in anticipation at the library book sale for $2), The Perfect Pregnancy Video. It is amazing, so well done and makes me sore for two days afterwards. I need to do it more than one time a week, but so far for the last three weeks have only done it once a week. I also go to the Y and do a very short strength workout on a few machines, seated row, pull down bar, overhead press, chest press and leg press, once a week. It takes about 12 minutes and I've not missed a Y workout for the last 4 months. (Body by Science)
I've also walked either once or twice a day for 30 minutes around the neighborhood. I hope this is keeping me in moderately good shape.
I asked the Y and they said that they will watch your kid while you workout for up to 2 hours a day!!! That seems like a great way to schedule some relaxation time into my week once the baby comes.
Still subbing a bit. The days that I do, I usually need a nap, even when it is an easy day.
I'd say all is well!