New pain of the week!

Sorry I dont have much to add to the blog. I have a doctor's appointment on Friday and I am supposed to have an ultrasound. So, maybe more pics. Anywho, the new ache and pain of the week is . . . . sciatica!!! Never felt that before today. It's a real pain in the butt though . . ha ha ha. Mostly just my lower right back and everytime I move my right leg. I feel like a fat little old lady. I tried to bend over today to pick up some magazines today and couldn't. I've still been having killer migraines about every three days or whenever the weather changes. Unfortunately, none of the meds the nuerologist gave me really help. Right now between the pain in my butt, my joint pain in my hips and knees, the acid reflux I experience when I lay down, the feeling that I can't breath because the baby pushes on my diaphram, the migraines exacerbated by the hormones, the fatigue, the hormones that make me cry because I miss my chihuahua, the sinus pressure, the stretchy feeling and pressure from the baby growing, my overall achy body, getting car sick and throwing up when I ride in the car, gas, bloating, upset bowels and other pooper problems associated with them and being pregnant, I would have to say that being pregnant SUCKS! I'm kind of a weeny for pain in the first place, but this is getting to be ridiculous. I mean, really! How much more can a person take!?!?!? Does God not want me to have any more children? It hurts to move! I really want more than one. It's so hard to tell though because "Every pregnancy is different." I won't NEED birth control after this! This works just fine! I think recovering from childbirth, having fatigue, and sleepless nights with a little baby are going to be a welcome change. At least then I will be able to MOVE! I know being a new Mom will be hard and a challenge, but seriously, I don't think it will be as hard as this. Plus, little Conner will be here and I can't wait for that!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I'm doing pretty good on my weight gain. I started off at 155 and then lost 15 pounds from being sick so much. Well, I've only gained two pounds past that and my hips, legs, and butt are still smaller than they were when I started. I read that from now on I can expect to gain one pound per week and Conner will gain .25 lb per week. (Right now he is over 16 inches long supposedly and weighs almost 3 pounds) I hope it's all baby weight! I really haven't been eating much because my stomach is all scrunched up. So, I try to eat little healthy snacks. I've been craving a lot of string cheese, milk, fruit, apples, and cereal with strawberries. I've been taking those prenatal vitamins too to supplement since I haven't been eating enough to be getting all the nutrition I know Conner needs.

The other day I felt a body part I could recognize for the first time. I was laying on my right side trying to sleep and all of a sudden I yelled "OUCH!" Conner was practicing being a race car driver already and "Flooring it." He stretched his little leg out as far as it would go and I felt his two inch foot (sounds little, but feels big when it's poking out of your side) come out of my side. I pushed on it and he pushed it back in. It was kind of cute and funny and painfully not funny at the same time. Then, the next day, he kicked under my ribs and it was hurting so I started pressing on his foot/leg or whatever it was to move it back in and this time he pushed back. He's already being rebellious. :)

I'll update after my appointment on Friday and hopefully be able to have an estimate of how big he is as well as some pics! :)

Until then, I'm surviving!!!
Nat

Big Mama - 28 weeks

Ok, I'm officially huge now. (I am also officially in the 3rd trimester.) I guess the good news is that it is all baby weight. Every time I see a nurse they say "Oh, he's going to be a big boy!" BE QUIET! Don't tell me that!!! Squeezing a 10 pound baby out is the last thing I want to think about!! I don't think there is much truth to that anyway. I know people who were huge and had little babies and also who were small and ended up having big babies. My hips have never been super wide so that only leaves one direction for him to grow - OUT! If they tell me he is going to be 9 or 10 pounds, I will personally hand them the knife myself. I don't want a C-section, but if he's huge, I'll take one!

Well, I have officially gone on medical leave for the remainder of the school year and am at home resting and trying to conserve my energy for things like keeping the house clean and not getting migraines. I have been having a terrible time with migraines. Before I was pregnant, I would get migraines maybe once every 2-3 months and my Zomig would help. But, Zomig is not recommended to take while you are pregnant. (It restricts the blood vessels in the baby's brain too). Lately, the migraines have been getting more frequent (weekly) and more intense (lasting 2-3 days making me completely incapacitated and throwing up all the time.) I went to a neurologist several weeks ago and he gave me all kinds of narcotic pain relievers supposedly safe during pregnancy. Unfortunately, they haven't been working. So, this week, the final straw broke and he sent me to the ER. I HATE going to the ER! This is the third time!!! I don't think I have ever been to the ER as many times in my LIFE as I have while I have been pregnant. I was so upset. You can imagine a nerve wracked, exhausted, hormonal, sleepless pregnant lady who doesn't want to go to the ER. I was boohooing. I eventually got over it though and pulled myself together and Mom took me. Luckily, it was in the middle of the day and they weren't busy so we were in and out in two hours. It was the usual. An IV of fluids and then a cocktail of anti-pain medication. It worked pretty well this time though! Sometimes the stuff they have given me would knock me out and make it go away for awhile, and then it would come back even stronger. The doctor said with the narcotic pain relievers, if it doesn't get rid of it up front, quit taking them every four hours because they can cause rebound migraines. I wish someone had told me that upfront!!!

Conner is moving . . . A LOT! He will go 2 or 3 days of moving NON stop, then slow down for a day or so. It will feel like I have a trout out of water flopping around in my belly and you can see it move! At one point I was scared because I thought he was having a seizure in my belly or something! He was vibrating and you could actually see my belly vibrating! (I called the doctor's office though and they said it is normal for them to spasm too.) He moves SOOOO fast! I have never seen little babies move this fast! And, he shows no mercy at night. I've been having BAD insomnia too (which don't help migraines). He calms down more during the day - but only during his "off" days - so I can rest during the day, but it stinks because I am starting to get my nights and days off kilter. He was giving me a break for a few days, but last night he kept me up again until 3 am. Then, I couldn't go back to sleep after 8:00 a.m. I smell a nap coming later this afternoon (If he will let me!)

I think he is having another growth spurt. I can usually tell when he does because my stomach feels like it is going to bust from the inside and I can't breathe. So, that is where I am today. My whole body aches. I'm not really having fun being pregnant. Not only the migraines and other problems I've had, but a bunch of other stuff that I can't really mention in detail on a public blog, things that no one really tells you about until it's your turn! It's awesome to feel him move and talk to him and read to him and plan for his arrival. Most of you who know me well though know that I am an impatient person. So, I'm ready for this to be over and for him to be here! I am excited and joyfully anticipate the day little Conner will be here, but my opinion of pregnancy in general is that it sucks! Lots of my friends feel that way too - unfortunately they don't tell you that until AFTER you get pregnant or they just now had their own babies too. I envy women who have easy blissful pregnancies and walk around with healthy glows on their face saying "I feel WONDERFUL!" Maybe IF this accidentally happens again it will be better next time. They say you forget all about it once the baby gets here. What, do you lose brain cells or something!?!? Does that baby just suck your memory away?? I've got a whole lot of forgetting to do! Sorry to sound so negative. Hopefully Conner won't be an only child, but there have been many days when I have seriously thought it! I guess today is one of those days. Who knows, my next entry may say "I feel WONDERFUL!" (doubtful). Adoption is nice too.

Well, that's probably enough negative Nancy talk for now. That's partially why I haven't posted anything lately - no real news. I did have my gestational diabetes test and I passed. I go back again May 2nd and I am supposed to have an ultrasound then. Hopefully we will get to see little Conner again. I'm sure he has changed a lot in 10 weeks!

Love,

Natalie (& kicking Conner)