9 weeks!

Wow! I can't believe it! It's already been nine weeks. I'm still in a bit of shock to think that I'm actually (still) pregnant.

On Tuesday, I went in for my second ultrasound and the baby is doing well! Heartrate is up to 181bpm and it was measuring at 8w6d -- exactly as it should be. At that appointment I had a long discussion with the OB to discuss options for genetic testing, and we decided to do the NT and if necessary, an amnio. It seems that no matter how far along in the pregnancy we get, there's always another hurdle to cross.

As for the morning sickness, thank you all so much for your advice. It's been pretty brutal to say the least, but no one except for Doc seems to be too concerned about my lack of eating/appetite. My OB said not to worry, the baby will get all the nutrients it needs. But, I did follow your suggestions and I've been making some protein smoothies to help me get through the day.

The other good news...I'm almost completely weaned off the progesterone and estrogen supplements! Saturday will be my last dose of PIO and my last patch. After that, I'll only be on one endometrin insert and one oral estrace. Something to look forward to!!

Food, Glorious Food!

I have a serious issue and I need some help on this, so any advice would be much appreciated. For the past week or so, I have had absolutely no desire to eat anything. I think it's a combination of complete food aversion and nausea. It's gotten so bad that I actually have to force myself to eat. Literally, I have to tell my hand to pick up the food, put it in my mouth, chew, and swallow. If I'm lucky I'll get down half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch and then some jook (waterey cooked rice stew type of thing) for dinner.

Doc started to freak out last night when all I could eat for dinner was half of an egg roll and 3" of a Subway sandwich. I wasn't actually concerned until he started to get concerned because #1, I'm not constantly throwing up (maybe because I'm not eating anything?) and #2, all my concentration for the past 2 weeks or so has been on just making it through the day. Oh, and I've tried all the non-prescription remedies: ginger, B6, sea-sickness wrist bands, saltines, small meals, etc.

I told Doc not to worry because there were women that are far worse than me, but that didn't seem to console him and now he's got me all worried. I have an email out to my OB, but I also wanted to post the question to you. Is this normal? Have you experienced this, too? Should I be concerned?

Progress

These past few days have been a real struggle, so I apologize if this post is a bit incoherent. I am so incredibly tired and the non-stop nausea has not helped me one bit. I sit behind a desk all day and by 3pm, I am so incredibly tired, I just want to collapse. How do women who do more physical work even function? Am I that much of a wuss?

Yesterday, I had my first "major" ultrasound and they were able to get a count on the heartbeat. The little eggy (named for our one good egg and also "eggy" sounds very similar to "baby" in Korean) is now measuring 9mm with 137 bpm. They're estimating the age to be 6w6d which is only one day behind if you calculate using our transfer day. So far, so good!

As much as I want to go out and celebrate, I constantly have this nagging worry in my mind and I can't help, but be scared. There's always a "but" somewhere. I'm hoping that I'll feel a bit more confidant once I get through the first trimester.

Next stop: med reduction and another ultrasound in 2 weeks!

Ultrasound Update

We had our first ultrasound yesterday and everything was looking a-ok! We have one little bean who decided to stick around. It was such a relief to see the flickering heartbeat and nice round yolk sack. Unfortunately, the doctor had not scheduled the appointment as a "major" ultrasound so we didn't have the equipment that could count the beats per minute. But, after figuring that out we went ahead and scheduled the right appointment for next Wednesday.

The doctor took the crown to rump length and measured 5mm which puts us at 6w1d which is just one day short of the "real" age which is 6w2d. I'm now anxiously waiting for Wednesday's appointment! Does the waiting and anticipation ever end?

On another note, I can't wait until I can stop doing the PIO shots and these estrogen patches. My estrodial was at 868 and progesterone was at 91, so I'm hoping that I'll be weaned off of these soon and then maybe, just maybe, my nausea will lighten up a little (well, a girl can hope, right?).

6w1d

Wow! I can't believe I just wrote that...6 weeks and 1 day. It's amazing. I really can't believe it and I'm still pinching myself. Well, between the bouts of nausea, I'm pinching myself. I'm not sure whether to be grateful or miserable, but morning sickness and in my case, all-day sickness has kicked in big time.

It's been a real struggle. Although, I haven't thrown up, I can barely function during the day because it takes all my concentration to just keep myself from lying on the ground and moaning like a wounded animal. The nausea is terrible. It's fully incapacitating. When I get home from work, all I can do is just throw myself on the couch and stare blankly at the TV. Poor Doc hasn't had a home cooked meal in quite a few days and thank goodness my mom lives nearby because I would have just stopped eating if she didn't bring over food.

Other symptoms include sore boobs and fatigue and bloating. The sore boobs have really thrown me for a loop because it's almost like I have a foreign body...Imagine this: having "nearly A" boobs for your whole life and then one day, boom they grow bigger and fuller and they hurt when you jump or try to sleep on your stomach. Is this how the other 99% of women live?

Don't get me wrong. I am so thankful for these symptoms because without them I'd be more of a basket case then I am now, so bring the symptoms on! And, hopefully, tomorrow we'll get a glimpse of the little bean causing all my pain.