In The Early Stages (9 Weeks)

Hello!  Welcome to my baby blog adventures. This is my first baby, so I will use this blog (with humor) to track the ups and downs of my pregnancy.

9 weeks - Not Much To See Yet!

Last Tuesday we had the first official ultrasound at 8 weeks 3 days.  We could see a tiny outline of a baby and also see the heart beating, however getting the sound of the heartbeat proved to be challenging, since it is still very early in the pregnancy. 8 weeks is on the cusp of going from a zygote to a fetus.  The yolk sac is disappearing and the baby soon relies on the amniotic sac and placenta. We have an ultrasound scheduled for 12 weeks, 3 weeks from now, and that should be exciting. I should have something to post on the blog then for everyone to see. I think Jeremy and I are hoping for a girl (I know we have LOTS of girls in the family especially on my side, but we want one anyways) but of course will love our child girl or boy.

I'm excited to be a mommy, but right now, to be honest, not so excited about the pregnancy symptoms. The first trimester can be a trying time, and it has been that for me so far. I learned that when you become pregnant, your immune system lowers itself as to not attack the baby, but that means the mommy is vulnerable. Since I have some bacterial/fungal issues, this has affected me. So far I have had strep; luckily a light case that went away taking immune boosting vitamins and eating healthy. I can't take antibiotics or other over the counter medications, so I have had to find ways to fight this stuff naturally. So far raw garlic has been a lifesaver and I seem to be getting better. I know, eating raw garlic, doesn't that sound fun!! I will be happy when I can just deal with morning sickness and extreme fatigue.  That in itself is enough!

But aside from that.... some of the symptoms I've been having are all very common. A light case of morning sickness (that of which I am grateful for so far) which pretty much feels like car motion sickness, swollen boobies (I will need new bras soon), and my pants are starting to get a tad snug. Hey, an excuse to go clothes shopping!! Yay! I also get this weird bitter metallic taste in the back of my mouth sometimes, mostly if I've eaten something acidic like tomatoes or lemons, and is worse when I have dry mouth. And speaking of dry mouth, I cannot seem to consume enough water. I'm drinking 60-90 ounces a day. It is 3pm on Saturday and I've already drank 60 ounces! Oh and of course already I have to pee every hour!  LOL And the heartburn... yikes. The one symptom that really bums me out is that nothing ever sounds good to eat, except for carbs like croissants, french fries, rice with butter and cheese... and I cannot have any of that because it can cause my bacterial/fungal problem to worsen, I'll get sick, and that's not good for baby either. So, I soldier onwards, and find decent substitutions. I can't seem to cook or handle raw meat, either (makes me gag), so poor me, we get to eat out more often ;-)

It's common for most of these things to get better around 12-14 weeks in the 2nd trimester (I hope it does) and regardless of how many times I might complain to Jeremy (I'm waiting for him to get fed up and run from me but his patience amazes me every day) I know it is all worth it in the end.

I was at Stewart Park today in Santa Monica, taking advantage of this unusually warm weather, reading and basking in the sun. It was truly a beautiful day, and while there I was witnessing many families enjoying themselves: family and friends at a children's birthday party, a father and son playing soccer, and little kids just running around being silly. It made me excited for what's to come. I'm also excited for what's to come in my pregnancy, and determined to enjoy every minute of it.

Fun at the Park