Well, here we are again. There isn’t much to tell so early on. I’m guessing baby was conceived around week 3, and during week 4, 5, and 6 I had bursts of energy quite regularly. At the start of week 7 I started feeling usual first trimester symptoms. I have increased migraines during weather changes, I am frequently nauseated, and I would love nothing more than to hibernate for days on end.
This time around I have a munchkin to take care of, so I can’t selfishly curl into bed and sleep the day away. I’m taking advantage of nap times, and if I’m particularly pooped, I put us both in a room that is both toddler proof and also has a lounging spot and I snooze while she plays. Sisu is so very good, I think she can tell when I’m just plain pooped. I’ve broken my no-couch-potato protocol a few times and shared the couch with her when I was just too pooped to keep up with toddler play, and we cuddled and watched netflix and munched goldfish.
The nausea came on slower than last time, and though it’s not as constant as it was the first time around, the spike is much worse. I’m following the small frequent meals protocol and also following the comfort foods diet. I’m not forcing myself to eat anything that has an odor which makes my stomach turn. I also found a tip that certain smells can help calm your nausea, so I started wearing a few drops of peppermint oil instead of my usual body sprays. I’m very surprised that it helps as much as it does. Peppermint tea never sat quite well with me, but I do love the smell and it chases the nausea away, so I count it as a win-win.
Side note: Did you know that nauseous means having a property of causing nausea, while nauseated means feeling the state of nausea? “Nauseous” is one of the most commonly misused words. There’s your “so-what-we-have-learned” for the week.
Soon to come: first ultrasound. We will have our first ultrasound next week, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. Having a baby growing in an organ that was sliced open just over a year ago is a little daunting. I’m well aware that thousands, maybe millions of women have undergone cesareans with successful later pregnancies, but it’s a bit daunting. So I’ll be glad to have the ultrasound to check that everything’s set up proper to grow healthy and give us a baby in late May. Recent studies suggest that you can tell what gender the child will be based on where the placenta has formed on the uterine wall. Apparently placentas formed on the right indicate a male, and placentas formed on the left indicate a female, bearing in mind that when you look at an abdominal ultrasound image, the image is mirrored. I’ve got to dig out Sisu’s ultrasounds to see if there was any indication of this. She decided to have her placenta in the front, but I’m curious to see if it hugged the left side. Fingers crossed for a little boy! I have no idea what we’d name a girl. . . .
Pride and Pregnancy 