Weight Gain: I Finally Have a Baby BUMP!!!

 

Week 19
Weight: 134-138

I had a prenatal appointment.  In this week I had a transvaginal ultrasound to check the size of my cervix to ensure that it would be competent to sustain the pregnancy.  I then had a regular belly ultrasound that seemed to last forever.  A good 15-30 minute long ultrasound.  She measured all of babies body parts. She measured and took ultrasound pics of the head, feet, abdomen, hands, arms, legs ect.  She also checked the different vessels and compartments of the heart.  Everything checked out well.  I ALSO FOUND OUT THE SEX!!!  By now I feel movements but during the ultrasound the baby flipped from face up to face down and I was surprised I didn't feel that at all.  Baby flipped to face down and placed one hand behind its back as if to say that's enough leave me alone now.  It was so cute and funny to see. Here are a couple of ultrasounds.  One thing that I have noticed is that our ultrasounds aren't as clear as I would like them to be or as clear as I have seen others.  I can't tell if that is a result of the baby moving too much or if their ultrasound machines just suck.  But I want some better and more clear pictures of babies profile.

Week 20
Weight: 138-141 lbs (finally have gained some weight back, now I am only 10-12 lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight)

All I can say is Thank You Jesus!!!!! I am finally no longer deathly sick.  I feel so much better!!! I still get sick and still get nauseous on the regular but I am soooooo much better then I was for the last 2-3 months.  I now go a good 1-2 days without vomiting.  But yes the vomiting always does return.  Having a day here and there without vomiting is such an improvement for me.  As a result of less nausea and vomiting my appetite has returned.  I have finally started gaining weight and I FINALLY have a baby bump.  I literally went from having a completely flat stomach in the previous weeks to now having a mini baby bump.  Its just so exciting!.  Constipation continues to get worse.  I started having some really really bad stomach aches.  The very first time I experienced this intense stomach ache I didn't know what it was and I got really scared that something might be wrong with my pregnancy.  It first started really late one night, so I thought if I woke up with the same pain and if it lasted throughout the day I would call my doctor.  I woke up the next morning with the same pains, I actually barely slept.  The pain was just so intense in the lower part of my stomach.  I the realized I hadn't had a bowl movement in at least a week.  So I went to try to use the bathroom, nothing came out I was still constipated.  It then clicked that the pains were related to the fact that I hadn't been to the bathroom in at least a week and that I needed to sit on the toilet as long as I needed to so that I could have a bowl movement.  Finally by midday I was able to use the bathroom and experienced some relief from the pains, but then they quickly returned by afternoon.  I was off to the toilet again, by the end of the night I had about 3-4 bowl movements.  Since then I have continued to experience really bad stomach pains when I don't have a bowl movement on a regular basis or force myself to regardless of my constipation.  I have been eating prunes, and other foods with fiber to help out the situation.  But stomach pains from constipation are no joke. 

 

 

 

Bump Update 

 I really wish I had bump pictures for all the weeks leading up to week 20 but I don't.  I was too sick to worry about taking pictures. But week 20 is the week that I literally popped. I remember week 19 I had a very slight bump and previous to that I was absolutely not showing at all.  For so long I was sick and losing weight that I had a stomach that was actually flatter then it was before I had even gotten pregnant. 

 

Symptoms

- vomited on average every other day

- I still do not feel like myself, and I am still experiencing nausea at least once a day, but I feel way better then I had in previous weeks

- intense constipation that is accompanied with intense stomach aches

- my nails are growing like weeds, and are very strong even without the use of nail treatments

- my stomach is rock hard

- frequent baby kicks and movement especially in my lower stomach

- intense hunger and appetite.....always hungry. 

- sour/tart taste in my mouth, chewing gum is the only thing that gets rid of it

- always thirsty, drink ice water all day

- craving salty foods, but that has been what I have craved my entire pregnancy

-can only fit maternity pants or yoga pants.....pre-pregnancy jeans hurt and apply too much pressure to my baby bump and/or simply do not fit

- slight acne on my chest, and intense pregnancy acne on my face, makeup can't even hide it.

- my lips are no longer chapped

- my belly button keeps getting pushed further and further out, undeniable outie, and even be seen through clothing

What Helped My Extreme Nausea and Vomitting (Hyperemesis Gravidarum)

From weeks 6-18 I had extreme nausea and vomiting.  On average I vomited 2-7 times a day.  I vomited everything from water to food to prenatal vitamins.  I even vomited acid whenever I had an empty stomach.  I tried almost everything recommeneded to me.  It got to the point where I got sick and tired of hearing recommendations because I most likely already had tried it, and/or couldn't stomach or tolerate it.  Anyone who has been pregnant knows you can have extreme adversions to certain things, actually a lot of things, so I got so annoyed with people recommending things that I had adversions to.  As a pregnant women, you would know that just because something helped you doesn't mean it will help me.  On top of that my nausea wasn't the average pregnancy nausea that most women experience, so what helps most people surely did not help me.

Things that did not help:

-Zofran prescription medicine 4 mg (dissolvable tablets)
-Preggie Pops (from Baby's R US
-Accupressure Wrist Bands (from Baby's R US)
-Fresh fruits and veggies (salads)
-Peppermint tea
-Ice and water
-Crackers
-Ginger (ginger ale)
-Carbonated drinks

Things that helped my nausea (pls note nothing stopped my vomiting completely but at least I went from vomiting 7 times a day to only vomiting once or twice a day):

-Zofran prescription medicine 8 mg (tablets to be swallowed with water)
-Small meals (never eat till you are full or stuffed)
-Sleep (can't vomit or feel nauseous during sleep, also helped to be sleep during morning and late night hours because that is when I felt most nauseous)
-Chewing gum (helped with the excessive siliva and tart taste in my mouth)
-Prayer!!

Pregnancy Sickness and Phobias

Weeks 14-18

Weight: 132-133 (still 18 lbs down from my pre-pregnancy weight)
All this started actually around week 11 but continued through week 18.  Anyone who knows me knows I love having my hair done, nails done, face made up, heels on, and I like to dress nicely.  Due to feeling down right sick, nauseous, exhausted, and honestly defeated I seemingly became a different person.  All the things that were normally part of my daily routine all just became intolerable.  I literally had a phobia of my own body and my own routines.  For a good 1-2 months I did not do my hair.  Not only did I not wash it, I did not comb it, I did not brush it.  And it wasn't like it was out of the way, braided up, and under a wig.  Nope it was in a low ponytail.  It sat in the same ponytail for months, since it hadn't been combed, brushed, or moisturized it matted up very badly.  I thought by the time I got around to being ok with doing my hair that it would dread up.  It got to the point where my mom helped me out moisturized my hair, brushed it, and put it back in the dirty ponytail because she just saw how sad and pittyful I looked and seemed.  I hadn't done my nails since the January 1, not a big deal but clearly so not me. I typically always have my nails did!  Next I had a real bad phobia of all facial products including face wash, face serums, face lotions, and acne treatments.  I could go days on end without washing my face or doing anything at all to it.  During the first month of my pregnancy my face was abdormally dry.  But by the 11th week all that changed, I had never seen so much grease before in my life.  My face would get so greasy to the point it felt sticky.  So having a phobia of my face and facial products along with the excessive grease completely ruined my skin.  Since I wasn't washing my face on the regular or taking care of it I know have terrible cystic acne, black heads, white head, and rash ontop of all of that.  There is not one centimeter of my face that is clear of bumps.  The bumpiness only made my phobia of the skin on my face even worse.  When I tell yall I was a mess, I truly mean I was a mess. Next I had excessively dry lips, to the point where I had thick scabes of dry skin all over my lips that I could not pull off.  I also didn't treat it with lip treatments because I had a phobia of the way that feels and smells so my lips just continued to get worse and worse.  The last thing that drove me nuts during these agonizingly dreadful weeks was the fact that I had excessive saliva and a tart stale taste constinatly in my mouth.  No matter what I ate, or how many times I brushed my teeth none of this would go away.  This only exaserbated my nausea and vomiting, yall you have no idea!

Other symptoms include:

-Chills, I was always cold (I needed heat and a sweater even when it was warm out)
-Random sharp pains near my hernia repair site near my lower abdomen, usually when I would make sharp quick moves
-Breasts were no longer tender but the tenderness was focused in my nipples.  Also my nipples grew extremely large, larger then a silver dollar. 
-Breasts grew 2 cup sizes, from a C cup to a DD cup
-Constipation started, in the first weeks or months of my pregnancy I had diarrhea so this was new to me
-Excessive snot and mucus in my nose and throat which was exaserbated by the constant and consistant vomiting
-Hate the scent of everything especially lotions, perfumes, oils ect. 
-No belly bump whats so ever!
-Low appetite, mostly graved sandwhiches, subs, and pastas
-Vomit 1-4 times a day
-Prenate Mini prenatal vitamin pills that were prescribed to me by my doctor caused immediate vomiting and a metal taste in my mouth. I had to discontinue use of it and go back to my gummy prenatal chewable vitamins
-Absolutely hated water!! All I could drink were juices and I would go through phases.  One moment I only wanted apple juice, then only milk, then only sweet tea, then only kool-aid, then only grape juice.  And I could only drink if more then half of my glass was filled with ice. 

HYPEREMESIS GRAVIDARUM - Long Awaited Update!

LOOKING BACK!
I know I have been gone for a very long time. So much has changed since my last update.  A lot has gotten worse, some things have stayed consistent, and other things have changed drastically.  I am sure there will be a lot that I will forget to mention since a lot has happened.  But let me get started.   I will try to go week by week.

Week 9 -  142-145lbs

   Nausea continued to be unbearable.  I continued to vomit every meal, snack, drink, and even vomited on an empty stomach.  Weakness continued.  But my appetite wasn't too bad, eating hadn't gotten difficult yet.  I ate a lot of soups, salads, fruit cups, fruit juices, fresh fruits, bagels, bread, cereals, eggs, and also bad stuff like pizza, Chinese food, bacon, sausage ect.  I basically ate what I craved along with trying to get as much healthy things in my body as I could.  Soup and salad was my favorite meals for the times I was most nauseous an found eating the hardest.  I take 2 Vitafusion Prenatal Gummy Vitamins with DHA and Folic Acid a day.  At the time I thought I looked so bad, weak, and a hot mess but looking back I looked great in comparison to the way I look and feel now at my current week in pregnancy.  I was really surprised that I didn't lose that much weight at that time.  I guess my strong appetite really compensated for the amount that I was vomiting.  I think I was around 142-145lbs at this point.
  I ended up successfully changing my insurance to Tricare Standard, and luckily this week I got my first doctors appointment and ultrasound with a non-military doctor and facility.  This pregnancy will be more costly then we planned but it will be worth it because I will have more say in the prenatal care that I receive.  My first appointment was different then most peoples first appointments.  There is a good reason behind it but I will not get into that right now.  So in this appointment I just simply got an ultrasound and nothing else, basically because that is all I wanted!  I just wanted to know that there was a baby really in there, that there was a heart beat, and that the baby was doing great.  So that is what I got, I had a transvaginal ultrasound (due to me being still so early).  That was honestly surprising, I had never heard of that, and didn't expect that.  They basically stuck the ultrasound probe in my vagina to do the ultrasound.  Then there was the most amazing image and sound I have ever seen an heard.  A VERY BEAUTIFUL HEALTHY BABY!.

You can see the head, body, and arms/hands

We were all shocked by what we saw.  I was shocked, hubby was, doctor was, and the ultrasound tech also was.  The baby was actually waving at us.  Very clearly and very obviously just sitting there consistently waving.  It was just such a beautiful and exciting moment.  Heartbeat was also great and strong.  I can never remember official stats so I honestly don't remember any measurements or heart rate.  I tend to go into some other zone when ever I go to the doctor and leave not remembering anything but feeling beyond excited.  At some points especially at appointments, it still feels like this whole pregnancy is just a dream.  Still so surreal and probably will be until the day I give birth.

Week 13 - 132-133lbs

  Between week 9-13 things just got so much worse.  Now I do not want to sound like I am complaining because I am surely not.  I am being open, honest, and real.  At the end of the day I still feel really blessed because I have had no complications thus far just some very extreme preggo symptoms and side effects.  By my 13th week I lost a total of 18 lbs total from my pre-pregnancy starting weight. By this time I was down to 132-133lbs which was just insane to me.  Most people gain weight during pregnancy but here I am losing massive amounts of weight.  This is more proof of how much nausea and vomiting really started affecting me. By the middle of week 10 I also lost my appetite.  So here I am violently vomiting all day, hungry but can't eat, nauseous 24/7, getting weaker and weaker by the day, and losing drastic amounts of weight.  I can honestly say by this time this all began affecting my spirit, mentally I was very down, and emotionally I felt defeated.  I love this baby so much, I was in constant prayer for better days, but it just seemed like every day things were just getting worse and worse for me.  By this point my mom told me she had never seen or heard of anyone ever being as sick or weak as I was just from pregnancy.  My mom talked to everyone and anyone about me.  From friends to doctors because she just felt so worried for me, my body just was not handling pregnancy hormones well at all.  We all began to wonder, how is this baby going to possibly grow and be healthy when I vomit every bit of nutrition I put in my body.  From food to water to prenatal vitamins.  The nausea medicine the ER had given me had never worked so I pretty much just stopped taking it. By this point I wasn't leaving the house at all, I had no energy to.  My mom kept asking what in the world would I do if I had a job and worked outside of the home and had places I absolutely needed to be.  My body just wouldn't have been able to handle it.  The only time I left the house was for doctors appointments and that is when I would run all my errands.
   This was also the week  I had my 2nd ultrasound/prenatal appoinment which was also essentially really my first appointment. Yes week 13! You are probably wondering what's going on but the whole appointment issue is mostly related to my insurance and the fact that a lot of doctors do not accept it and once I got an appointment I had to wait a couple of weeks until she had an opening.  Anyways at this appointment I got another ultrasound, blood tests, urine tests, and a pap smear (all of this stuff usually happens at your very first prenatal appointment).  Baby was still doing well THANK GOD!!!  I expected to get a lot of bad news back from my urine tests, and blood testing because I expected to be severely vitamin deficient and dehydrated.  Thankfully that was not the case.  The only thing that I was deficient in was vitamin D, and pretty severely.  So I got a rapid replenishment vitamin D pills to take for that.  I got new prenatals prescribed to me.  I also got a higher dosage of Zofran prescribed to me since the lower dose was absolutely not working. The dosage is now 8MG.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum  (HG) - a complication of pregnancy characterized by intractable nausea, vomiting, and dehydration and is estimated to affect .5% - 2% of pregnant women.  Hyperemesis gravidarum tends to occur in the first trimester of pregnancy and last significantly longer than normal.  Most women experience relief of morning sickness after the first trimester but women who have hyperemesis gravidarum will experience severe symptoms until they give birth to their baby, and sometimes even after birth. 
  I am not one that wants to ever claim a sickness that I have not officially been diagnosed with.  But to me it is quit clear to me that I have this.  I pray that I don't but based on my symptoms and research, what I am going through seems quit severe and very similar to HG.  Earlier in my pregnancy when I made a visit to the Military ER the doctor quickly talked about HG with me and sent me home with a paper that described and explained HG, I do not know if that was his way of diagnosing me with it.