7 Weeks

Baby Forehand Update as of January 16, 2012:

- Here I am at 7 and a half weeks.

- My heart beats 153 times a minute.

I'm craving pickles, pineapple, apple juice, bagels with cream cheese, watermelon, and waffles. I've been having the typical  pregnancy symptoms but also having to unbutton my jeans every now and then because I am afraid of squishing the baby. Sleeping is difficult because of nausea and restlessness. 

Nausea and vomiting are insane!!! Taking Dramamine to make it through the day and Unisom at night. Doctor prescribed me Zofran for emergencies, but I have held off just because I'm afraid of side effects. Plenty of liquids and Vitamin B6. I have resorted to crystalized ginger. Yes, it is very gross and starts off kinda sweet and then just sends this zesty, fiery burn through my mouth. Thankfully, my husband found B-natal lollipops and a coworker shared some Preggie Drops.

I'm exhausted all the time and find it hard to stay awake around 2:30pm. My students are very sweet and ask lots of questions. They want to know the gender and the name. They want to have a say in the name. I have told them it will be a family name and when we know the name, we will share it. 

I have begun to have some anxiety about being so far from family and if I will be able to work or not. I always imagined raising a child in Georgia close to family and friends. Many of my friends back home are pregnant, and I miss going through this experience with them as well. 

I pray for a healthy baby. I just hope its neural tube closes and everything goes into the right place and that I have not harmed the baby in any way. 

Morning, Noon and Night Sickness

Since finding out I am pregnant, I have experienced so many wonderful things. The joys of planning nurseries and looking at baby clothes, thinking of all the wonderful moments I will experience and have my own family. I have heard women say they enjoyed being pregnant and how wonderful it is, so I assumed it was all pregnancy tests, cravings, maternity clothes and showers. I knew some "morning sickness" might come around, but I just assumed it was no big deal. I was wrong!!


The one thing I can say I have not enjoyed is being sick, very sick, morning, noon and night. The term "morning sickness" is so misleading because I was under the assumption I would have some nausea and light vomiting in the morning. Throw up once, be done and get on with my day. That it was this cute, right-of-way during pregnancy that reassured a woman that she indeed is pregnant. You see movies and Lifetime tv shows where the women wake up, run to the bathroom, throw up once, gently wipe their face with the back of their hand and then they're done. Nothing that would be horrendous and disgusting and last all day and night for weeks.

I was very mistaken in my impression of "morning sickness." It is horrible and awful and for a few several times each day, I thought I was dying. During weeks 6 and 7, I woke up at 4am nauseous and praying to God that if He would just help me make it through this without throwing up, I would be so good. I also had these moments around 1pm and then again around 10pm. Despite my efforts to bargain and beg with God, I usually ended up bent over the toilet crying like a baby. I made it to work everyday, usually a few minutes late, but I was there to greet the kids.


I'm hoping this phase passes sooner rather than later. I know that this will be like a hangover and I'll swear to never do this again but when I see that baby for the first time, hold it in my arms and breathe in that distinct baby smell of chamomile and vanilla, these past few weeks will have been a distance memory that wasn't so bad and I'll want to do it all over again.