(I think this might just be pregnancy blog the next few months. Just a head's up.)
Ok, I'm here! Any week that I'm well enough to get a blog post out is a week where lots of tears of gratitude are being shed. The nausea is definitely ramping up. It's worse than it was last week. Now I'm maxed out on unisom, benadryl, and meclizine. Believe it or not that's not enough nausea meds to keep me functional (HG suuucks) so I spent a lot of the week on Phenergan too. But that makes me feel super weird and it's still not masking the nausea enough, so this week I'm going to trade it out and try Reglan instead. I'm trying REALLY hard to stay away from Zofran this pregnancy. I had to be on it for most of my last pregnancy, and let's just say the side effects are NOT pretty. However, there were 3 or 4 times this last week when I couldn't get the seconds-from-throwing-up feeling to go away, and I was grateful to have Zofran on hand in those moments. But again, the side effects were not pretty. Really hoping Reglan will be my magic drug to keep me off the Zofran. You should see my pill box. It's enormous.
To the average pregnant woman, that long list of medicines probably seems excessive and terrifying. It's definitely a lot. But also, things are still going SO SO SO indescribably much better than last pregnancy (because of the meds). Luckily, the meds I'm on are very safe in pregnancy. I can't help but feel grateful most of the time. Last pregnancy I wasn't able to keep enough food down to gain so much as a pound until I was over halfway through my pregnancy. I don't think that's going to be an issue this time. I haven't thrown up once yet, and forcing down some protein every 1-2 hours is as essential as meds for keeping my nausea managed. Another difference from my last pregnancy is that last time, I think I felt most sick in the mornings and evenings/night. Honestly there was no break from the debilitating nausea last time, but mornings and evenings were especially dangerous, and I ended up in bed by 7:30 most nights. This time around I feel mostly ok in the mornings and evenings. It's the afternoons that are the worst. The great thing about that time is it coincides with Jack's preschool, so I should be able to nap most of the afternoon hours away now that Jack's back in preschool. Hallelujah.
In conclusion, we're doing ok up here! It's no picnic, but with my last pregnancy to compare this one to, I feel really grateful. Grateful that I get a few hours most days where I feel pretty much normal. Grateful that there are times when I genuinely enjoy eating a meal! (didn't happen once last time) Grateful I'm able to function and play with Jack still. Again, there's still plenty of time for things to get worse, but I feel pretty certain that it will never get as bad as last time as long as I keep up with my protocol. Thank youuuuuuu modern medicine. And thank you to my dear sweet husband who is happy to talk and research meds with me all day. You the real MVP. (MVP #2. I still get to be MVP #1 since I'm giving up my health all year to grow this bebe!)
Hey! I'm still kickin. Well, survivin'. Jared tested positive for Covid last Tuesday, so Jack wasn't allowed at preschool all last week or this week. They're having Jared come back to work today wearing a heavy-duty face mask because homeboy is needed. It was a pretty mild strain of Covid. Basically just fatigue and a recurring headache. I think me and Jack got it too, but Covid's so rampant now that it's near impossible to find a place with availability to get tested unless you're a healthworker/hospital employee. So we've just been quarantining with Jared. It was kind of rough being all cooped up. The pregnancy hormones are real this time and I'm a ticked off pregnant lady. Also, the nausea hit me (mildly) a week earlier than expected. It's been the plan for Jared to take over a lot of the household upkeep/Jack duties once the nausea hit, but since Jared was "sick" too, he mostly did a lot of sleeping. Hopefully his fatigue disappears before my nausea gets worse or this place is going to be in shambles.
So like I said, the nausea hit a week earlier than last time. Fortunately I've been able to manage it pretty well with lots of medication and constant snacking. When Jared asks, "How are you today?" I have no idea how to answer. In comparison to normal Laura? Pretty bad. I'm tired, I'm grumpy, there's a low level of nausea at all times, and I don't really want to do anything. But in comparison to last-time pregnant Laura? I feel great! Food doesn't sound good, but I'm able to get my own snacks. I can walk around and play with Jack. I don't feel like I'm 3 seconds away from throwing up at all times. Could be much worse. That said, it could get much worse this week. I feel like this week is going to determine how the rest of my pregnancy goes. For most women with HG, week 6 is when all hell breaks loose. So there's a chance my health rapidly declines this week and I end up clutching a bowl in bed full time. But there's also a good chance I'll be able to keep masking the nausea pretty well with aggressive medication and snacking. I've got a good feeling! I really do. It's empowering to know what to expect and have some tools for fighting back this time. I'm nearly on the maximum dose of doxylamine (Unisom) and I had to add in benadryl over the weekend. But I still have room to add meclizine (dramamine) and the heavy-duty nausea drugs if/when (almost definitely when) the nausea gets worse. So I'm feeling hopeful! I'm also happy to report that after a full week of being unable to keep my eyes open, my body did adapt to the unisom and now I don't feel impossibly tired on all these drowsy medications. Just mildly loopy at all times.
Here are a few pictures from this week (evidence that I am surviving but not having it in me to do my hair in 2022--I should probably invest in some hats or something haha):
You read it right--we're having a baby! Due September 20. This is very early for a pregnancy announcement. I'm only 5 weeks along, but with my last pregnancy the nausea fully took me out at 6 weeks, and then I didn't feel up to announcing until I was in my third trimester, so I've kind of been racing the clock to tell people and get my house in order. If I disappear for a few months, you'll know I'm in the depths of a deep pregnancy nausea despair.
I'm also not going down without a fight!!! Last time I was blindsided by my extreme/debilitating/dangerous nausea condition called hyperemesis gravidarum (affects about 1% of pregnant women). This time I've got knowledge and preparation on my side. If you or anyone you know suffers from this extreme form of pregnancy nausea (it usually results in an inability to eat or keep anything down, often causing severe dehydration and weight loss), send them to get on the "Preventing Hyperemesis Gravidarum" facebook page. It's so hard to find anyone, even doctors, who understand or can offer helpful information if you're in the HG boat. I had the worst experience with my OB team when I was pregnant with Jack. I'd come in shaking and white as a ghost, begging for help, nausea medication, anything. And then whoever was there would greet me with a big smile and congratulate me on a "successful diet" and refuse to prescribe any medicine. It makes my blood boil thinking about it now. I needed help so badly. But I was literally too sick to research and get into a new OB. I was too sick to even look at a screen for most of my pregnancy. Couldn't look at a phone, computer, or tv without vomiting. I spent months upon months curled up in the fetal position just trying not to die. And yes, that's why it's taken four years for me to feel brave enough to try this again.
This time I've researched and made a list full of ideas that might keep the nausea to a more manageable level. I've been taking probiotics and vitamins, reducing processed foods and sugars until the nausea arrives, eating protein every hour, and most importantly, as it seems to be the only thing to reliably make a noticeable difference in women with HG, I've started early and aggressive medication. The classic unisom+b6 combo didn't do really anything to help my nausea when I was pregnant with Jack, but I'm reading that if you start taking it as soon as you get a positive pregnancy test, it has time to build up in your system and make a real difference. Fingers crossed. I do have heavier medications on backup in case that doesn't do the job. And in the meantime, I'm exhausted at all times because unisom doubles as a sleep aid. But I'll take exhaustion over nausea every day of the week.
So anyway, that's what's new here! I figure I have one more week of feeling really pretty good. I'm going to use this time to research and find a helpful OB, stock up my pantry, get a mini fridge for the upstairs (forcing down food and fluids every 1-2 hours is crucial), and enjoy life! I'll keep you updated as much as I can. If I miss a few weeks here or there, maybe toss a prayer my way. Also, please bless the covid situation to chill for a sec. I really need my child to be able to stay in preschool these next few months.
Happy New Year! We had a wonderful Christmas and New Years, and the laziest week in-between during which Jared didn't go to work and I didn't cook. I like cooking, and I also like a good break. 5 out of 5 stars, a new tradition is born. My parents were supposed to come visit for New Years, but their flight got cancelled because of all the snow we were getting in Seattle last week. It was a huge bummer, but we're excited to see them probably within the next month or two. We ended up staying home New Years Eve and playing Jackbox games remotely with both sides of our families.
We've been reflecting this last week on 2021 and thinking about our future in the next few years. We feel really happy to be in Washington right now. We also miss Utah and Jack misses his cousins (there are 8 Haines cousins between the ages of 0 and 3--so fun!). We're happy Jared has a 3 year contract here so we can enjoy this beautiful place and living near Jared's parents, and all the great perks of Jared's dream job. We're also happy that when the contract is over we can start looking for a different dream job in Utah and get settled over there with plenty o' cousins. That's pretty much our plan right now, while also realizing that life happens and we'll take it all as it comes. Saving aggressively for a Utah home down payment in the meantime. And in case you're wondering, yes, I'm the one who's from Utah, but Jared is pushing for this plan even harder than I am. Everyone's a fan of the plan. Except probably Jared's parents. We're rooting for a Jared's-parents-retire-to-Utah setup. Fingers crossed.
My only "resolutions" for 2022 are to prepare better for pregnancy than I did last time (I'm not pregnant at the moment, thanks for asking) and have a solid plan for trying to manage what could potentially be a pretty traumatizing amount of nausea. Also to better prepare for childbirth and recovery than I did last time. I'm grateful for our healthy boy and I'm not grateful for how many times my body tried to literally kill me getting him here. Holy cow he's one spectacular little dude though. I love this kid. He's so silly and smart and strong-willed, and I love that about him, I really do. Here are this year's "Jack on the Shelf" pictures, before we take the tree down tomorrow. Click here for last year's Elf on the Shelf. Scroll to the bottom of that post and you'll find more links for his past elf photoshoots.
