Pregnancy Part 8

First day of fall! Unfortunately, here in Southern California, we will have triple-digit temperatures tomorrow. But there are cooler temperatures on the way. Last week I tried wearing a regular 100% cotton T-shirt without a bra and it was the most uncomfortable thing I have ever done. Here is a list of the symptoms over the past 3 weeks.

Week 13 - Sept 2-8 backache, nipple soreness, frequent urination, increased thirst, appetite increase
Week 14 - Sept 9-15 tender breasts, nipple soreness, heartburn, increased thirst, appetite increase, flatulence
Week 15 - Sept 16-22 acne, abdominal cramping, leg cramping, tender breasts, nipple soreness, heartburn, bloating, appetite increase

Now that I'm in week 16, I kind of feel like the heartburn is easing up. I also switched moisturizer and sunscreen and I think the acne is clearing up. I have had some dry skin on my arms, legs and hands. I was out in the garden yesterday and got HELLA mosquito bites.

I wrote 2.5 weeks ago that I was worried about my First Trimester Screening. I had no idea what tests they would be running and what I should do to prepare for those tests. Maybe they do that on purpose, so that you don't bias the results.

• Ultrasound
• NT scan
• Swab
• Vaginitis
• Pap Smear
• Blood (8 vials)
• NIPT - Down Syndrome
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Syphilis (RPR)
• Hepatitis B
• Rubella
• Blood Antigen
• RBC, WBC, Platelets
• Hemoglobin
• Neutrophils, Lymphocytes
• Eosinophils (Eos), Basophils (Basos)
• Granulocytes
• Urine Sample
• color, pH, density
• protein, glucose, ketones
• WBC, RBC, cells, mucus, bacteria

Everything came back normal. I have the Second Trimester Screening coming up. As far as I know they will take more blood and urine. There may be an ultrasound and fetal heartbeat. It will be two weeks until my next appointment with my OB.

In 4 weeks, I will have my anatomy scan with the Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM). In 5 weeks, I will have a fetal echocardiogram to look for any abnormalities in the heart. Today was a little bit stressful to make that appointment but it all worked out in the end.

I finally tried to put in some data into the pregnancy app that is recommended by my health care provider (Providence Holy Cross). I feel like my belly really popped out this weekend after much gas and bloating last week. The pulling I felt on my ligaments kind of gave way on Sunday after lots of running around the house and doing errands. Anyhow, it was really comforting to see that despite the shock of seeing a number on the scale, I am still doing OK for my goal/target.

Saturday we met up with family and went to see a movie. I cried through the previews and cried a few times during the movie. Last week, on "TIC Tuesday" I full-on sobbed at my desk just thinking about what to make for dinner. I attributed it to hormones, stress and exhaustion. It gave me the clue to take it a bit easier throughout the week. So I guess you could add to last week's symptoms: extremely emotional and easily crying. We ended the day at Macy's, which had a good selection of baby clothes for 80% off. We got 4 onesies for $13.

Yesterday we did a BUNCH of stuff around the house. We cleaned a set of shelves that I found at the curb and put them upstairs in the baby's room. We broke down a computer and a desk that were in the baby's room to take them to the trash and e-waste. We took syringes from our IVF cycle and the computer to the Nicole Bernson (Balboa) S.A.F.E. Center. We went to Vitamin Shoppe to get some protein bars and B Vitamin. We went to Lowe's to get a ladder, sawhorses, lumber, some plants, a new showerhead and some hooks.

We went to Kohl's to get $100 worth of maternity clothes. It was great because dear husband dropped me off and went home to take the plants out of the car while I tried on clothes. I found a pair of leggings, a pair of jeans, a pair of shorts and two shirts. We went to Target to get a new scale, frozen pre-cooked chicken, milk, trash bags, toilet paper and paper towels. Then we went home and planted the plants, hung the hooks and sawed some shelves for the garage. We are trying to get the garage ready to accommodate some new items for the baby. We're going by the Goodwill after work today to drop off some old stuff that we no longer want.

I'm so unlike my former self (hoarding) that my first instinct when I see a box of stuff in the garage is to "get rid of it." Dear husband has turned into me by saying, "what if you need it later?" I am so grateful to have a partner that is willing to talk through what we want to get done and then strategize how we can both contribute to those projects. We finally spent all the money that we had got from the summer unemployment, so all of that shopping came out of our hard-earned paychecks. It was cool to see dear husband creating space in the garage by taking some of the bicycles that I wanted to get rid of and hanging them from the ceiling.

Last week, I met with Human Resources to see exactly what were my options for Spring 2019 and Fall 2020. I got the greatest news: I can continue with full pay and no gap in pay. I will not teach in Spring due to using up my sick leave and personal holidays (and disability if I need it). Then I will be able to use my Family Leave in Spring to have a 40% reduction in workload without any lack of pay. This was such a relief to dear husband, as he was starting to get pretty worried about how we would survive on a single income.

I also read online that if I call my student loan lender and tell them that I am pregnant, they will add a dependent to my financial information and possibly reduce my monthly payment by $100. In other symptom-related news... spellcheck is everything right now. It's not my hands but my brain that can't seem to spell these days. I misspell at least one word per sentence. And it's pretty difficult to do mental math on the board when I'm teaching. The joys of pregnancy.