I've been reading a lot of the on-line pregnancy journals and have
really been enjoying them. Thankfully we have unlimited internet time!
My house and dogs have never been so neglected.
Every day I find myself thinking about how I might react to finally
being pregnant. I rarely cry but this might be the thing to open the
floodgates. I know I won't be able to wait until week 13 to tell
people. I'll probably have informed half the population of Toronto
(currently 3 million) within 6 hours of knowing. I have no idea how
I'll tell my husband when the time comes, but I'm trying to think of
something creative. We both have a very warped sense of humour and I
think the fact that we have 3 big dogs shows that we're a bit crazy, if
not masochistic. If you'd like to see pictures of the dogs go to
www.homestead.com/DaveAndHopeSmith/home.html.
My mom and I were talking on the phone this morning and she told me that
she's already planned all the things she's going to make for the
embryo-to-be. When I was a kid she used to sew most of our clothes and
she also made me a handmade doll almost every Christmas. She was a
stay-at-home mom who also did home daycare which is where my love of
kids comes from. I was changing cloth diapers and giving bottles at the
age of 5 and starting babysitting infants when I was 11. Anyway, she is
already picking out patterns and getting ready for her first
grandchild. It's odd to think of my mom as a grandparent since she's
only 48 and doesn't even seem that age. I know that she and her
husband, Russ, along with Jean and Charlie (David's parents) are going
to spoil this kid and I'm so grateful to have the support even before
I'm pregnant. Jean is the ultimate grandmother and seems to have the
energy of a two year old, which many of you know is infinite! She lives
just down the street, loves babies and kids, actually enjoys house
cleaning, and is a wonderful person - I am soooo lucky. I've told David
a few times that I can't wait to give his mother a grandchild.
I had an echo doppler done on my heart last week. Basically it's an
ultrasound of the heart and major blood vessels leading in and out of
the heart. I'll be having an electrocardiogram this week and then
meeting with the cardiologist at the special pregnancy unit right
afterwards. I'm curious to know if the murmur has changed and what
affect it will have on pregnancy and birth. Because I do have heart
palpitations and asthma I will probably need oxygen during hard labour.
I also have to book an appointment with a nutritionist because I have
food allergies and severe lactose intolerance. I want to set up a
nutrition plan for pregnancy and breast feeding so that I ensure my baby
and I are getting the nutrients we need.
My cycle seems to be progressing as usual. I have increased
dislocations just after ovulating for about 3-4 days. I'm pretty sure
it's the progesterone causing the problem since it peaks a few days
after ovulation and causes muscle relaxation. I also experience
cramping during ovulation (mettleschmerz, or something like that) and
the cervical mucus changes so I think I'll be able to predict ovulation
fairly accurately. Regardless, I've read from a few different sources
that even with optimal timing there is only a one in four chance of
conception, and then a one in four chance of miscarriage in normal
pregnancies. I try not to think about those odds too much and just hope
for the best. My paternal grandmother had 7 kids, my maternal
grandmother had 13 kids and I have about 40 first cousins so I should be
able to conceive.(BIG FAMILY)
The other day I was at the pharmacy and the 18-ish guy in front of me
was buying a pregnancy test. He finished paying and then motioned to a
girl hiding behind a magazine. It is so hard to see people who don't
want to be pregnant and are, when I so badly want to be. I'm sure it
would be worse if I had been trying for a while unsuccessfully. My
heart goes out to those women with infertility problems.
As an aside: I'm sure my life sounds like one extended doctor visit and
medically complicated. Normally I just get on with it but I want to
make sure I take all the precautions needed for a healthy pregnancy.
The dislocations are usually just annoying and they're great party
tricks - I could have been an amazing circus freak.
Until next time I wish you all speedy conceptions, healthy pregnancies
and bearable deliveries.
Hope
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