I've been feeling ok this week. I can tell that my patience level is decreasing (Shamus would probably say pretty rapidly). I tend to get annoyed/frustrated/on edge pretty easily, which I don't enjoy. I feel like through this whole IVF and pregnancy process I've been pretty normal and level headed, so I'm not enjoying this new phase. I really hope it doesn't last for three months and then longer once the baby is here. When I do get annoyed, I try to swallow it, walk away, and then state my frustration in my head or in another room away from people who can hear things. Sometimes I succeed with that, and sometimes I don't. I'm really hoping that I can snap out of it soon!!
I've been feeling a lot more pressure in my belly this week. I always assumed that pregnant women felt like they had to pee a lot because the baby was sitting on their bladder and they felt that sensation that is normal. Um, no. Not with me at least. When I feel the urge to pee, I feel like if I don't go pretty immediately that my bladder is going to explode out through my belly. It's the weirdest thing. There's so much pressure, and it's unlike anything I've ever really felt. In the evenings, there's a lot more pressure in my belly, too. I think the baby is sitting so low and after a day of gravity taking hold, it's pretty intense.
I eat more normal now, too. The easiest meal of the day for me is breakfast. I only have to think about me and what I want, I have a little more time to decide (unlike when I'm trying to figure out what to have for lunch when I'm super busy), and there's a limited number of options that I enjoy. I usually have a banana plus either cereal, oatmeal, or toast and eggs. What I really want is a bagel from Einstein's, but since that's not close by I can resist. I could also go for donuts, but I try to avoid those too.
I had my 28-week appointment yesterday, and I had to do the diabetes test, too. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I had to drink something that tasted like a very very sweet non-carbonated Sprite and then an hour later they drew my blood. I haven't heard back on the results yet. I also got to see the baby again, which is always fun. She put the wand on me and then I felt the baby move and saw it punch me. Jerk. :) Below is a picture of the profile. The head is on the right, belly on the left. You can kind of see the ear and nose. The things at the top are the umbilical cord on the right and the hand on the left (I think). I think the little hand looks a bit like a mitt, and I can kind of see little fingers. Hey baby!
The baby is measuring nine days bigger than the age...but only in the head. Awesome. I really hope that slows down because I really do not want to push out a ginormous head. No orange on a toothpick babies here! Please Lord!
I found out that I have to be induced because of the blood thinner. At 36 weeks (around the beginning of April), I have to switch to Heparin twice daily shots. The half-life of Heparin is 6 hours vs 12 hours with Lovenox. She wants to induce me at least at 39 weeks but maybe even earlier so that she can control when I take my shot and how potent it is in my body. While I completely understand the merits of this since I want an epidural and don't want to bleed out and die on the table during delivery or a C-section, I'm also really disappointed. It took me about a day to understand why, but I think that it's because everything about this process of getting pregnant and being pregnant has been very clinical and science-y. I wanted the baby to come when it was ready to come and not on my doctor's timeline. I wanted something more natural...but not too natural. Give me the drugs! I think that's along the same reasoning as why I have no desire to know the sex ahead of time. I just want something to happen naturally and not be aided by technology. Obviously I'm super thankful for technology as we wouldn't be here without it, but there's not much that we've done that hasn't included it. I'm rambling.
I will get over my disappointment, and I do see the value of being induced instead of being in full-blown labor when I did my shot 30 minutes prior. So obviously I will do whatever she wants to do. She said that once she starts evaluating me at 36 weeks (I will start going weekly then), she will have a better idea of when she wants to induce. Legally she can induce me before 39 weeks, too, because of the blood thinner. It will make planning easier I think, and I will be able to know when the bakery will be closed instead of playing a guessing game with it. Also, I'm sure that when I'm actually doing the shots twice a day and I'm super huge and uncomfortable, I will be more than happy to be induced. But for now, disappointment.
Waist Size: 43 inches (1 more inch since last week)
Sleep: I've been waking up a lot in the early morning and not being able to fall asleep for an hour or two. So I've been more tired during the day. Plus I have to get up at least once in the night now to pee.
Most Exciting Moment: Seeing the baby
Baby is the Size of a: Head of cauliflower. The baby is measuring 2 pounds, 12 ounces and the heart rate is 152. And has a huge head apparently.
Miss Anything? Sleeping through the night and not having an attitude problem.