At 24 weeks/6 Months

So far the issues I seem to be having are typical. No cholestasis, yay!! Tossing and turning to get comfortable in the middle of the night, booo! Gas overload, random itchiness and dry skin but not too bad, slightly swollen feet at the end of the day, and I'm walking slower than usual and more hungry.

Flippity-Flops and Other Pregnant Health Issues

We're at 22 weeks incubation now and I'm more consistently getting the flippity-flop feeling after I eat or when I am lying in bed on my side. Not so much when I just sitting on the couch though. I'm about 144.5 lbs, and I guess on target for being almost 5 mo 3 weeks pregnant.

I ended up calling my doctor about the itching two Fridays ago. Last Monday I went in for bloodwork but haven't heard back either way if the itchy palms and soles are being caused by cholestasis. I still get it occasionally (last night my outer palms were slightly itchy and Sunday night my soles were a little) but nothing like the intensity that I had the few days before I made the call.

I did experience some random hive-like welts on my back and hips last Friday night. We had eaten Japanese noodles (soba with mushrooms and carrots). I got the itchy welts about two hours later when we got back home. They lasted a few hours and the next day they were gone. I looked up PUPPS and other skin rashes but nothing really showed as being some come and go. Hopefully they won't return.

Because...this past weekend I think I began a path toward pregnancy carpal tunnel in my right arm. All day Saturday I was sitting on the ground for 20 minutes and getting up to move to another stage at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park. After a long day, my hand started hurting like it was bruised almost. Then my forearm started aching like it does after bowling with a ball that is too heavy. This is all after we got home. Then in the middle of the night my right shoulder ached and was kinda numb feeling but not like it was falling asleep. Just weak. Like I had bruised my bone or had arthritis (which is also a possibility as it rained yesterday). Sunday I wore my magnet bracelet for CT at work and that night it was less painful but still sort of present. Monday my arm still ached (but no longer up to my shoulder). Last night I slept with my bracelet on and my arm feels better today. I'm trying not to sleep on my wrists at all but since I am supposed to sleep on my left side and not my back it is hard NOT sleeping on a part of my arm. I hope to get another massage soon!

Got an Itch (or Two)

For the last week, off and on and not daily, I've had itchy palms and the occasional itchy foot. Yesterday it was intense on my feet. I was wearing dress shoes without hose or anything so I am thinking that didn't help. I have read that pregnant women can get itchiness without rashes on their palms of their hands and soles of the feet, and that it may mean obstetric cholestasis. I haven't reported it to my OB but if I am still having it in October when my next appointment is I will bring it up most definitely. I am hoping that the itching I have right now is an flux of hormones because I am only in the middle of my second trimester and everything I've read about cholestasis occurs in late pregnancy. Fingers crossed (when they aren't scratching) that it is nothing. I also have dry skin on my legs and arms, but right now my belly is fine. Been drinking lots of water but I'm only finding that I've been visiting the restroom a lot more frequently.

My second itch may be related to the first if it does have to do liver function. Today is the first day of autumn (not related) but it has been about 4 months since I've had a sip of anything alcoholic. Before pregnancy it would have taken will power not to drink at gatherings but I haven't had the urge. At first I was queasy so it was easy. Now it feels more like habit not to drink. But today, while I am at work, I had the craving for a nice glass of wine. Maybe not even to drink but to smell and hold and swirl. Oh well. I wonder if the itchiness is related to drinking before pregnancy...

Things New Parents Don't Need

shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/688/10-things-new-parents-dont-need

This is a great piece and great timing. We're starting our registry and on some things we have no clue as to what we actually will need.

The changing table was one item we were debating about. It seemed unsafe to have a baby just on the dresser top with the pad and no rails, but $150 is a bit steep for a one-use table. If we find one for cheap we may still get one, as a friend did mention she used hers a lot (it had a drawer and shelves for storage access).

Car seats are another item we are scratching our heads on. We know we need one (maybe even two) but didn't realize we might only need one model for a year before we need to reinvest in a new one as the baby outgrows the original. Some of them say infant to 60 lbs! That's a HUGE range.

Diaper bags: I think we may have decided to just use a messenger bag we have lying around but if someone wants to buy us a cute fancy bag I won't say no. Just don't ask me what kind of bells and whistles it should have for a properly prepared for outing.

We were thinking co-sleeper for the first six months or so but those are also pricey new. Now that I read about the pack and play, is that really an option for a newborn to sleep the night in at home? Fine for confinement while dinner is being made and useful for travel, but I'm still skeptical. Sounds like we may need both.

Twenty Weeks Down, Twenty Weeks to Go

Going Bananas!

:-) Well after several months of sitting around wondering when to say anything on the Internet, I decided today was the day. We are having a baby in February! Today marks my 20-week mark, the halfway period in the pregnancy. Hooray! Fingers crossed that everything in the second half goes as smoothly as the first.

According to Babycenter.com, at 20 weeks the baby is 6.5 inches crown to rump, about the length of a banana. We only have one banana.

The journey so far: We went on my birthday vacation to Wisconsin and Chicago in May. Soon after we conceived. Turns out that beer and bratwursts make for good babymaking. Who knew?

About a week or so after conception I got a fever. Looking back, I think it was the implantation period. Didn't feel a twinge or anything, just was feverish one day. Drank lots of water and it passed.

We had our first appointment at 8.5 weeks, the day funnily enough of the rescheduled Cubs/Giants game in Chicago. The Giants scored 13 runs that game and won by 6.

Had blood drawn on Bastille Day for my First Trimester Screening Test, and the NT ultrasound for Down Syndrome on July 27. Our risk levels for genetic disorders looked good but not great.

After that we spilled the beans to some family and friends. I was at 14 weeks then and my first trimester was coming to a close.

Another doc appt confirmed that my cervix length hadn't changed that much if at all (apparently readings can be difficult in an ultrasound) and I was safe to travel to Hawaii for our one-year anniversary. That was a great trip. Relaxing, some walking, some snorkeling. Technically it was the babymoon too. We had another u/s and the anatomy scan the morning after our return.

All continues to look normal, although the Second Trimester Blood Screening Tests show elevated Inhibin-A, but I am screen-negative for Down Syndrome. That means the hormone elevation may be a precursor to hypertension, preemclampsia, or pre-term birth later on in the pregnancy. And there isn't anything to do about it really so worrying will get you nowhere. >sigh<. So I need to continue to relax, do some prenatal yoga with my friend Jen, and maybe get more prenatal massages to help keep my blood pressure steady, too. (Last visit it was 100/70 and hadn't changed that much from the previous appt which I think was a bit low actually.)

Skin Issues and more

Ever since I went off birth control, my skin has broken out like I was in high school again. Especially near my chin (where I admittedly lean on my hand a lot at work to read) and my hairline (near and/or under where my hair crosses my forehead). Not sure if it is hormones getting readjusted, sugar intake too high, my shampoo is causing a reaction (different shampoo and facial cleanser), or a combination, but it is annoying.

An update on the vitamins: I am continuing with my regular multivitamin and folic acid supplement instead switching completely to the chewables. The chewables have less vitamins and minerals, but choline and DHA which my regular ones do not. The One a Day prenatals are actually two vitamins, one regular multivitamin with a different balance, I guess, and a huge honking DHA pill. I haven't bought them. Also after awhile the taste of the chewables started to make me gag and would come back to haunt me.