Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Pregnancy questions, answered

Thank you guys so much for the outpouring of supportive well wishes yesterday. Torsten and I (and Piglet) (and Montana) were truly, incredibly touched. I read all the comments as they came in and then just now I went back and re-read the whole batch at once and cannot stop smiling. You guys are so great! I think you are almost as excited about this baby as we are.

And, I know I didn't provide much detail in yesterday's post. Mostly I just wanted to announce what was happening, and follow up with details later. So, here are the details! I tried to sort through all your comments and address every question.

You sneak! Why did you say you weren't going to start trying for awhile?
I was actually really surprised that all of you were so surprised! I guess when you carry around such a big secret you start to feel like everyone can magically tell that you have it. I was expecting at least a few of you to say that you knew it, but nobody did!

Anyway, to answer the question, I said we weren't going to start trying until Torsten had a chance to get his company off the ground. He said he wanted a year to focus on the company before the baby was born. We bent the timeline a teeny bit on this one, but guess what? My due date is also the one-year anniversary of the day he filed his company's LLC papers. He wanted a year? He gets exactly one. Assuming Piglet doesn't arrive early, of course.

How are you feeling?
Aw, you guys are so thoughtful. I actually had really terrible morning sickness for about a month. It came to a head in my 11th week, when one day I couldn't keep any food down at all, and every time I tried to eat I got tightness in my chest in addition to horrifying levels of nausea. That was when I realized that the problem was related to my lap-band (chest pain usually accompanies food that gets stuck in the band), so I called my surgeon's office and they had me come in right away to have some fluid taken out of the band. Apparently all the vomiting I'd been doing during just the regular morning sickness had inflamed the tissue around the band, causing it to tighten and reject all food. Once they pulled some of the fluid out, the morning sickness improved vastly.

I've been feeling so much better since then that I don't mind the other, milder symptoms so much. I've had pretty much the whole constellation: extreme fatigue, constant peeing (I've been waking up three times per night to pee since before I even got the positive test), headaches, acne, constipation, bloating (and the accompany, charming belching), heartburn, the works. At the moment I'm in kind of a lull, symptom-wise (though I could still out-belch a whole fraternity of drunk 19-year-olds), and trying to enjoy it.

The only first-trimester symptom I never really had was breast tenderness. I didn't have the feeling the books and websites talk about where you think you'll kill your husband if he comes anywhere near your boobs. Though recently I have started to get dull aches and intermittent stabbing pains inside my breasts. I suspect that's related to milk duct development? But really, who knows.

Are your families excited?
Yes, yes they are. No surprise with my side of the family (my mom has been collecting items for her "grandchild box" for years), but we were a little unsure of what to expect when we told Torsten's parents. We told both sets of parents the day we found out, when I was about 4 weeks along (just with a phone call--no creative announcements here), and got equally thrilled reactions from both sides. And Torsten's parents have been very sympathetic and understanding toward me throughout their visit.

Will you find out the sex?

If Piglet is cooperative, yes. We'll have the anatomy scan at 18-22 weeks, so late August or early September, and if the legs aren't crossed, we'll find out. And I'll share the news here, don't worry.

Have you been dying not being able to tell us?
YES. It was the right decision for us not to tell until the second trimester, but I HATED keeping it a secret. It just felt wrong, and disingenuous. I'm so glad now everything is out in the open!

Any other questions? What am I forgetting?

22 comments:

  1. It definitely was hard to keep it a secret till the second trimester for me too. I told my boss pretty much when we found out ebcuas eI didn't know what sorts of symptoms I'd have. My best friend, my parents and my sister knew. That was it!

    Also, the boob pain, oh my. It started feeling like a hot needle was travelling though the ducts and then one day last week, they started leaking tiny drops of fluid and the pain's gone. So, just something to keep an eye out for lol.

    You are about 2 months behind me so if you have questions about symptoms, ask away. Though I am sure you are doing tons of research yourself too.

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  2. Congrats again! If you don't mind me asking, how is being pregnant affecting your weight loss and fitness goals? What about body image stuff? Again, sorry of this is too personal!

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  3. I ma soooo glad that you're feeling better! Now we get to talk nurseries, and baby showers, and cute outfits!

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  4. I continue to be amazed that each pregnancy can be so vastly different. We had some overlapping first trimester experiences, but not all of them. Glad to hear you've got the lapband issue under control and are enjoying this current feeling. Second trimester sure is glorious.

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  5. I remember tracking your wedding planning. How I have fallen off of tracking...love popping back for this! Congrats all around!

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  6. Congratulations! I'm very impressed you kept the secret for so long, although I wondered a little bit a few days ago when you were asking @stateiamin a lot of pregnancy related questions on Twitter. :) I'm very curious to know if there are any special precautions or things your doctors have to pay attention to because of your lap band...obviously you've already one situation come up. Are there other things that could happen? Things you have to do while pregnant specifically because of the lap band to ensure Piglet is getting everything he/she needs? Hang in there...pregnancy can be tough...I had a bad bout of sciatica, extreme fatigue, lots of heartburn, huge cankles, and PUPPS which I don't wish on anyone, but all of it is totally worth it in the end. :) I look forward to following your pregnancy!

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  7. Are you going to use the baby's real name on your blog? And do you have names in mind already?

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  8. Will Piglet have a mattress? What about a towel?

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  9. I'm still stuck on the YAYYAYYAYYAY thing over here! I am SO excited for you guys.

    So wait... does that mean that you already KNEW when you painted the awesome nursery?? SNEAKY GIRL. :)

    I am beyond excited for you. You and Torsten will be amazing parents. I can't wait to see it all develop for you.

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  10. Will you be posting the sonogram (ultrasound? I'm so baby terminology clueless!) pics as you have them done so we can see Piglet grow? And how will maternity leave work with your job?

    Still so excited for you! It's funny, as people I know become pregnant, I get that pang of jealousy (which is so small, and far out-shadowed by my excitement for the couple), but it makes me go "huh... I guess I do have a biological clock".

    Anyway, YAY!

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  11. Well, I'm just back in town from a trip where I had no Internet access, so I missed your announcement yesterday. Congratulations! How about names?

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  12. I'm so excited for you! I love following a pregnancy journey and I can't wait to follow yours. I was wondering if you had any plans about maternity leave? Does you company offer a good plan and if not how much time do you think you'll take off? I hate that there is no federally supported maternity leave (with pay) in this country!

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  13. HAHAHA SLIM!!

    omg i am so looking forward to seeing how you decorate the nursery, and the clothes you buy piglet, and EVERYTHING ELSE THERE IS ABOUT THIS BABY :-)

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  14. I see a lot of purple in Piglet's future! Congratulations!

    I couldn't be happier about the news (and a little jealous while we wait to start trying).

    If my visit to my niece last weekend is any indication, you will be exhausted, overwhelmed, and totally in love when Piglet arrives. I kept catching my sister just staring at her little one adoringly all day.

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  15. Whoops! I was so busy amusing myself that I forgot to say congratulations! Congratulations! Yay! baby baby baby!

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  16. How many months did you guys try before you got pregnant? I know that you were doing the temperature thing- did you continue to do that?

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  17. Well, I'm glad you guys managed to keep it a secret until it felt right AND I'm happy for you - because everything happens at the right time.

    Did you find tracking and charting useful in terms of trying to conceive? I know I probably should, but since my cycle is SO unpredictable, I'm worried it's not going to do any good.

    Squee for the Piglet!

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  18. HAHAHAHA. Slim's comment made me laugh.
    Congratulations! I'm so excited for you both. I absolutely LOVE having a baby (so cute!), and I think you guys will make great parents. :)
    I'm interested in how maternity leave will work for your job as well. Will you need to hire a nanny/find daycare once you start work again, or will they allow you to work around your baby's schedule?

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  19. @slim - ROFLMAO!!!!!! I have never used that acronym in my life (or in the short period of my life during which it's been in use) - but I think that comment merited it!

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  20. Addition to Slim:

    and will Montana try to bite Piglet?

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