Herewith, the latest installment of (In)Frequently Answered Questions, a compilation of questions asked...with answers...
- How you are feeling pregnant? [asked from when I was around 14 weeks] Aside from the doppler, how would you know you are pregnant? At 14 weeks, I had some heartburn/indigestion, occasional uterine fullness/pinching feeling (about 2x/week), ginormous breasts, food aversions (less powerful than previously but powerful enough), leg cramps, and bloating. Now that I am 19 weeks, there really is no question. I look pregnant. I can feel my uterus at times in my abdomen and it comes up almost to my belly button. I think I might be feeling the little one move occasionally. And I think I might be having the beginning of Braxton Hicks...sometimes I feel my whole uterus tighten up...doesn't hurt...just strange. I also have almost daily leg cramps, which are making it difficult to sleep, and even more ginormous breasts than I had in the first trimester (yowza).
- I've been wondering about the other meds you've been on (prednisone/claritin/pepcid). What doses? When did you start them? How long did you stay on them for? I took Claritin (10 mg 1x/day) and Pepcid (20 mg 2x/day) starting a week before transfer, and took them throughout the first trimester, stopping at 12 weeks. I also took prednisone 5mg 2x/day throughout the first trimester, also beginning about a week before the transfer. All of these were supposed to help with recurrent pregnancy loss and were recommended by the Denver clinic.
- May I ask, if you remember off the top of your head, how much was your Natural Killer Cell %? No chance I would ever remember this off the top of my head, but I looked it up for you...my NK Assay panel had two abnormalities: CD56 (which was 2 points above normal at 14.1%) and CD19 and CD5 cells, which were 10 points above normal at 20.8%. I think if I'd only had NK issues, I could have used intralipids, but I also had TH1:TH2 abnormalities, antiovarian antibodies, a DQ alpha partial match, and leukocyte antibodies. Based on this, my RI recommended IVIG.
- What do you and Will call Lucky #7/Lance/Yumster? We call her mostly "The Baby." I know, not very original, but it gets the point across. Sometimes, lately, we call her "Magpie." I am not sure why we do this, but it seems to have stuck a bit.
- Have you kept up with the anti-inflammatory diet? If so - have you gotten used to it? I was religiously keeping up with this throughout the first trimester. I have to admit, I have slipped, and have allowed gluten back into my diet. The funny thing is that Will went on this diet with me because that's the awesome kind of husband that he is, and he has discovered that he now has major GI issues whenever he consumes even small amounts of gluten. He got the blood sensitivity test, and tested negative, but reliably, even when he is unaware of having consumed it, has major GI repercussions the day after any gluten. Me, the one with the supposed blood-tested sensitivity? Nothing. I feel great when I have a bowl of cereal or a piece of bread. So...well...yeah...I haven't been as good about it as I probably should be.
- Are you taking belly pics? If yes, can we see them? We have been very hesitant to take belly pics (it feels dangerous in some way, as though it is assuming we are having a baby, which might somehow doom the pregnancy). At the same time, I am sad we haven't been taking them. We took the first one a few days ago (after much urging from all of you!). I will post it later this week.
Mo
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Claritin to help with preventing loss? That's a completely new one on me. What are the reasons that might be?
ReplyDeletei guess it is supposed to reduce inflammation, along with the other meds...
ReplyDeleteThanks!! This is great. I will make sure to remember it whenever someone posts about recurrent m/c on the high fsh boards. Cant wait to see the belly pics!
ReplyDeleteCan't WAIT to see the belly pic(s)!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you are taking belly pics! I felt hesitant, like you, during my first pregnancy, and when I did end up losing him at 18wks, I was very sad that I didn't have any pictures to document our time together.
ReplyDeleteI took belly pics religiously every 2 weeks throughout my next pregnancy. It is great to look back on those images now. You will be happy you have these images no matter what happens in the future. :)
Thank goodness someone is blogging today. I am looking for things to read and no one is posting.
ReplyDeleteYAY for belly shots. I think I have mentioned here before that I only took 3 during my pregnancy with my son and had it turned out to be my only successful pregnancy (which still remains to be seen), I would have regretted it immensely (I regret it anyway). Take them for yourself whether you share or not.
Yay for upcoming belly pics! :-)
ReplyDeleteI read that lots of people have been doing the gluten-free thing because they think they might have gluten issues or just because it's trendy. But when you go off gluten for a while and then back on, most people feel awful. Then they're convinced that they had gluten issues. They didn't, but they've essentially created them. Seems that's what your husband did :(
ReplyDeleteMo, how often are you checked for cervical competence? Are you still getting weekly USs? I am glad to see you are doing so well. 90/10 is not a bad split! I am more of a 60/40... You are my inspiration! Alina
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty with as hard as you've had to work for this special baby girl I think I'd stay close to home until you are holding her in your arms!
ReplyDeleteYay for upcoming baby pics, and for constant signs that she's in there! Feeling her move for sure for the first time is awesome, and once Will can feel it too, it's the most wonderful experience! So delighted to hear how good you're sounding. Don't beat yourself up over the belly pics, but do take a few-- it's amazing how pregnancy can transform your body; it gave me a whole new appreciation for my body. Celebrating you and Magpie today. :-D What a dear name, and indicative of a very smart girl (unsurprising given the weight of her brain for the last few weeks!)as Wikipedia tells me that they are considered one of the most intelligent of all animals.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you gave in and are taking belly shots and I can't wait to see them.
ReplyDeleteWith regard to the belly shots, if you can't bring yourself to do them weekly, I'd encourage you to at least try to do them monthly. (Maybe right after an ob appointment each month, if that helps with the feeling of possibly jinxing it.) I didn't take very many at all - just a couple at the beginning of the second tri, then a couple more around Christmas, and one toward the end, and now I wish I had more of them.
ReplyDeleteOne thing we did do, though, which I'm really glad about - at 32 weeks, I finally worked up the courage to overcome the fear of jinxing things, and I scheduled an appointment for a photo shoot at 36 weeks with a photographer who specializes in maternity and newborn photography. So we did formal maternity pictures. Some were just me, some were me and R. Of the ones that were just me, I even got brave and did a few completely nude poses. We spent an absolutely ridiculous amount of money on it (mostly buying the digital images), but I told R that I wanted documented proof of the fact that my body actually carried a pregnancy. :-) So maybe that's an alternative to consider if you can't bring yourself to do belly pics on a regular basis...
Congrats on being so far along, and I'm crossing fingers and toes for you and Will and The Baby.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried eating bananas to help the leg cramps? I had bad ones during my first pregnancy and swear that bananas helped. Supposedly the potassium. But I've also heard it is an old wives' tale.
j.
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ReplyDeleteCongrats on your pregnancy! I was wondering if you are eating peanuts, and if that is ok during pregnancy? I will check for the answer tomm. Thanks!
ReplyDelete