Pregnant. Finally.

So, my 25 week photo.

24 weeks for comparison.

I lost 5kg this week, after the stomach bug floored me. I’m still not fully recovered, having no energy and finding food hard to stomach. Funnily enough, with both pregnancies previous, I caught a stomach bug around the 20 ish week mark and lost weight. I’d hoped to miss the hell that is vomiting until your eyes ache this time, but it seems that some things continue to happen regardless of what I want.

Of course, it’s all coincidence, but three pregnancies running? Really?

Ugh.

I’m hoping I can recover from this – I managed to with Isaac, but didn’t manage to with Amy. This pregnancy is more like my first than my second, so I’m a little concerned about the increased nausea and inability to eat anything. I was awake at 4am last night taking more anti-nausea meds after the urge to vomit woke me up.

Yesterday in the car, the baby flipped breech (again) and I’ve done nothing but swear about it since. Not because I am worried about her being breech, but because having baby feet kicking your cervix from the inside is painful. Not to mention she’s pressing on a nerve in my right hip.

Pregnancy is so glamorous, isn’t it?

How are you?

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Today, after a miserable night, I went searching through my blog archives. Long term readers know this, but I was hospitalised while pregnant with Isaac, with fears of preterm labour (short story: 24 weeks pregnant, lost mucus plug, positive fetal fibronectin test, steroids, antibiotics, 3 days in hospital for observation).

I knew that I was about this pregnant when it happened, but I couldn’t remember all of the details. You see, I’d bled on and off through the entire pregnancy to that point, so one more period of bleeding wasn’t entirely a memorable event. Only what happened afterwards is what sticks in my mind.

I’ve been having braxton hicks contractions for the last few weeks, but they’ve intensified in the last couple of days. No major cramping, they’re merely uncomfortable and not coupled with any bleeding, or true signs of labour.

As I was reading back through my archives, my blog was able to tell me that the braxton hicks contractions started at about the same time with Isaac’s pregnancy. That at 27 weeks they were uncomfortable and irregular. That he was still born full term, after two weeks of serious prelabour.

This is reassuring.

When people tell first time mothers to write everything down because they’ll forget, we scoff in disdain. What is happening to us is SO IMPORTANT that there is no way we’d forget any of it. Six years later I look back on Amy’s pregnancy to find myself hazy on the details. I know I was sick. I know the nausea came back with its friends, exhaustion and joint pain at about 22 weeks. I remember being incredibly miserable.

But I can’t remember the details like when braxton hicks contractions got uncomfortable and how badly my ribs ached when my uterus forced them to stretch.

It’s why I’m grateful that I blogged the pregnancy with Isaac, so that I can refer back to it this time.

So far, this pregnancy seems a perfect mix of both full term pregnancies I’ve had. The nausea, pain and exhaustion have increased in the last few weeks. The braxton hicks contractions are uncomfortable, but not a sign of anything greater. My ribs continue to ache and my skin is breaking out and I’m spending a lot of time laying on my bed with a book.

All in all, things look perfectly on track to finish in the same way I gestated and birthed Amy and Isaac.

While I’m nauseous and exhausted and crampy, knowing that this happened last time too (and the result of that pregnancy is draped over my lap right now, stroking my hair) is reassuring. I’m not going mad and I’m not going into preterm labour. I’m just not very good at pregnancy.

So I’ll follow the advice of my midwives from previous pregnancies. I will make sure I’m only doing light things around the house. I will rest lots and I will eat good food as often as I can. I will medicate as necessary and I will drink as much water as I can hold without audibly sloshing.

And, it should all be okay.

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New this week:

My uterus reached the level of my ribs and has been pushing on them steadily, causing all sorts of havoc and mayhem. Namely dislocated ribs that either cause me to throw myself at Nathan’s feet wailing “FIX ITTTT”, or leap to my feet to relocate the ribs under my breasts so that I can continue to breathe. Fun times, fun times.

The rising level of my uterus is also promoting large amounts of reflux, extra nausea and a need to sleep propped up on four separate pillows, and that’s not counting the pillows supporting my hips. Which also hurt.

Have I mentioned pregnancy when you’ve got Ehlers Danlos is not much fun?

On the flip side, no symptoms of pre-term labour, or bleeding. So really, all the important bits are happening how they should.

Isaac finally felt his sister kick – but only because she kicked him in the head while he was trying to get a cuddle. I laughed. He wasn’t impressed.

I expect most blogging from now on will be done from bed with a laptop however, sitting up in my computer chair is getting progressively more uncomfortable. My blood pressure insists on regularly bottoming out, meaning that my feet need to be raised most of the time and it’s just miserable.

I’m holding onto the fact that at the end of this, I get a baby, all going well. I’ll be happier once I hit 27 weeks and happier again to hit 34. Til then, day by day.

And now I need a nap.

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