Officially pregnant and caffeine withdrawal

Oct 16^th- Ok so I am all lined up to see the OBGYN, I guess since I am far enough along they are going to do an ultrasound but I’m assuming it’s a transvaginal one which makes me glad Chris is going to leave work early and come with me because I’m sure that is not going to be fun. But I’m looking forward to the appointment; it’s on Monday the 21^st, to really confirm the pregnancy. I also did my first motherly thing- I went and got a flu shot for the first time in years. I don’t really believe in getting them when it is just for myself but I know they are strongly recommend them for pregnant ladies so off I went to CVS for one. In other news I am day 4 into my caffeine withdrawal. I drink a 7.5 ounce diet coke a day which has 30mg of caffeine it in. Over the past 5 years, I have weaned down from two 12 oz. cans a day to this baby diet coke, as I call it, but I could never make the leap and go cold turkey. I’ve read different things about the caffeine, it is not good for pregnant women because it can raise your blood pressure and heart rate since it’s a stimulant. However further reading shows that as long as you stay under 100mg you should be ok, I’m going to ask the doctor for his/her opinion. But if I can successfully wipe out caffeine from my diet I’d be happy and hopefully not go back to it post-baby (although realistically I’ll probably need it immediately post baby due to lack of sleep but if I can stay off of it during the pregnancy it will serve as a good reminder for me that it is possible). I definitely feel like eating food is an uphill battle- I feel like eating something every few hours has helped me feel better but I am learning that I need to eat my dinner slowly because too much food at once is also not good for my belly. So it’s a fine line between under and over-eating.

I'm a pop culture junkie so when I think pregnancy, I immediately reference music, tv, and movies- Like Knocked Up:

Alison: I don't have to tell [work] right away, I'm only gonna start to show when I'm like, I don't know, 6 months or something like that.

Alison’s Mom: 3 months.

Alison: No way.

Alison’s Mom: Fat in the face, jowls, fat ass.

Alison: Debbie didn't get fat.

Alison’s Mom: Debbie is a freak of nature!

 

 

Oct. 17^th- Today was a little rough, I got a bit stressed out last night heading to bed thinking about money and how we are going to fit all the new stuff we will need for a nursery into our condo and when I get stressed out right before bed I grind my teeth while I sleep. Then I wake up the next day with a horrible headache, which is what happened today. I know I can take aspirin but to be honest I don’t even know if I have any in the house (I normally take ibuprofen for minor aches and pains) so I attempted to tough it out. Also Chris made this delicious pizza using the leftover Chicken Parmesan from Monday night and I wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. If pizza is going to turn my stomach the whole pregnancy it’s going to be a long 9 months! So I was pretty cranky between my headache, my lack of desire to eat any type of food (let alone the kinds I am usually all about) and my continued efforts to withdrawal from caffeine. I read that it takes about a week to withdraw from caffeine so I am almost through the tough part. Luckily Project Runway finale was on and they picked my favorite contestant as the winner.

Oct 18^th- Today was much better than yesterday and I feel like I’m getting the hang of things pretty good now- I need to freeze out my morning queasiness so I open the window in my office and leave my feet and arms bare for the early morning (for me being cold when I don’t feel well tummy/head-wise always makes me feel better) also I now know I need to eat as soon as I can when I wake up (which is 30 minutes after I take my thyroid medicine which needs to be taken on an empty stomach). I’ve been adding two tablespoons of flax seeds to my cereal every morning to get my omega-3s. I realized today that I can eat some carbs to feel full and it will make me feel better in the long run. I’ve been so focused on veggies and fruit but I think I need everything including some filling stuff. I went out with the girls tonight- it wasn’t as hard as I thought to not blurt it out what was hard was how many times it almost came up in conversation that is going to be the tricky part not letting it slip. I can’t wait to tell them! But at the same time I, of course, don’t want to tell anyone until it’s confirmed and we are at a safe point. Funny I was more envious of one friend’s diet coke than I was the other’s alcoholic drinks! I love beer, dark microbrew beer, but I am definitely not craving it or sad I can’t drink it. I am missing pumpkin beer and Sam Adams Winter Lager seasons but I’m ok with it since missing a winter beer season during pregnancy means I won’t be pregnant in the hot months of summer and that is a perfectly reasonable trade-off.

Oct 19^th- Tonight we went out with my family for dinner and once again it was so hard not to tell them! Also I suppose it’s good that I have a bad stomach in general so that people in my life are used to me nibbled on my menu and take the majority of it home.

Oct 21^st- Today was the big day, the real confirmation of the pregnancy! We went to the doctors and I had the transvaginal ultrasound done, it really wasn’t that bad and definitely worth the trade-off to see the little peanut in there all snuggled up. We got to see the heartbeat, so amazing that something that tiny already has a functioning heart. I’m right on the 6/7 week line so the fetus was pretty much the size of a peanut on the big screen. I’m going back to the doctors the end of next week for a medical history rehash and a blood draw. Cautiously starting to get a little more excited now.