Today we went to the doctor and saw our baby for the 1st time! I wasn't prepared for the overwhelming emotion that hit me as soon as the baby popped up on the screen. It was instant tears as I saw the little nose and lips, fingers, and toe's. The baby was waving its hand the whole time during the ultrasound and then starting flexing its fingers. It was so crazy to watch the baby react to what I did, like when I laughed or coughed, the baby would flip over. lol. Its still so small so while we watched it flip over and wave its hands, I didn't feel a thing. Josh even teared up in seeing our child for the 1st time. It was like nothing else I've ever experienced.
The past 6 weeks have been incredibly difficult. At 5 weeks pregnant, I developed morning sickness symptoms and have still yet to understand the term "morning sickness." Its more like "all day and all night sickness." Everyday the past 6 weeks I've thrown up 6-7 times daily. With the exception of 1 day when it escalated to 15 times resulting in me getting dehydrated. My doctor prescribed me some medication when that happened in order for me to be able to keep some liquids down, and so I took it for a couple days in order to give my body a break and give some fluids back in me. I'm not super comfortable with the idea of taking medication for morning sickness because I'm not thrilled with how morning sickness meds are regulated. They aren't really studied very much, so generally come with the label "unknown risks" since they are a category C medication. So Josh and I opted to save them for when I was got too close to dehydration again, since getting dehydrated is dangerous for the baby as well. So amazingly enough, getting sick 7 times a day, I've still managed to keep liquids in me simply because I have to double up what I'm drinking. Its been hard though because I've been mostly a shut in the past 6 weeks since I'm sick throughout the whole day. Even going to the doctor was hard because I almost was sick on the drive home. One day I was feeling a little better, and decided to make a trip to the grocery store. That was the wrong errand for me to pick. It was a mix of extreme smells all swirled together ending with me being at the check out counter behind a guy that had a roast chicken...I almost lost it. I've tried everything to help and NOTHING works. Sea bands, crackers, ginger, vitamin B6, peppermints, popsicles, etc....nothing really helps. The baby even wakes me up in the middle of the night to get sick. I've found that so far, our little bundle of joy does not like to me sleep or eat...EVER. lol. Josh has had a difficult time as well since I can't really eat much besides cereal...neither can he because most of the time I can't handle the smell of food cooking. lol. So my poor husband is also on the "baby diet" as he calls it. lol.
Amazingly enough, despite being so sick, my belly wasted no time in sticking out. At 8 weeks my jeans no longer fit and most of my shirts became snug. Having not gained a single pound, I was surprised at how fast my body began to change. Now at almost 12 weeks, the only pants that fit are my sweat pants and either a stretchy tank top (which shows my rounded belly) or lately I've worn one of Josh's t-shirts since they are big on me making it more comfortable than anything I have. A friend gave me 4 bags of maternity clothes to sort through, but I've found most of them are still too large for me to wear. So I'm in the "inbetween" phase. I did buy 1 maternity shirt that was a bit smaller and so I'm able to wear that out when I need to look a bit more presentable than my husbands t-shirt, lol. As soon as the nausea lifts, I'm planning a shopping trip to get some new things that fit me. I just haven't been able to handle a trip yet but hopefully in the next two weeks my stomach will settle some (*crossing my fingers*) since I'll be entering the 2nd trimester.
As rough and uncomfortable its been so far, seeing the baby made every tough moment completely worth it. In that moment of seeing the little growing life inside my belly, every ache and sickness, didn't even matter. All that I cared about was that the baby was healthy and growing. I'm beyond grateful at the chance to experience pregnancy and the opportunity to become a mother. I'm thrilled to see Josh so elated and to have such a wonderful partner stand beside me as we venture down this new path. My heart is overwhelmingly full.
