Hellobee

Hello again! I have been missing around the hive here for quite some time, and I wanted to re-introduce myself now that I plan to continue my blogging journey here on Hellobee. I’m Mrs. Jellyfish, mama to almost 3 year old Bug (also known as Ace). We live in Phoenix, Arizona and we are busy bees! I started writing here months ago, right before I had some big life transitions that held me back. I ended up with appendicitis right around the holidays, and my recovery was not as easy as I thought it would be. Then several weeks after my surgery, I started a grad school program. Life was busy, full and fun, and then we went and decided to mix it up a bit more, and add to our family. That’s right, I’m pregnant!

The first 16 weeks of my pregnancy were the hardest weeks of my life. I was incredibly ill, bedridden, and I also had to take care of a really wild 2.5 year old. And then there is that grad school I mentioned. I’m happy to say I survived my first semester at school, and my first trimester of pregnancy, due in part to the wonderful Daniel Tiger and all the other shows on the PBS app. Ace definitely watched a ton of TV and I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt about it. I just started feeling better, and I’m trying to make up for all of our sick time with plenty of trips out and adventurous activities that he loves.

Now that I have been in my second trimester for about 6 weeks, and my extreme nausea has let go of its hold on my body for one beautiful month, I feel like I can finally look back on my first trimester and reflect on how it went.

We were actively TTC, so I know the exact date that bb2 was conceived. I had to wait three months after my appendix removal surgery to start trying, so March 2017 was it, and thanks to some careful planning and an ovulation prediction kit, we managed to make it work on the first try. I started taking tests about seven days after ovulation, which is incredibly early. However, with Ace we had a positive on day eight, so I couldn’t handle waiting longer! On the 9th day after conception I got the faintest of positive tests. A real squinter. The next day I took a digital to confirm and it was definitely positive.

I had two weeks of freedom and positive thoughts until the sickness creeped in. Or rather slammed in, as I was completely fine one day and sick as a dog the next. I had nausea during my first pregnancy but nothing like this. I couldn’t eat at all, I was in bed as much as possible, and I started having some regrets and scary thoughts when I hit 12 weeks and realized it wasn’t getting any better. The worry that this might last my entire pregnancy was overwhelming, so I didn’t think about it. I tried many natural remedies, nothing worked. Finally around 12.5 weeks I started taking one dose of Zofran per day. I just wanted to be a functional human. I started to feel better and took one dose every other day, then every third day. One morning, when I was 16 weeks along, I woke up and felt normal. 100%, completely and totally normal. As swiftly as it came on, the nausea left, and I felt like I could finally enjoy this pregnancy (and leave my house again).

Complications? I had them. A failed root canal at three weeks pregnant, which had to be removed with minimal sedation (not my finest moment). Going to the dentist to get a tooth removed when you can hardly even brush your teeth due to nausea is not fun, let me tell you. But I made it. Then during my eight week ultrasound an ovarian cyst and a hematoma were both noted. Also an extreme placenta previa. I was ordered to stop weightlifting, no sex, nothing too heavy. No worries there since I couldn’t even imagine going to the gym at that point. At 10 weeks I managed to get food poisoning from a rogue burrito and ended up in the hospital for dehydration. The good news is that at my 12 week ultrasound both the cyst and the hematoma had resolved on their own. Placenta previa is unfortunately still an issue.

Prenatal care? I am seeing an excellent midwife group that delivers at a hospital that supports the kind of birth I hope to have. They also offer gentle c-sections, in case that becomes something I require. I am looking for a doula but haven’t found one yet. I decided to get genetic testing done, so we found out bb2 is a girl and low risk for genetic issues.

Movements? I started feeling the tiniest of flutters right at the very end of the first tri, the day before I hit 14 weeks.

Preparation? Nothing! I don’t plan on doing too much other than buying diapers and wipes, used baby clothes, and whatever we are gifted with. I still have all of our old gear, so I really don’t think we need anything. Still debating on whether or not I will get a crib and try that again, or if I will just go right to co-sleeping. Ace never, ever, once slept in his crib, so we gave it away when he turned two. The only thing we have had to change is our car situation. My lease was up so we decided to upgrade to a minivan to accommodate two rear facing car seats and two feisty dogs. It has been life changing!

Weight gain? At the end of the first tri I was down 12 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight due to my morning sickness. This is similar to my first pregnancy, where I lost about the same amount. I started this pregnancy at a much higher weight though, and my midwife isn’t worried this time around.

This face of a kid that is excited to finally play outside again!

Feeling? Now that I am out of the first trimester, I am feeling a lot more positive. Deciding to take medication to deal with my nausea helped, as did finishing my first semester of grad school. I feel really excited about all of the kicks and flutters I will feel in the coming weeks and months, and really looking forward to the anatomy scan as well! Mr. Jellyfish is beyond excited to be having a daughter, and Ace is as well. He talks about “baby sister” every day, even though I’m pretty sure he thinks she will come out of the womb ready to ride scooters with him.

If you happen to be pregnant and due in the late fall, I hope you will say hello!