Screening Results and More

I got a call this afternoon from my OB's nurse. She informed me that my early screening results came back from the lab and everything was clearly marked "within normal limits." That's great news! That does not rule out the presence of the 3 genetic abnormalities that are tested for, but it does indicate that the likelihood of one of those is slim.

On the other hand...my urinalysis showed that I either still have or have another urinary tract infection. My doctor said that the in-office quick test didn't show anything, but the full lab test did. (How glad am I that I told her that I strongly suspected it? A girl has to know her own body and stand up for what doesn't feel right, people!) The nurse said she'd call in another round of antibiotics. I quickly requested that I have a different antibiotic than last time, since that one made me feel like death warmed over within 30 minutes of taking it! She said she would ask the doctor and call me back. A short while later, she did call back and said that I would be able to take good ol' Amoxicillin instead of the whatever that evil stuff was that I had last time. Rudy stopped to pick up my prescription on his way home and I started round 2 tonight.

I'm 13 1/2 weeks pregnant now and starting to feel a little more human:

• I am taking Zofran less often and I'm able to tolerate more normal meals without gagging.
• I get full really quickly and then I'm starving again within a couple of hours. I keep Tums handy all of the time.
• My energy level hasn't gotten much better, but I'm hoping that will change some when I get back into a routine next week when I go back to work. I'm sure the long workdays will be exhausting in themselves, but getting up and out of the house regularly will surely help level me out. At least I (hopefully) won't be wide awake when my head hits the pillow and sleepy beyond belief at 11:00 in the morning.
• I am feeling a lot more hormonal than I did with my first pregnancy. I seem to feel very weepy all the time. Everything sets me off and I find myself wiping away tears unexpectedly.
• I continue to feel occasional flutters in my tummy when HotShot moves, but not every day.
• I (surprisingly) still find it comfortable to sleep on my stomach, which is how I normally sleep. It feels a little like I'm sleeping on top of a hot water bottle - definitely something there, but nothing too uncomfortable. My doctor said that's safe until about 20 weeks, then I'll have to start sleeping on my side all the time. I practice that some with my body pillow for support, but it's really not my favorite way to sleep and I don't rest as well.
• I won't go in to the perils that pregnancy plays on the digestive system, but suffice it to say that some days/weeks are better than others.
• None of my "regular" pants fit and only my biggest t-shirts and some of my empire waist shirts fit. I have taken to wearing maternity t-shirts, 2 pairs of Old Navy maternity shorts, 1 pair of shorts purchased in a larger size and my new best friend...cropped gaucho pants.

I have to publicly thank my sister-in-law, Tammy, for her encouragement this week...and she didn't even know it was needed. She e-mailed to see how things are going. Through a couple of exchanged e-mails, she gave me some much-needed words when she told me how much she's enjoying having two kids and how great the transition from one to two has been. It seems that everyone wants to tell me how unbelievably difficult it is to have two children. I hear nothing but horror stories about sibling rivalry, how much Caleb is going to have to adjust, how hard it is to do anything with two children, how much harder it is to get out the door in the mornings, etc, etc, etc. I needed so badly to hear Tammy's happy words about how her life has improved and somehow she delivered them at just the right time!

On that note...I have to just ask WHY it is that people feel the need to tell pregnant women their pregnancy horror stories??? Why is it that everyone I meet seems to have a story about how someone they know just lost a baby in the 2nd trimester or how difficult their 2nd child was compared to their 1st one? I know how much pregnancy bonds women together and how everyone wants so badly to tell their story because it is so important to them. I feel the same way and I have told my pregnancy story many times...but I always keep it light and only talk about the good stuff unless she asks, "Did this happen to you too?" Please, people - when you're talking to a pregnant woman about being pregnant - keep it positive! I promise, she's already gone through all of the "what-ifs" in her mind and she's worried enough already without you adding fuel to the fire.

Okay, enough of my soapbox. I really should get back to my re-reading of the Twilight series. I'm almost at the end of Eclipse and it's getting goooood!