The HG Pregnancy Diary

We are into the 2nd trimester!  This pregnancy is certainly rolling along faster than Muffin's.  A lot of that can be attributed to the fact that I'm chasing a very active toddler and I haven't picked up a single pregnancy book (they'll drive you nuts with anticipation and in hindsight didn't tell me anything useful anyway.)

This pregnancy I am vowing to take more belly bump pictures, I feel I didn't take enough the first go round.  I also want to be a little more diligent about documenting my pregnancy care/upkeep.  So without further ado here is the first belly bump picture for baby #2:

This is about 12 weeks.  My body has already shifted into "looking pregnant", it would seem that it remembers very well how to make room for baby.  I'm showing much earlier this go round which is a perk because who doesn't love having a baby bump to rub!?  Especially when you're a sick preggo, like myself.

And about being a sick preggo...

The hubby snapped this one on one of my twice weekly fluids treatments.  I have hyperemesis gravidarum, (HG for short) basically my body can't handle to hormones produced in pregnancy and I stay in a constant state of extreme nausea and vomiting.  I have read many different statistics about how many women suffer with HG and although the exact number vary slightly, the most common is 1%-3%.  And of that 1%-3% only 20%-30% suffer from HG for the entire duration until birth.  Last time I was in that 20%-30%, I've been told by my midwife that there is a chance that it may not last the entire pregnancy this time but I'm not holding my breath.  (Something to pray for though!)

As of right now I've only had one overnight stay in the hospital at 11 weeks due to my keytones testing too high before and after a fluids therapy visit. (More than +4)  I usually test around trace to +2 and bounce back after 2 liters but sometimes I fall in a rut with sickness and it's hard to get back in front of the 8 ball without getting a little extra help.  (Keytones are what they use to measure dehydration from testing urine.  If you're hydrated your keytones are negative.  Anything "trace" or "+" is a sign of dehydration.  The higher the "+" the more dehydrated you are.)

So the routine at the moment is 2 visits a week and 2 liters at each of those visits, testing keytones before and after.  I wear a 3 day scopolamine patch and take zofran twice a day.  They considered setting me up with a zofran pump but I feel as though I get poked enough with needles and opted out of poking myself in the stomach daily and wearing a fanny pack filled with syringes of medicine.  I eat a cup of food at a time, I'm not able to stomach full meals so I graze.  (And what does stay down is pretty bland).

(Note:  I also take OTC softeners because if you don't while on a regime of Zofran you can suffer some very serious cramping.)

There are good days and bad days, if I take it easy I can stay on top of being hydrated.  I'm still so thrilled to be having this baby, I wish my body was better at being pregnant but as long as we can welcome this healthy bundle into the world this journey is completely worth it!