@pacifica fun time, right? I was mildly nauseous before but definitely gets worse this week. Still anxiously waiting for that dating scan on [name_f]Tuesday[/name_f] but most likely 8/9 weeks.
I have low appetite in general and I think I actually lose a couple pounds. as a vegetarian I don’t eat meat or fish anyway, but I eat eggs and they still taste ok, so that’s at least a source of protein. Some days I’m ok with food with lots of spices, others I literally just eat oats, steamed vegetables, bread, salted crackers, applesauce or bananas. Oh and mangoes, most fruits are ok but mango is my new favorite.
The only thing worse for me than the morning sickness is probably the exhaustion… can’t wait to see if they disappear in the 2nd trimester.
I feel you on the changing tastebuds from day to day. And sometimes the less appetite, too. Right now it feels like a guessing game to figure out what foods I can eat today versus yesterday. For dinner tonight, I’m having a very elegant meal of pinto bean dip and tortilla chips and an orange. But hey, it at least has nutrients!
Exhaustion is real. I never was a nap-taker before pregnancy but have been taking every opportunity now on top of going to bed earlier. Really hoping for more energy later on too… sleeping so much feels so unlike me even if I know it’s good for me and baby right now.
Good luck at your scan! Only a few more days until you get to see baby!!
I literally ate leftovers for 2 out of 3 meals today then an equally elegant dinner of frozen custard (yes, dessert first) and mozzarella sticks. less appetite really goes together with less motivation to cook lol. Hopefully I’ll make it up tomorrow with more nutrients.
Do you wake up refreshed or still tired after sleep/nap? I occasionally took naps before but really not to this extreme. True that it’s good (and actually needed) for now though.
Thanks! A bit nervous about it so these few days surely feel like weeks lol.
I experience a thing called a sporadic hemiplegic migraine - they are essentially migraines that mimic the same symptoms as having a stroke. Thankfully (or not), I’ve had them enough that I am able to tell the difference without much hassle.
[name_f]My[/name_f] doctors thought it was cycle related - they often occured in my luteal phase. Their suggestions were to go back on birth control or to try having a baby. Not the most useful advice, but at I had come off the birth control in order to try and have a baby (not to add any extra pressure to that process…)
In the last 48 hours I have discovered that this plan was not fool proof AND my usual medication is not pregnancy safe so I had to just ‘wait it out’. And it meant I had to cancel my weekend at ComiCon with one of my best friends.
I have a doctors appointment on [name_f]Wednesday[/name_f] to discuss pregnancy safe medication options, if there are any.
I’m glad you at least knew what was happening, but that still had to be scary! Here’s to hoping there are some good options to manage it in pregnancy speaking of medications, my genetic counselor casually mentioned at the consultation that my antidepressant “could” lead to low birth weight and other complications and now I’m itching to clear that up at my next OB appointment. The midwife I saw last time didn’t say anything about me taking it, but I’m wondering now if it’s fine to continue.
@luneth yeah, I do feel refeshed after sleeping but it’s like it doesn’t last very long? The way I described it to someone was that I feel like I’m always trying to catch up on lost sleep but never catching up lol
Today has been a grumpy day for me. I volunteered to work on a [name_m]Saturday[/name_m] and am now regretting it. [name_m]Just[/name_m] want to go home and lie down and do nothing and not deal with people anymore a lot of my exams have been difficult today or the patients odd/rude. [name_f]My[/name_f] social battery is empty for sure
@pacifica Ugh, meat and fish hit me really badly, too! I was usually okay with eggs. One thing that helped get me through was eating some saltines to settle my stomach.
We had our latest appointment this week and got to hear the baby’s heartbeat! We’re totally new to this and just kind of going with the flow, so the husband assumed we would have another ultrasound, while I was trying to temper his expectations. But I actually didn’t realize we were going to hear the heartbeat! Next time, hopefully, we’ll get to find out if we’re having a girl or a boy.
I finally had my ultrasound two days ago. [name_f]Baby[/name_f] is 10 weeks old now, a little further along than I first guessed! It’s so fun to peek and such a relief seeing them doing ok so far.
I still haven’t told my side of the family. Part of me wants to break the news already, yet another wonders if I better wait at least two more weeks. Save for the exhaustion and nausea it has been nice and uneventful. Still, I think I subconsciously treat myself like a high-risk case and am extra cautious with everything because that’s what I was told when I got my autoimmune diagnosis over a year ago. [name_f]My[/name_f] ob-gyn is more relaxed about it though.
[name_f]Hope[/name_f] everyone is doing well this week!
I’m coming up on 14 weeks now and because of the migraine (ended up being 6 days total) and the new medication I’ve been given for it I’m back to being anxious. [name_f]Every[/name_f] doctor we’ve spoken to, and DH’s own research, strongly suggest that the medications are much more likely to be a risk to me (and very low likelihood!) than to cause any harm to baby, but I’m still worried.
I have finally put together the card for my dad, should be telling him on [name_f]Sunday[/name_f] assuming I’m well enough (I will be telling him on [name_f]Sunday[/name_f] regardless, but telling him the cute way if I’m well enough).
I’ve got no reason to suspect things aren’t going well, but my brain and I aren’t on good terms currently. I’m probably going to reach out to a local maternal mental health support place, and DH and my friends etc all know me well. I think this is the most stressful thing (and will continue to be, kind of forever, now) I’ve done since completing my PhD and my mental health took a bit of a tumble then, so it’s just about keeping aware and topped up on the things that keep me safe and protected. I’m not worried about being a risk to the baby, mostly I’m just worried about feeling rubbish and then feeling guilty that I didn’t enjoy everything when I could - there’s a lot of pressure to enjoy it all and I’m beginning to thing that’s too big an ask. I am excited, I am happy, but I am not enjoying every minute of pregnancy so far and I’m making peace with that being ok.
@luneth glad to hear your baby is looking good and healthy!! I bet it’s a big relief and hehe seems they’re eating well if they’re measuring ahead xD
@Maerad I’m sorry you’re feeling poorly in the emotional department! But it’s good that you are recognizing it and being very proactive in seeking help, and that you have a lot of supportive people in your life. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] it all helps to lessen the stress for you!
Tonight I announced, or rather my parents announced, my pregnancy to my aunt and uncle (my mom’s sister + her husband). And then we all got on a call together to talk about it! It went so well, my aunt burst into tears when mom told her she was going to be a grandma too now! It was incredibly touching to get her reaction and it’s giving me all the warm fuzzies thinking that this will only bring everyone together more, and that my baby and my cousin’s daughter will be growing up together. They’ll be five years apart but it’s not too bad of an age gap really. Hopefully they become friends!
@pacifica thank you! I was a bit surprised to hear 10 weeks. I thought with my longer than average cycle it’ll be like 9 at most. This puts my due date shortly before you instead of after, but then again, we’ll see when they’ll decide to come out.
It’s great if that means baby eats well. At least one of us does lol.
@Maerad I feel similar. I’m definitely happy but it’s not like I enjoy every minute of the pregnancy. That and the constant worry. I’m sorry to hear about the migraines, I hope the rest of the pregnancy journey is smoother.
I’m actually toying with the idea of waiting till 14 weeks before sharing the news too. It’ll be right around my birthday and I dare to bet birthday wishes from my mom will include “I hope you’ll have a child / give us a grandchild soon” so that definitely touches the topic. Definitely will tell sometime in [name_f]June[/name_f], but I guess I’ll see when exactly I feel comfortable doing so.
I remember my first meltdown… it was at the mall. Went shopping to get a few things that fit loosely so that I could hopefully still wear them late into pregnancy. Was already having a bit of a crisis because at that point my skin and everything were looking bad so I felt ugly (not how I feel now at all, but it was a Time). Tried a bunch of clothes on and NOTHING looked good to me even if it fit. I found one sundress that kind of seemed pretty but majority of what I grabbed was a fail. So I was feeling super defeated when I went to check out, and the cashier was sweet but too chirpy and she asked how it went and I honestly answered “Not great, because today has been hard…” and then I burst into tears.
She consoled me and that was already embarrassing but she ended up grabbing my receipt and writing “You are loved ” on it. Incredibly sweet of her, but even more embarrassing because I realized she probably thought I was super depressed… and the true culprit was early pregnancy
@cms1512 oh absolutely the hormones were raging for me! I didn’t have any incidents with my partner, but I work with kids and I could feel the absolute irritation/frustration with them when I normally wouldn’t have reacted that way. Luckily I haven’t flipped out on my partner at all (he’s grateful for that lol) but my mom—who I work with—definitely got some of the hormone rage taken out on her
———
So lots of good news on my end! We FINALLY got my insurance issues figured out and I’m now covered, and they supposedly backdated everything so I don’t have to worry about the massive bill that has been building (and I should be getting a refund for my first appointment & my prescriptions as well).
When I had my bleeding scare at 9 weeks, we did all our lab work at that appointment and I apparently had a UTI (which was so weird because I hadn’t noticed those symptoms until halfway through my antibiotic treatment) which I’m hoping has gone away completely. I know sometimes those UTIs can be pesky & persistent in pregnancy so fingers crossed that’s not the case.
[name_f]My[/name_f] main concern is that I had bariatric surgery 2.5 years ago, and I’m having a hard time with eating. I’m hungry ALL THE TIME and I’m constantly snacking, but my stomach just cannot hold the same volume as the average person, so I know that I’m not getting enough caloric intake (my partner has also pointed out that he doesn’t think I’m eating nearly enough which concerns him). I’m going to ask if there’s any sort of path that can help with that—maybe Ensure drinks or recommendations for protein/meal replacement drinks or something?
Also going to bring up my concerns about the Glucola test that happens later on… it’s a lot of liquid to have to drink in such a short time and I don’t think my stomach can handle that. Plus, with the sheer amount of sugar in the drink, the bariatric surgery I had may cause me to get sick/have “dumping” syndrome that could cause the test to be null & void… so I’m going to see if my office offers an alternative to the Glucola drink. They may suggest I just attempt the test as is— which I don’t mind trying it, but my office is an hour from my house and I don’t want it to be a wasted trip, either.
Other than that… today is my 12 week scan!! Which means maybe hearing baby’s heartbeat for the first time.
Hoping for a happy healthy baby in there, but I’m nervous. It’ll be my first appointment that I go to alone (partner is stuck working unfortunately) and I’ve noticed most of my pregnancy symptoms have dissipated… which I know is normal as my first trimester starts to come to and end, but it still has my anxiety causing a fuss
@hvnewton - Congrats on your pregnancy! I just wanted to weigh in (no pun intended!) on your Bariatric surgery and pregnancy concerns! So first and foremost, DO NOT do the glucola drink! It will absolutely make you sick and due to the surgery, you will likely fail the test because after a WLS our bodies deal with sugars so differently. I did the one hour test, failed, and had (TMI) terrible diarrhea urgently afterwards. I asked my midwife after the fact if my stomach sleeve could effect it, and she actually ended up apologizing for sending me for the test as it’s not recommended or accurate post WLS. I had my surgery back in 2019, so I’m even further out than you are and it still didn’t go well! She did not send me for the 3 hour retest obviously! I would have failed it too. We agreed to me doing home glucose testing for a few weeks, where I’d test my blood via finger poke 2 hours after every meal. The 2 hours is key, normally they say do it one hour after, but again, our systems are different. I was told to look for values under 6.6 post meal, and the first morning fasted glucose was supposed to be under 5.2. [name_f]My[/name_f] numbers were fantastic, and I did not have Gestational diabetes like the glucola test indicated.
[name_f]My[/name_f] midwife also referred me to a pregnancy dietician that specialized in Bariatrics to ensure I was on all the right vitamins due to reduced intake and absorption. We also did some specialized blood work to check vitamin levels in my body that aren’t normally monitored.
I was also sent for two additional growth scans, one at 30w and one at 34w to make sure baby was growing strongly as WLS correlates often to lower birth weight. I also could have gone for a third scan at 38w but we were confident baby was growing strong after the 34w scan so we opted out. After going a week + 1 day overdue, she was born at 7lbs 9oz, so not a huge baby, but a good average size!
I definitely recommend finding a good prenatal (and post partum!) protein shake that also incorporates vitamins. I take the one made by Ritual. It’ll help you keep up with the demands of pregnancy and breast feeding if you choose to! Overall I’d recommend being very aware of not drinking your calories though, my friend ended up pregnant within a year of her gastric sleeve and gained back 80lbs during her pregnancy because she focused on sugary drinks, which isn’t great for anyone!
If you’ve got any other thoughts/concerns about WLS and pregnancy, it’s all pretty fresh in my mind still, ask away!!
@Kibby thank you for telling me! I’ll have to bring it up at my next appointment—it completely slipped my mind today
Thought we were doing a 12 week scan today but it was just a 4 week follow up… sad I didn’t get to see my little lime today BUT my doctor brought out the doppler and I got to hear the heartbeat— I was almost in tears hearing it oh my lord, what a special moment.
They took some measurements and said I’m right on track! I managed to gain a few pounds since my last appointment, so my doctor isn’t concerned about my food intake at the moment. If future scans show lack of growth we’ll adjust our plans/needs then, but as for now we have a healthy baby!
It’s good to know more about the glucose test-- I actually also had bariatric surgery, but it was closer to a decade ago. Still I now have some questions to bring up at my next OB appointment and I’ll see how they want to proceed with testing. All I’ve heard so far is they want to do the test earlier on in pregnancy because of my weight (surgery wasn’t a huge success for me clearly ).
Next appointment is on Wednesday–I’ll be 11 weeks and I think she’ll be trying to use the stomach Doppler. I’m curious if it will work though through all my fluff. Thankfully I know baby is fine because I can peek at him/her. They were doing a lot of kickboxing today when I looked, lol.
Other newest update is I got my blood drawn for the NIPT today, so… now I’ll wait anxiously for the results. Hoping that it doesn’t take the full 2 weeks [name_m]Kaiser[/name_m] said it could take to hear back.
We’ve been talking names recently and OH MY LANTA this is going to be difficult. I have a much more quirky “off the beaten path” naming style (especially for girls) where my partner is more of a classics lover. So it is proving to be a VERY difficult process so far… I think we have a total of 3 names on the list that neither of us hate but don’t outright love either (he shot down my dream combo—Hawthorne Mairéad—last night and the hormones almost had me in tears lol).
I think part of the struggle is that we’re also going in with a lot of restrictions about what we’re looking for in a name… we’re probably gonna have to compromise on those ideals if we’re ever going to find a name we can love.
Naming a baby is so hard but even harder when you have to compromise! Maybe you could both do the baby name DNA test on here? Hopefully something might overlap
I was mildly nauseous before but definitely gets worse this week. Still anxiously waiting for that dating scan on [name_f]Tuesday[/name_f] but most likely 8/9 weeks.
as a vegetarian I don’t eat meat or fish anyway, but I eat eggs and they still taste ok, so that’s at least a source of protein. Some days I’m ok with food with lots of spices, others I literally just eat oats, steamed vegetables, bread, salted crackers, applesauce or bananas. Oh and mangoes, most fruits are ok but mango is my new favorite.
and an orange. But hey, it at least has nutrients!
less appetite really goes together with less motivation to cook lol. Hopefully I’ll make it up tomorrow with more nutrients. 
speaking of medications, my genetic counselor casually mentioned at the consultation that my antidepressant “could” lead to low birth weight and other complications and now I’m itching to clear that up at my next OB appointment. The midwife I saw last time didn’t say anything about me taking it, but I’m wondering now if it’s fine to continue.
and hehe seems they’re eating well if they’re measuring ahead xD
and it’s giving me all the warm fuzzies thinking that this will only bring everyone together more, and that my baby and my cousin’s daughter will be growing up together. They’ll be five years apart but it’s not too bad of an age gap really. Hopefully they become friends!
so that definitely touches the topic. Definitely will tell sometime in [name_f]June[/name_f], but I guess I’ll see when exactly I feel comfortable doing so.
).