testing

Week 6: the little mite

Morning sickness is a double-edged sword. Feeling run-down and crap but knowing that at least there are enough hormones raging inside you to hopefully make the pregnancy secure, versus the potential worry of no symptons whatsoever.

Nausea galore this week! Not helped by that disgusting butter chicken which subsequently gave me diarrhoea and made me puke up. Keep retching. Can't stand the thought of Thai food, or even Chinese food. Only western or the plainest of Japanese dishes.

I'm knackered, no two ways about it. Tired all day. I stopped taking the progesterone tablets - well I was still bleeding so they weren't exactly helping, were they?

I did manage to do some volunteer teaching on Wednesday. Actually didn't feel too bad. So I wonder if staying in bed and feeling very sorry for myself isn't just making me feel worse?

Also had a tremendous headache one night. I went to the hospital again and saw a different doctor. Actually this female doctor is one that husband and I saw a year or so ago. We wanted to ask questions about fertility in women over 35. At the time she must have thought we were a little weird as we were just asking questions, not actually prepared to take any action.

Anyhow, she gave me another scan, and the good news is that we could see the tiny foetus and his little heart was pumping away. That was amazing.

She gave me some more progesterone but this to be inserted as a pessary. Apparently a lot more effective than orally. So I put one in and it seemed to work initially. But the reality was that it only seemed to 'plug' the bleeding. Sorry to be so explicit.

Also been navigating some of the many forums on pregnancies. They are simultaneously heartening (when women have the same symptons as you) and heartbreaking - the number of miscarriages is quite scary.

The other great piece of news: my brother and his wife will also be expecting and she's due around the same date as me! Little cousins almost like twins! Me and my brother must be telepathic. All his news can be found on his blog here.

Week 5: It's official!

After a bout of tummy ache, and then a spot of bleeding, it was decided to get myself checked out at the hospital. For convenience, we went to Samitivej - one of the best and most pricey hoppys around. I saw a kindly old lady doctor who had a quick look and did not see much amiss.

She gave me a scan (not by the tummy) and we could see this black blob in a round circle which she explained was the gestational sac in the uterus. All looked fine. She prescribed some progesterone pills for me "to stop the bleeding".

It was such early days, but we decided to tell our parents. First, my mum and dad. On the phone there was a loud squeal from my mum, and my dad had to rest in some happy daze from the good news. And then came mummy's advice: no stretching or lifting - very bad for Chinese pregnant women. No exercise. Stay in bed and rest.

Fine by me! Matt's mum's advice was completely the opposite. "Just enjoy it," she said.

We've sworn the parents to secrecy. I don't want to tempt fate.

Since taking the progesterone pills though, I've been feeling nauseous. Tired, sick, queasy, yukky. That's a real downer as I was fine before that.

Not sure why, but for some reason, I went to Carrefour intending to get myself a spag bol meal, and came back with Indian butter chicken. It was disgusting. I gag even when I think about it now.

Week 1-4: The faint purple line

My husband has never been keen on babies. With 3 younger brothers, his childhood is traumatised by the stench of nappies and baby poo.

And you can't exactly travel around with a baby, can you?

But a number of factors made us think seriously about settling down. My dad having a stroke for instance made us realise how important families are. Husband suffering chronic neck/back pain made us think about our long term health. Me hitting 35 this year is also a timebomb ticking...

We thought we'd have a go, see how it went. I didn't expect to get pregnant in our second month of trying though!! Husband was a bit disappointed at that :) Mind you, he was on enough painkiller / muscle relaxants to open his own pharmacy. This baby will probably have 3 heads.

I confess, I did use a bit of temperature charting to see when I'd be ovulating. Mum gave me these sheets and a thermometer and I just plotted some readings down. It was quite interesting in the first month to see how my temperature dropped when my period came. Even more astonishing to see my temperature maintain a highish 36.8 degrees Celsius past my due date in the second month and no sign of my period.

Anyhow, on 17th February 2007, I took a pregnancy test, and the faint purple line - like the man from Del Monte - said 'yes!'. Husband and I didn't know quite how to react. I was suddenly raiding the internet for information:
- 20% or pregnancies end in miscarriage: shit, don't get too excited yet.
- the probability of a Down's syndrome birth increases very much if the mum is over 35: what would we do?
- shouldn't eat raw fish: there goes my sushi.
- I'd be due 23 October 2007. I'm a premature baby, husband was 2 weeks late - reckon that's about right.

Subdued excitement. That's what we feel.

Introduction

I'm nearly 9 weeks pregnant.
God willing it will go well.
This baby is planned and very much wanted.

But I feel the need to vent. I think I'm going insane from morning sickness in this stinking, putrified, polluted city.

(I do love Bangkok really!)