The one wherein I do whatever it takes to keep from feeling awful

# weeks pregnant: 8
estimated weight: 157
currently: eating guacamole and chips


So, for the past three weeks I've been fighting my way through pretty severe nausea. Vomiting has played a role, too, but so has dry heaving, which is both exhausting and terribly anti-climactic. Enter: chips and guacamole. I don't know where these ideas come from - my mind? my stomach? the Pregnancy Fairy? - but every so often, particularly in the throes of violent nausea, some random food item comes to mind that promises to go down easy and quell my stomach turbulence. Today, that food is chips and guacamole.

I've no idea how or why this works, but after trying remedy after so-called remedy to no avail (including my fail-safe nausea remedy from my first pregnancy: 100mg vitamin B6 coupled with one Unisom tablet), what has proven most effective is paying attention to these food suggestions (okay, fine, we'll call them cravings), and obeying their direction. So far, unfortunately, most of the cravings have been calorie-laden; hence, you'll notice my estimated weight has increased.

When my husband and I began talking about trying to get pregnant for a second time, I had hopes of besting my first pre-pregnancy weight, considerably. At my first prenatal appointment during my first pregnancy I weighed 150. Originally, I had hoped to whittle myself down to 120 and top out this pregnancy at my previous pregnancy's starting weight of 150.

Uh, yeah.

Instead, I began this pregnancy 5 pounds heavier than my first pregnancy's starting weight. I spent about a day and a half beating myself up about this until I realized there's no sense in doing that. It is what it is. I'm going to spend my energy on staying active this pregnancy and keeping my weight gain to a moderate range (cravings notwithstanding).

There are those people (my mom, for example) who assure me nausea is a sure sign of a healthy pregnancy, and for now I'm going to take comfort in that theory. As I am "of advanced maternal age" at 37 years old, I'm automatically classified "high risk" and have decided (along with my husband) to do some prenatal testing to check the baby's genetic health. With those tests looming and our lips still officially zipped about the news, that leaves me to munch my way through the rough first trimester in hopes the second trimester will bring an end to the unpredictable sickness I'm experiencing now.

If anyone reading this is also trudging through their first trimester's bevy of symptoms and side effects, you have my sympathies. I will admit, however, that every day I get through without a miscarriage (since you just never know what might happen) I count it a real victory. Even with the nausea and general "ick" feeling, it's well worth it to be able to carry a baby through to term, and I realize how lucky I am to be afforded this privilege - not just once, but twice. Still, I envy those women who experience pregnancy with not even a twinge of morning sickness. *sigh*