Found out I was pregnant on March 10, 2012. First trimester was okay, I was tired and hungry 24/7. It was during lent too, so I had to renig on one of my lent "resolutions." But I at least ate healthy snacks.
The tiredness and hunger made me think I was carrying a boy. "He is sucking the life out of me" I would say.
I wanted to find out what the sex was but Mike didn't. So I found it out when we went for our ultrasound in June. And my intuition was confirmed, I was carrying a boy.
Second trimester, I wasn't so hungry but I was still very tired. And hot. Summertime is not the time to be pregnant.
I ran up to 33 weeks. And was able to earn my ironman award at summer track.
Third trimester was when it got interesting. My due date was November 15. At the beginning of October, the palms of my hands became really itchy. I chalked it up to dry skin. Then I spent the night at my parents' house, using soap instead of my bath wash in the shower, my whole body became itchy. Again, thought it was just dry skin. Then a few days later, I was on the TriangleMommies' website and a woman wrote how she believed she had PUPPs (a very itchy rash pregnant women can get). I didn't have a rash but decided to google: itchy while pregnant. I read about this: "intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), a liver problem that
affects up to 1 percent of pregnant women in the United States." It sounded like what I could of had. I wanted to mention it at my next OB appointment (at 37 weeks) but forgot. (Yes, my memory went down the tubes during this pregnancy and I have not gotten it back.) The itchiness was driving me insane and I was not getting any sleep. I did remember to mention it to the midwife (Deb) at my 38 week appointment. I had blood work done but did not hear from them right away. I called the following Tuesday and then Deb called me back on Wednesday. She said my numbers were elevated so she felt it was the start of ICP. She said at my next appointment (which was the next day) I would talk to the doctor about how to proceed.
I arrived at that appointment and they put my on the nonstress test. Mike arrived and Dr. Grana came in. She wanted me to have my blood drawn again and that most likely they would induce me on Friday evening or Saturday depending on the blood test results. Heather (the midwife I was to see) came in also and talked with us. Then Lucy (another midwife) came in too. Lucy looked at the NST and asked if I was feeling the contractions I was having. I was like, no. Anyway, Lucy ended up talking with Mike and I further and she checked me to see if I was dilated. I was: 2cm.
She said at the latest, I should be induced by Monday. I did not want to be induced. My goal was to have natural childbirth with no medications or an epidural. I had pitocin with Clara and did not want to go through that again. I begged Lucy to do something so I could go into labor naturally but she couldn't because I also tested positive for Group B strep. So Mike and I left the appointment thinking we had the weekend to get ready to have this baby. I was not in labor (at least I wasn't feeling any contractions at that time).
But...soon after, I did start feeling something. I picked Clara up from school and came home and started nesting. If this was labor, I didn't want it to stop. So I kept moving and cleaning. But...I didn't tell Mike I was feeling anything...till about 10 that night. Mike freaked, we packed our bags, called our neighbors and my parents, called the doctor, and headed to the hospital.
We got to the hospital, registered and went to a room. A nurse came in and checked me, I was at 4cm. We walked the halls for an hour...didn't cause me to dilate anymore. It was going on 1am or so (I think). She said we could go home and try to sleep at home or they could give me a shot of some drug that would help me sleep at the hospital. All I know is I was tired and I wanted to sleep really bad (so did Mike). So I opted to get the shot and try to sleep at the hospital. It was around 3am.
7:30am. New nurse comes in, Cheryl. She checks me, I am at 7cm. Wow, I labored from 4 to 7 overnight. And mind you, I did not sleep much at all during that labor but Mike snoozed away in the chair beside me. I mentioned to her that I did not want to labor in bed and I wanted to try and have a natural labor and delivery (no meds or epidural). Jessica, one of our midwives, came in and checked on us. Cheryl started the bathtub. I spent a good amount of the morning in that tub. Mike spent a good amount of the morning doing his lesson plans and following me around the room with the computer playing Klove. When I look back at it now it is kind of funny (and amazing), he was right there, the whole time...starving too...making sure I would meet my goal of having a natural child birth. And to shorten the story, I did meet the goal. At 7:30am, I was 7cm. And at 12:20pm, Joseph was born.
Let me just say, I'm glad I did it but gosh, I don't know if I could do it again.
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