[Pregnancy Diary] Prenatal Appt & first 8 weeks

 We're expecting!

My LMP was Oct 14, 2021, and I tested as early as 6 DPO (days post ovulation) this time 😂 At the time, I even laughed at myself for testing so early because I tested on a whim even though I knew it was still soooo early! On 9 DPO, I tested again because I had been feeling more bloated each day and was also experiencing some cramps that didn't feel like normal PMS cramps. The test was BFN (big fat negative). Hours later, I noticed a very faint hint of pink, and I thought it could very well be a watermark. Plus, at that point, any result should be read as invalid because it had passed the timeframe (5 minutes for this test). I tested again the next day, and the pink hue came up by like the 4th minute of that 5-minute timeframe. So I began testing every day and saw the line getting darker each day!

This post is retrospective of the first 8 weeks of this pregnancy. I use Fertility Friend to keep track of cycles & symptoms (I recommend this app). I rely on the graph from the app to see how my symptoms are progressing. We're excited and are hoping for the best!

Week 3

Symptoms: bloated, constipation

I've heard that the LH test strip can pick up HCG so if one is truly pregnant, the ovulation testing strip would start getting dark as well (instead of staying light until one gets closer to ovulation again). So I took a test with the ovulation test strip (blue below), the test line was darker than before (I compared it to my last LH test from just a few days after ovulation)!

Dry tests for 9 & 10 DPO

10 DPO, the pink hue was super faint but visible in person.
Picture was taken while the test was still wet.

Week 4

Symptoms: bloated all day, occasional "unusual cramps," constipation, started waking up 2-3 hours earlier than usual, insomnia at night, slight backache, lots of dreams...

Aside from the bloated feeling and occasional "unusual cramps," a very obvious "symptom" to me was Duke started to follow me very closely even to the bathroom, again, just like how he was during my last pregnancy. Even if he was sleeping, as soon as I got up from the chair/bed/couch, he'd shot up and follow around right away. He somehow knew something was different and didn't want to leave me alone! Friend D visited us during this week. I felt fine most of the time with the extra activities we've had. There were moments where I felt more tired than usual, but overall I felt fine!

 

Week 5

Symptoms: bloated all day, 2 days of "pulling" sensation, backache gotten worse, sharp sensation in boobs, sore boobs, constipation, continued to wake up 2-3 hours earlier than usual, insomnia at night, lots of dreams...

My sleep quality started going south fast this week. Insomnia was getting better, but I still wasn't getting good sleep because for some reason I'd wake up hours earlier than usual and just couldn't fall back asleep so I'd end up taking a nap in the afternoon. Also, I kept having vivid dreams and would wake up multiple times throughout the night. Just felt very unrested every morning. Backache became the first thing I always noticed upon waking up. I also finally had the so-called "dye-stealer" this week! 

I requested a blood draw over the phone and a midwife ordered it. My hcg was 1414 on Nov 19.

 

Top left: Nov 18; Top right: Nov 19

Week 6

Symptoms: NAUSEA hit me like a truck, bloated all day, bad backache, sore boobs, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, frequent urination

Friend AL came to visit during this week and I began having my worst week thus far. Nausea came out of nowhere and lingered all day all night. I started having this nonstop carsick feeling from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed for days. Also, constipation and diarrhea on the same day for days (didn't think that was possible). The worst part was when I felt so sick, I'd try to lie down and nausea would still linger around. Then, "frequent urination" forced me to wake up multiple times at night to use the bathroom and nausea came right back as soon as I got up to use the bathroom. Then I'd have to endure 1-2 hours of nausea before falling asleep again and then it repeated like that a few times at night. This began the day after Thanksgiving. I guess I should be grateful I was able to have a good dinner on Thanksgiving Day 😂 . Also, I noticed some light brown/beige discharge when wiping. Happened on two days during this week. I knew this color meant it's old blood so I wasn't really worried. I took pictures for future reference in case it was the start of something. Luckily, so far so good. That was the only week I saw the light brown discharge.

 

A few days after I got the blood draw, I messaged my ob and asked to get a repeated draw to check for appropriate rise (since this didn't happen in the last pregnancy). She wrote back a few days later and ordered the test right away. I went back on Nov 26 and hcg was 18426. It's a huge relief to see the rise.

Week 7

Symptoms: nausea (all day), bloated, heartburn, backache, sore boobs, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, insomnia, frequent urination

Nausea continued to strike me at all times of the day. It was literally all day and all night. Wanted to throw up first thing in the morning, before eating, after eating, while drinking water, during shower, brushing teeth, and while lying on bed. It was nonstop all day long, and noticeably worse at night. Week 6 was when nausea began, week 7 was when I started throwing up. Puking itself wasn't too horrible, the worst was the moment leading up to the actual puking. So far puking happens within an hour of eating something so at least I got something in my system when it happens, though oftentimes I see blood as well. I called the 24/7 advice line during this week for advice because I was feeling so sick and began losing weight due to nausea + diarrhea. I was told to not worry about the blood as it's likely just irritation from puking.  I was advised to try b6 (25mg x 3 per day) + unisom for nausea. Unisom is a sleep aid that's been approved for use during pregnancy and is available without a prescription. However, I really want to use as few medications as needed during the pregnancy so I'm holding off on it. I did get b6 and I started feeling slightly better about 2 days after I began taking it.

 

I lost 8lbs this week and was feeling weak every day. W took out the blood pressure wristlet to start monitoring my blood pressure this week. They looked fine tho, I was just very weak and nauseous most times of the week.

Week 8

Symptoms: nausea (mostly from 4pm-2am or when I fall asleep), bloated, heartburn, backache, hip pain (happens only when trying to move around in bed at night), sore boobs, constipation, fatigue, insomnia, frequent urination

I lost 10 lbs in 10 days. Nausea persists but it's a lot better than week 6 and week 7. I think b6 is really helping me a lot because I throw up less since I began taking it. It doesn't make nausea go away completely, but it takes the edge off and I don't feel like to throw up first thing in the morning or after a meal anymore. My morning sickness seems to be most noticeable around 7 or 8pm at night and can get worsen from then until I fall asleep. If I go to sleep early (say 9pm) then I tend to wake up around midnight/1am and feel nauseous right when I wake up. It usually takes an hour or so to fall back asleep again. I'm glad I can at least drink water without feeling the urge to puke. Glad to be able to eat and not have to run to the bathroom right away. The last couple of weeks has been miserable and very glad that I can eat, drink, and get some sleep now. 

I played with my tripod and took a few pictures the day before our dating scan. I had fun setting up the tripod because it reminded me of traveling. The last time I used the tripod was when we were doing our road trip in Iceland this September 😄

 

On Dec 10, we had our dating scan and everything looked good!

 

We didn't hear the heartbeat but we saw the flickering! 165 bpm! Grow baby grow!

💚 CM