Brownish Spotting

I'm 5.5 months along. What could brownish spotting mean? Hoping it's nothing serious requiring bed rest or hospitalization. PS - it's not from "ahem*" =)

Busyness

Just when I thought I had a full Saturday to wind down, I find out I had a party to attend. Busy Busy Busy. Just waiting for the whirlwind to kick up more when baby girl arrives. PS ~ I'm craving barbeque chicken. Does anyone know of any recipes involving barbeque sauce?

Space Cadet to the Unrescue!

I've been noticing for the past 2 months how spaced out I can be. Sources say to expect absentmindedness during this stage. I've been late for work for the past many days and I've been bumping into furniture and bruising myself. I'm just glad I still remember to pick up Breanna and attend appointments. The closest call I've had to a mistake was almost opening a used urine cup to collect a sample for labs. Now why do they have to have the sterile cups next to the collection basket?

Well, we tried for a boy...following the advice of many friends who have a boy (or boys). Some say to make love on the day of ovulation and the day after. Others say to not have sex very often to accumulate the chances of having a Y sperm since they are fewer than X sperm. Some say to make sure my body has reached orgasm already to allow for the sperm to enter into a highly alkalinic environment (suitable for sperm to easily travel ~ faster). Others have said to think boy thoughts all the time. So I've tried all that...and when we went for the big time ultrasound we find out we're having a G-I-R-L!

That's okay. I'm stoked either way. We were just trying for the ideal. But I'm glad we're having a girl because we get to save money for a while since the girls could share a bedroom and a bunch of clothes and toys...and the girls would have so much to relate with each other when they get much older.

A Unique Bonding Experience

I got to squeeze my little baby's heel last nite. What an incredible utero experience. While I lay down on my side my little tiny baby burrowed his(her?) foot into that area where my ab skin and my last rib attach as if trying to dig between me and the bed. My skin could be stretched only so far and I got to squeeze it. My baby pulled away when I startled the little thing. The baby's foot felt as big as my extreme pinky finger digit. The stretching of organs was uncomfortable but so worth the discomfort. Looking forward to doing that again!

Stronger Appetite

My appetite is bigger than my eyes...wishing food came to me like manna from heaven.

Clumsy

Hey preggo ladies...have you found yourselves more clumsy than ever? I bumped my shopping cart into a sweet old lady standing in front of me @ the check out line.

I prove my point again...by accident ~ I forgot my keys at the gym. Gotta get them back before they close tonight or else I won't be able to drive tomorrow.

Sad

Have you ever had one of those sad days where a bunch of little events in your 24 hours gets you down?...or am I just a little more emotional than usual?

HeartBeat

Went to the doc today for a checkup and heard the heartbeat. 160 Beats per minute. Is it a girl or boy?

Cravings

Cinnamon applesauce & yogurt-onion kettle chips! What a combination. I'm in preggo heaven.

Nothing can be more satisfying to the buds like a hotdog & bun loaded with lots of mustard @ 11pm.....ahhh! I'm loving the new appetite

Migraine

I think overnight my heartbeat took up residence in my skull. That's how my migraine feels like this morning.

First Prenatal

I had the longest prenatal check up in history yesterday. It was actually scheduled to be that long anyway...but I never knew it would be that long (4 hours). The first hour I was schooled by a nurse about what to expect in this second pregnancy. A lot of the material was repetitive from what I learned being pregnant with Breanna, but she answered lots of my questions with my new changes. Then there was that long wait to be seen by the doctor, who was late from tending an emergency patient bearing twins. He was so courteous and apologized for being late and promised to spend a little extra time with me. How sweet. He was cute too =) Finally, the most uncomfortable part of the visit were getting the flu shot and bloodwork.

In my visit I learned some interesting things:
1. Research on mixed race children (particularly White with Asian) shows that these children are always born on the heavier side (around 8 lbs or more). In my case, Breanna was 10.7 lbs and I'm hoping for a less heavier, yet healthy baby.
2. Sometimes the uterus supports a baby that grows inward toward the spine rather than outward toward the belly button and will cause back pain and constipation.
3. I love sushi but during pregnancy I should stay away from the raw kind and stick to cooked fish. I might also stay away from shrimp since they are bottom feeders which eat all the muck and waste from the sea floor. Yuck! I'm safe with California rolls and unagi.
4. When the first trimester is over, I'll have to change my favorite cardio routine (jogging) to another less high impact one such as speed walking. Pooowheey.

How am I feeling this week?
Energy: I got really tired this Friday morning ~ probably from the flu shot
Mood: smug, but bored ~ it seems like I've been pregnant for a year already
Appetite: all right...not heavy yet
Cravings: none
Sickness: a little nausea...I'm glad it's tapering off

Measurements
Weight: 145

Just Work It Mama!

Since I found out I was pregnant my body has gone awry. I'm consistently tired from after lunch until the end of dinner. My head feels airy. I'm dizzy and spaced out. Nausea hits every now and then these days. All these symptoms and more are so uncomfortable...but the most notable is my energy level that drops heavily by midday. After analyzing my new pregnancy lifestyle I figured out something that was very important to me which I lacked in my change: aerobic activity.

Before I got pregnant for baby two, I consider myself a healthy, active exerciser. I'd spend 5 days a week for at least 20 minutes doing a cardio activity at at least 60-70% my target heart rate (114 bpm) and spend around 20 minutes weight training. If I did anything less, my body would get slumpy and sluggish...and that's just what happened to me when I found out I was pregnant a second time. I got so sick into my first two months of pregnancy that I couldn't exercise anyways and my body grew tiresome. I felt like an invalid.

As my body healed from the weeks of infection, upset stomach, fever, and general illness I slowly got back into a doable workout routine...but my routine was so bland and easy that my body didn't like it. I thought that as a pregnant person I shouldn't work out hard like I used to. Last night proved me wrong. I decided to work it a little harder like old times: jogging, ellyptical training, lifting moderate weights. My body felt so good that I'm going to forget all these old wives tales and just be like I've always been: active!

Note: Pregnancy isn't the time to start running, although it's fine if you jogged regularly before getting pregnant. After the first trimester, avoid sit-ups and other exercises done while lying flat on your back — they can make you dizzy and decrease the blood flow to your uterus.


How am I feeling this week?
Energy: increasing compared to first month
Mood: happier now that school is back in session
Appetite: heftier...hooray
Cravings: not much
Sickness: tiredness about midday

Measurements
Weight: 144 lbs

Healthy?

Pregnancy books say that during the first trimester I should be gaining about 2 to 4 pounds...however, I've been feeling so nauseaus (sometimes vomiting) that I can't gain anything. I went to my mom's birthday party yesterday and saw family I've not seen in months. None of them now I'm pregnant except mom...and her sisters were surprised to see me losing more weight. I thought I should gain just a little more by now. I feel fat.

How am I feeling this week?
Energy: comes and goes
Mood: tired of being pregnant...I want the baby now already
Appetite: no appetite, sometimes hefty appetite when nausea goes away
Cravings: fruits, meats
Sickness: vomiting, nausea, dry nasal cavity, runny nose

Measurements
Weight: 141-143

Miscarriage Prone

It seems that my lower abdominal region (below the bikini cut) mildly cramps every time I get emotionally upset towards David. Grandma shared with me all the stories of miscarriages she's had since first getting pregnant ~ and my case seems almost similar. In one account, Grandpa Anicito went home drunk and mad, and cursed at his wife, Grandma Rebing...another, Grandpa left the city (hundreds of miles away) without informing Grandma which got her pretty upset and worried...last, Grandpa went dancing and didn't tell Grandpa and he came home drunk and stupid. All of these things would upset me as well...and so when I have parallel stories like grandma with my own spouse (though mine are not as severe) my uterus starts cramping.

I'm afraid for a miscarriage. I've actually been fearing miscarriage since I found out I was cramping because that's when the pain all started which sent me to the hospital. It's a medical mystery why I even went to the ER in the first place and was sent home the next day not knowing what really was the matter with my body.

How am I feeling this week?
Energy: fatigued between 1130-noon, and between 2pm and 4pm
Mood: chipper, but angry at my parents
Appetite: slim, I haven't been eating that much still
Cravings: this morning I craved chinese style fried rice
Sickness: nausea and gagging

Measurements
Weight: 140-141 lbs
Chest:
Waist:
Hips:
Neck:
Upper Arms:
Thighs:
Calves:

Upset Stomach

What did we eat? Breanna and I have stayed home all day with diarrhea. Mine stomach started hurting in the middle of the night but diarrhea and sharp stomach pain didn't happen until around 8am. It could be a number of things from yesterday:
milk, ice cream, string cheese, blueberries, watermelon, mixed veggies, red potatoes, cereal, pizza, rice, chicken, lunch meat...

The two oddest off all the food eaten yesterday were the ice cream and watermelon. Even though the ice cream was delicious, the Splenda (sucralose) gave it a different taste (and plus I'm allergic to sucralose). I didn't find out it had sucralose until after my first bite. The next oddest taste was the watermelon. Our sweet neighbors had given us left over watermelon, which looked delicious from the plastic bag. However, the first taste of it was aweful. David tasted it too and thought it might have been left out too long to harbor bacteria. I'm sure it was an accident ~ the daycare kids who ate it the other day didn't have a reaction, so I'm assuming the accident might've been in the preparation. It didn't taste like a sweet melon, but rather an oniony-, garlicky-, salty-tainted fruit. I thought it was just my hormones changing the taste of my favorite watery fruit, but apparently my stomach disagreed. So it could be either of those two foods. I think it's interesting that I ate those foods in the afternoon, but started getting an upset stomach the following day.

Fortunately Breanna's reaction ended sooner than mine...as of this late evening I'm still having diarrhea...and am so tired of it. Another fortune is that I'm not vomitting.

How am I feeling this week?
Energy: tired, fatigued, falling asleep in the middle of the day
Mood: annoyed, cranky
Appetite: not very hungry, trying to feed myself and hydrate
Cravings: ice cream
Sickness: diarrhea, achiness, dizziness

Birth Defects

Here is a very uncomforting message from a pregnancy book I read: Damage (birth defects) - particularly during weeks three and seven of pregnancy - may occasionally occur when a temperature as low as 102 degrees is sustained for two or more days. My hospital stay happened when I was 4 weeks pregnant and I had a temperature of 102.9 degrees for just a day ~ but any fever can be a scare!

How am I feeling this week?
Energy: normal
Mood: down, sad, don't want to do anything
Appetite: normal
Cravings: none
Sickness: none

My Wild Adventure Under The ER Microscope

Once upon a time, there was DANGER...a danger so bleak and fearsome that some people were too afraid to go outside. That was the craziest Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday ever. Okay, now that I'm out of the hospital and more coherent, I am able to write about my crazy week.

As of last week I totally assumed that I wasn't pregnant because I took an at-home pregnancy test that can be taken 5 days earlier than my missed period ~ and trusted the results. What made me trust the results more was that I started having period symptoms ~ steady cramping, lower back pain, dizziness, crabbiness, emotional instability (aka weepy over anything)...

The day after the pregnancy test, I started having sharp cramps as if some invisible power was stabbing sharp, metal barbecue sticks in my abdomen. These abnormal, non-rhythmic bursts of pain that does not mimic regular menstruation symptoms happened throughout the next two days. Then I started spotting ~ a regular symptom of the onset of menstruation.

By the weekend I felt overwhelmingly exhausted and had to take naps. I thought my fatigue was from breaking my circadian sleep rhythm, and assumed my body was telling me to catch up. I am reminded by the wise sage Oogoo, that once sleep is lost, it can never be found again. I take this wisdom with solace, and a hint of shame.

On August 11 - exactly 32 days from the start of my previous menstrual cycle - I found out that I was four-weeks pregnant. My typical cycles have run from between 26 to 35 days.

That Tuesday night, things in my body went awry. I couldn't sleep. I got shivers and chills. My temperature rose to 99.1. Symptoms got worse the following morning. I couldn't move. I was so sore and achy all over. Migraines pounded in my head like a sledgehammer pounding railroad spikes. My lower abdominal region and lower back had a steady, dull pain. My fever increased like the heat of an Escondido summer noon ~ 102.9. Cute Breanna was by my side playing nurse when I woke up ~ she tucked me and her favorite toy animals tight in my blanket and spoke tender, motherly whispers to my ears. Her caressing was a sweet foreshadowing of the care I would receive in my overnight stay in the hospital.

I called a triage nurse at the Scripps Ranch clinic that I attended for all my prenatal care when I was pregnant with Breanna. Once I explained my symptoms, she told me to come into the clinic to be examined the following hour. I dangerously drove Breanna to my cousin's house (aka grandma's house) ~ my vision was blurry, my headache was pounding, my driving judgment was as dull as a mummified cat. I had tears rolling down my cheeks as I entered the clinic, and couldn't talk very well since, my head was so confused. I was an hour late for my appt, so they rescheduled me for a different, awesome doctor 20 minutes later. Based on all my symptoms, her concern for a possible ectopic pregnancy sent me to the emergency room ~ Thornton Hospital UCSD, La Jolla. (ectopic pregnancy is when the baby is growing outside the uterus and the pregnancy must be terminated -- YIKES!!) I called David to pick me up, who strode valiantly to protect my honor, buy me a 12" sub, and drive me safely to the hospital since my head was spinning like a dreidel on Channukah.

When we arrived at the Emergency Room, the doctors performed test after test. It was a learning facility and I loved how the doctors and residents looked at my "illness" from every possible viewpoint. I got a pelvic exam, cervical culture sent to the lab, urine test, blood tests, an ultrasound over my reproductive system, an ultrasound to test for appendicitis, IV bags replaced one after another (I was so dehydrated). I even got an additonal ultrasound from a hot young lusty intern. =)Dozens of doctors walked in an out of my room introducing themselves, student doctors and expert doctors examined me, I was asked questions after questions. David made sure to give the evil eye to any doctors that seemed to be spending more time checking me out than deemed necessary. And through my entire stay, all the king's nurses, and all the king's docs, couldn't figure out why I was having a high fever and abdominal pain.

They ruled out ectopic pregnancy because they saw a 3mm sac embedded in the uterus lining. The surgeons decided to keep an eye on me overnight (a very pretty blue one!) in case of appendicitis - so I couldn't eat or drink at all in case of surgery - a 24 hr fast was the result! They ruled out appendicitis and kidney and bladder infection from the abdominal ultrasound. However, they found cysts on my left ovary (a source from which pain emanated in a most unpleasant manner) but the cysts posed no threat. My white blood cell count was high due to fighting the infection. They ruled out the flu after taking a nasal culture. All these tests and they still couldn't find the root cause of my nefarious, loathsome, and mysterious temperature that persists to this very moment in time.

So they sent me home with the following instructions: take Tylenol to lower the temperature, take your prenatal vitamins, drink plenty of water for thou art dehydrated as the Sahara, and come back if symptoms get worse.

So there you have it. I find out I'm 4 weeks pregnant and get slammed with multiple ominous plagues ~ minus locusts and frogs.

I'll keep you posted on this website ~ http://babybmiller.blogspot.com/ Please pray for endurance that I can handle the 36 weeks of pain and pray that this be a healthy baby BOY. I totally feel like it's a boy. Breanna has demanded a little brother, and she always gets what she wants.

Introducing Breanna to Her Unborn Sibling

I was so excited to share with Breanna that she was going to be a big sister someday. I sat next to her, opened up a book about the weekly development of a baby in utero and told her which picture the baby most resembled.

The first picture was that of a 6 week old fetus:

Breanna said with her facial expressions in disbelief ~ as if she was saying you're kidding me: "Mommy, that's not a baby! That's a fish!"

She turned the page and saw the next picture was that of a 10 week old fetus:

Breanna says surprisingly: "Mommy look! Somebody catch a baby! See!" These are funny things I'll never forget about being a mommy =)

Pregnant!

I went to Alternatives Women's Center in Escondido today as a walk-in client. They advertised on the front door that they had free pregnancy tests. I've used up my two pack at-home pregnancy test kits and didn't feel like buying another. I figured that I'll visit my friend who works at Alternatives, get a free pregnancy test, and be pampered with someone telling me everything that I should expect and do than to research pregnancy wellness information myself.

Right away I found out that I'm pregnant!

I'm so excited. We've been trying for 3 months and for the longest time I thought that I wasn't pregnant because I got a negative result hCG on the last test kit and I've started cramping and spotting...all signs of menstruation. Turns out that I took the test too early and the spotting were effects of implantation.

To celebrate Breanna and I went to CPK ~ I used the left over balance of my gift card to spoil myself with a yummy meal and rich dessert.

PS - I haven't told David yet and I want to make it a surprise because he's been as ecstatic as long as I have about deciding to get pregnant again.

Symptoms?

We had been trying to get pregnant for the past 3 months and I have a suspicion that I may have conceived in the month of August. As of today, I am on my 30th cycle day...and my period usually starts on day 26, 27, or 28. Missed period? Not sure. I've got a few more days to wait because sometimes my cycle goes as late as 35 days.

I have been having chills (aka flu like symptoms) and also fatigue, headache, mood swings (poor David and Breanna), nausea, breast tenderness, and frequent urination. I've also been spotting this week for two days only. Could this be possible implantation bleeding. Anyways, many of these symptoms mimic pre-menstrual symptoms but there is no way to tell I'm pregnant just yet since my period has been as late as 35 days. On August 4th (5 days before my period could start)I took one of those pregnancy tests that can read symptoms 5 days earlier than the average test...but it read negative. Did I take it too early to read the HcG hormone?

I read up more about implantation bleeding. The process to implant takes 6-12 days after conception and may be accompanied by light spotting and cramps. I didn't experience implantation bleeding when making Breanna. Anyways, this is a timeline of my cycle (or possible pregnancy). We tried during the middle of my conception week, July 20th and 23rd. Could I be pregnant? I'm feeling both hopeful, yet aggravated. I want to know by now.

7/10/09 first day of previous period
7/11/09
7/12/09
7/13/09
7/14/09
7/15/09
7/16/09
7/17/09
7/18/09
7/19/09
7/20/09 ovulation time: intercourse
7/21/09 ovulation time:
7/22/09 ovulation time:
7/23/09 ovulation time: intercourse
7/24/09 ovulation time:
7/25/09 ovulation time:
7/26/09 ovulation time:
7/27/09
7/28/09
7/29/09
7/30/09
7/31/09
8/1/09
8/2/09
8/3/09 next period could begin:
8/4/09 next period could begin: pregnancy test taken
8/5/09 next period could begin: spotting
8/6/09 next period would begin: spotting
8/7/09 next period should begin: no spotting
8/8/09 next period should begin: slight cramps, no spotting
8/9/09 next period should begin: slight cramps, no spotting
8/10/09 next period should begin: spotting


How am I feeling this week?
Energy: sometimes full of energy, sometimes fatigued
Mood: stressed
Appetite: not eating much
Cravings: none
Sickness: fainting spells (lacking iron)

Fights

David and I have been getting into nasty fights in the past few days. Arguments, relationship hiccups, whatever you call it...we're not getting along well. This makes me start to wonder if we actually should go through with trying for another child because we are not harboring the right environment for either Breanna or a new baby. We won't find out until the first week of August if I really am pregnant.

How am I feeling this week?: Sad
Energy: low
Mood: depressed, anxious, angry
Appetite: eating less than normal
Cravings: orange juice
Sickness: naseaus stomach

Are these early symptoms?

Okay here we go again. I supposedly ovulate between July 20th through July 26th. So far we've tried July 20th and July 23rd ~ tmi (I know but it's exciting to share). I wonder how long it takes for the naseauus feelings to take place after getting pregnant b/c I am definitely feeling them now. It could be psychosomatic ~ meaning that all my gut dizziness is caused by or notably influenced by my sensitive emotions toward this pregnancy. It's true. I'm really excited about making another one but at the same time I have mad and crazy flashbacks of an extended, traumatic experience about 15 years ago. I can get really personal but retelling this experience to you is pretty gut wrenching so I rather not.

Pregnancy Test ~ Negative

I gave in. The pregnancy tests were in my medicine cabinet waiting for that anxious moment. It read that it could be taken 5 days earlier than my missed period - so I took it 8 days earlier. I'm guessing I'm either pregnant or the anxiety and nervousness is making me nauseous.

Days for Ovulation

According to the parents.com fertility predictor, I supposedly ovulate between the following days:

Jun 28, 2009 - Jul 2, 2009
Jul 20, 2009 - Jul 24, 2009

So today is supposedly the day I ovulate. We're going to try.