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| Current mood . . . |
Sunday morning, just before my husband left for his business trip, I could feel the thing moving around in my abdomen. Its movements are becoming more and more pronounced though I wondered if my husband would be able to feel anything yet when it was moving as he had not been able to in the past (according to the books that might not happen till next week), but I told him where I felt the movement and he put his hand on my abdomen there and all of a sudden his face lit up with shock and joy. He felt it move. I was so happy that he could share this with me before he left to be on the other side of the country for the rest of the week that my eyes welled up with tears. This is all becoming more and more real with every passing week and even when I'm suffering from some pregnancy symptom or another, I remember to count my blessings that I'm pregnant and that the doctor says that everything is normal. I had given up hope that I would ever get to experience a pregnancy, let alone one that might end in a living baby, and though I had to get here through the arduous road of IVF, I feel fortunate that that was even available and an option for me because in the past I might never have been able to experience what it's like to be more than halfway through a pregnancy.
This week I had a lab appointment on Tuesday to have my thyroid levels tested ahead of my appointment with the endocrinologist the next day.
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| At the lab bright and early in the morning for blood tests yet again. |
My endocrinologist said that my thyroid numbers were just barely okay for my T4 level and that I would definitely need a higher dose soon as the pregnancy progressed, so he was raising my dose of levothyroxine yet again. The dose that I'm currently on (175 mcg) doesn't exist in tablet form, so it requires me taking one 125 mcg tablet five times a week and two tablets twice a week. Since I've been on weird doses of medications for so long, this doesn't even seem very complicated. He said that my weight only went up by one pound in a month (at this stage in pregnancy the average weight gain for women according to the books I've been reading is one pound a week), which he was pleased about after my "excessive" weight gain last time he saw me (look, I'm trying buddy, but I'm really, really hungry). I will be seeing him two days after I return from the vacation for another follow up, which means going to the lab the day after I return to test my thyroid levels again, but it's very important to keep those thyroid levels optimal for the health of the fetus and me (and for the fetus' IQ level too at this stage, as suboptimal thyroid levels can lead to a lowering of the IQ of the fetus though it would still be within the low normal range).
The same day I saw the endocrinologist, I also saw my maternity doctor for a monthly check up. He measured me stomach, listened to the fetal heartbeat, and took my blood pressure, and said that everything looks totally normal and that he has absolutely no concerns at this point. As I am travelling, he gave me a prescription for antibiotics in case I get a bladder infection while I'm away (an even higher possibility when women are pregnant due to suppressed immune system and relaxin which makes it more possible for bacteria to invade the urinary tract and just from the fetus pressing down on the bladder which may make complete emptying of the bladder less likely). I felt like I was getting a urinary tract infection this week, but couldn't tell if I just had to go to the washroom more often because I'm pregnant and the thing is pressing down on my bladder and whether the discomfort in my lower abdomen was the bladder or if it was just the overly stretch round ligaments from the uterus expanding. The doctor's MOA had screened my urine sample and the doctor said it didn't look like I had a UTI, but he would send the sample to the lab to culture just in case. Two days later the report said that there was no infection, so I guess I'm just pregnant. The doctor warned me as I left that I must always empty my bladder when I feel like I need to go (oh okay, I'll just live in the bathroom then!).
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| Waiting for the doctor. |
When I was at the doctor, besides getting prescriptions for drugs that I might need on vacation and a refill of a drug that I need daily, I also asked for a note saying how many weeks pregnant I am and my due date in case an airline asks me for a note. I have researched Air France/Delta, Air Canada, and Air Tahiti and none require a note as early as I am in pregnancy, but who knows if someone will look at you and suddenly decide you're further along than you are. Be prepared in my philosophy. He also had his MOA print out my antenatal records from his office, including a copy of my latest ultrasound, and my blood type to take with me so that if something goes wrong I have them and the attending doctor can review them. Also, he warned me to always go to the hospital to emergency and ask for a maternity doctor instead of just going to a clinic so that I would actually get advice suited for pregnancy (in these more remote islands, this won't be an option). I just hope that nothing will happen, but at least I have travel insurance, prescriptions, a note, antenatal records, and he has no concerns about my pregnancy and says that everything is normal, so I've done all that I can do to prepare.
I spent the rest of the week going for walks, going for another adjustment at the chiropractor (I couldn't make it three weeks and had to go a week early due to tight upper back and neck), organizing last minute details for
our vacation (or "babymoon") to French Polynesia (see our travel blog), figuring out what to bring on the trip (pretty much nothing fits that will work in a tropical place, so that makes it easier to choose), and running errands such as picking up stuff for the trip including prescriptions, vitamins, and over the counter medications since some of the islands that we're going to will not have much and I always like to be prepared.
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| I didn't go for a walk Monday when a Sunday snowstorm covered the sidewalks and I was afraid of falling (and it was more cozy inside.) |
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| So many beautiful walks watching spring creep into Victoria. |
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| Cherry blossoms are just starting to come out. |
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| Gonzales Bay is so gorgeous. |
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| So is Ross Bay. |
The task that I was dreading the most in the way of stuff needed for the trip was finding a bathing suit to fit my current body. I thought that it would be really painful and perhaps even impossible in Victoria, but I went to the place where I bought my last swimsuit (that I really ended up loving and was such good quality), Swim Co in Mayfair Mall, and threw myself upon the mercy of the salespeople. They just asked what I was generally looking for, what my approximate size is now, and then they started grabbing stuff off the racks and ushered me to the change room immediately. Then a steady stream of bathing suits were delivered and the salespeople came in to see if the suits fit properly or to help adjust straps until I painlessly and relatively quickly found a beautiful two piece swimsuit that will be comfortable and functional in French Polynesia. I definitely wanted to make sure the bathing suit would be high quality (the swimsuit I ended up with is Seafolly just like my last one though now in a bigger size and without underwires) and comfortable since we'll be spending every day pretty much swimming or at the beach or snorkeling. The ingenious women at the store even taught my husband how to tie the straps of what would normally be a halter top into criss-cross straps that won't bother my neck (and they found a top without underwire which pregnant women aren't supposed to wear because it can damage the milk ducts of the developing breasts). All in all, I was both shocked and impressed when we left the store not too long later, swimsuit in hand. So thank you to the salespeople at Swim Co in Mayfair Mall for making pregnancy less uncomfortable, especially in such an unsavory task as finding a swimsuit.
With respect to finding clothes to take on the trip, I'm just taking a few dresses that still fit me and I bought one thing other than the swimsuit, a pair of linen pants (since I have zero bottoms that fit that are not leggings). Since the maternity store and almost every other store either didn't have anything light and summery yet or nothing that would fit my rapidly expanding waistline, I eventually went into the plus size section of The Bay and found the linen pants there. I just chose a pair that had an elastic waist plus a draw string allowing me to adjust as needed. I made sure to buy them on the big side as I have no idea how much size I'll gain in the next month and it's really uncomfortable to have anything tight around the waist. They're not the greatest fit because a pregnancy body isn't really like a normal woman's body, but they'll do well enough and I'm not going to the fashion capital of the world either. I'll be spending most of my time in my bathing suit floating in turquoise waters anyways.
I reached 24 weeks pregnant today and I almost have to pinch myself to believe that I'm actually pregnant and actually this far along. My endocrinologist reassured me that I'm in a safe zone now for pregnancy (but I don't want to get too excited yet just in case). Other than frequent urination and round ligament pain, how am I feeling? The movements of the thing are becoming stronger and more definite by the week. Over the past two weeks, I've gone from wondering if I have indigestion or gas or if I'm imagining things, to knowing that the movements I'm feeling in my abdomen are coming from the fetus. This is something that is still startling. And it's kind of weird. It's strange to know that there's something alive inside of you and that it's a good thing unlike a tapeworm or something of the sort. I'm sleeping better than I was, but still have to get up a lot to go to the washroom, plus I still find it weird to sleep on only my sides and to get comfortable with my changing body and side sleeping. I still feel pretty tired, but I've been getting out for walks almost every day (sometimes walking as far as 9.5 km in a day, though that really exhausts me and my legs and hips get sore, but walking seems to really help me sleep at night). My mood has been better than it was. I find I'm still a little down and definitely anxious. I think that a trip away to somewhere sunny with three and a half whole weeks of time with my husband will be very good for me. The hemorrhoid is way better than it was, though not totally gone and I'm making sure I get in as many epsom salt baths as I can before we go away to a place that is not going to have baths in most places (nor will I be dragging epsom salts with me). I have noticed my belly taking on definitely more of a pregnant shape week by week. And there's the nagging little annoyances of pregnancy caused by the immune system being suppressed or extra blood flow like the rash I seem to keep getting on my leg, stuffy sinuses, plugging and unplugging ears, and what looks like athlete's foot just starting between my one little toe and the next toe. But these are small fish to fry when I consider the miracle of me actually getting pregnant and still being pregnant.
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| I don't think the cat knows what's coming or that he'll be particularly happy about it. "I'm your only baby." |
Speaking of miracles, the demand letter that I prepared to send to the ombudsperson who was acting as a conduit between our insurance company and us over the remainder of the drug costs from IVF that our insurance company refused to pay (the last of which we incurred in November) has finally resulted in a payment of the remainder of the drug costs owing. I thought that we were going to have to commence litigation (insurance companies in my experience, after having worked as a litigator in primarily insurance cases, rarely pay up unless you sue once they've decided not to pay), but I'm glad that we don't. Insurance companies should pay what they're legally obligated to pay under the insurance policies that THEY write (that favour the insurance company heavily). You can't just take insurance premiums from people and then decide that you don't feel like paying what people claim under their insurance policy because you don't feel like it (or you made a bad gamble as an insurance company in insuring them). For other people experiencing these types of insurance denials after getting IVF and claiming under your insurance, be persistent to try to get what you are owed and if it's a large enough sum, perhaps litigation is even warranted. I can't image what monsters the insurance company would come across as denying a poor infertile couple the insurance coverage that they paid for. That's a story any newspaper would love to tell. In Canada, people love swapping stories of dishonest insurance companies. Anyways, I'm glad we stuck with it and didn't let them get away with it. It was a lot of work and annoyance, but on principle, I can't let insurance companies get away with that kind of high handed conduct because if I let them get away with it, they'll just do it someone else, and then someone else. Someone has to take a stand and tell them that it's not right and that they can't get away with it (or at least not every time).
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| Lamont's look of despair or perhaps annoyance sums up how I feel about insurance companies. |
The week ended on a pleasant note when a dear friend took me for afternoon tea at The Empress Hotel and we lingered over the dainties and fine green tea that we chose for three hours and talked about everything under the sun while we admired the view of the inner harbour in rainy Victoria. I then had dinner with her and her husband and very much enjoyed not having dinner alone again. Having good friends really does make life so much easier to bear.
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| Coming up with an outfit to wear to afternoon tea with my limited wardrobe was difficult. |
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| A maxi dress with a cardigan over and a wool coat that I can't button up anymore since it was raining. Oh and pearls of course! |
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| A fine Japanese green tea at The Empress. |
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| Afternoon Tea at The Empress Hotel. |
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| Macaroons at The Empress. |
My husband doesn't come back till the middle of the night tonight and he's gone again Sunday morning, so we'll only have a day together, but at least I get to see him and he can be near to me, the cat, and the thing even if just for a short while. And after this business trip, he comes back Friday midday and we leave for our "babymoon" together the next day. I'm very much looking forward to that.
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| 24 weeks pregnant. |
