I've discovered Nightmares & Vertigo

Nightmares... Now I know with being pregnant comes a lot of symptoms, however, this is definitely my LEAST favorite; if it even is a symptom. I have had nightmares every night for the past 2 weeks and frankly I'm tired of it! When you think of nightmares, most people think of when they were little and monsters would come and get them in there sleep. No, that's not what nightmares are about when you're pregnant. Honestly, I'd rather go back to when I was 5 years old and had nightmares about monsters eating me or something ridiculous, instead of the nightmares I have now. It is to the point now that I don't even want to nap or go to sleep at night because I'm scared of my dreams...really? What adult is scared of their dreams? They're just dreams, they aren't real. However they feel so real when I'm asleep it's not funny. Not only do I wake up in the middle of the night, still, because of peeing and having to move constantly to get comfortable at night; but now I wake up an additional 2-4 times a night because of these nightmares.  I have heavy breathing and toss and turn during these nightmare 'episodes'. Luckily, I don't wake up in pools of cool sweat, hahaha.  I know I need sleep, but it's getting hard to want to sleep when I know I'm just going to have another nightmare.

I'm not going to go in detail about what my nightmares were about, or discuss some of them because, honestly, they are extremely embarrassing. I can't believe that my brain could come up with this crap. I have nightmares that my family will fall apart and my husband will leave after the baby is born; which I know would never happen. Or I'm playing with my child in the park and she gets snatched or some crazy pedophile tries to take her. Or really weird crap that doesn't even make sense; which is the things that I won't go into detail about (I feel stupid for my subconscious brain even coming up with this stuff).

Has anyone else had nightmares, some very disturbing, while they were pregnant?? And how long is this going to last? Is this normal, or a normal symptom? Am I going crazy? Is there anything I can do to make them stop? Could it be food I've eaten, or a movie/TV Show I've watched? HELP, PLEASE!

Vertigo...In high school I was diagnosed with migraine and cluster headaches. Cluster headaches are when you have a bunch of headaches or migraines continuously for a long period of time. My migraines are seriously debilitating. I have to lay down with ice on the back of my head and front, turn off all lights and sounds, as well as take medicine. The migraines tend to make me nauseous and I would have flash white lights in my eyes (sometimes this would be the only symptom), which made it impossible to see. Since I've been pregnant the migraines and clusters have returned, with a vengeance. A couple times I've had migraines so bad where my right side would go numb and then the feeling would return 10 minutes or so later and have flashing white lights in my eyes (without the actual pain). But the most scariest symptoms with the migraines has been the vertigo. I got up in the middle of night a week ago to go to the bathroom (what else is new) and could barely stand, let alone walk to the bathroom because of the world spinning and extreme dizziness (without the pain again, just the vertigo and nausea). The vertigo is a new symptom of my migraines, I've never had this before until I became pregnant. I called my OB and she said that it was part of the migraines and that I should just take it easy. However, 2 days ago it happened again. Since I am pregnant there is nothing I can take, medication wise, to relieve any of the symptoms. I can take Tylenol, however I really try not to because I get worried something would happen to the baby.

Entering the Second Trimester

So I'm entering the second trimester, well I've been in the second trimester for almost 2 weeks now; but it has been even easier than the first trimester. However, getting constant migraines (NOT headaches) that last like 4 days, really sucks. But for the past week I've been migraine free, which is really good and I'm happy about that. I hope it lasts.

I know that you're supposed to have trouble sleeping during the third trimester, but I'm already there. It takes me a while to get comfortable, like an hour. I can't lay on my stomach, obviously, because of Jellybean. I can't lay on my back (even though I'm not that big), laying on my stomach stretches and pulls my stomach muscles. I can lay on my right side, but then I have to pee every hour. So I mostly just lay on my left side, but after a while it goes numb so I have to switch to the right side and then I have to pee... GRRRRRRR! Don't get me wrong, I can still sleep.. a lot! But I'm no where near exhausted as I was during the first trimester; but I can still sleep 10-12 hours a night but I don't need a nap during the day. So any suggestions or advice on this subject would be greatly appreicated.

Not napping during the day and having more energy during the day is really good for me, because I need to clean out the smaller room (also known as the "junk room") and move all the office and guest bedroom furniture into the small room and then clean the big room to make it the nursery! So there's A LOT to do and only 5 months to do it in, but I think I can handle it plus I have my wonderful husband to help :0)

Has anyone, whose been pregnant, had the feeling or still found it hard to believe that there was a life growing inside you?? Like I know there is, but since I can't feel it yet, it still astounds me that a little life that's half of me and half of Brian is growing in my tummy. :0) But the thought just makes me so happy! 

I really wanted to get a heart monitor so that I could hear Jellybean's heartbeat whenever I wanted, however, my mom and Brian think it's a bad idea. And after listening to them, I tend to agree. Because of my personality, they feel that if I get one I will use it everyday and constantly obsess over the heartbeat. They are also concerned that if I can't find the heartbeat one day, obviously because I'm not a doctor and the baby moves around, that it will extremely stress me out (and stress ... isn't good for pregnancy or the baby). So I agree with them and have decided not to get one, although I still think it would be cool if I could hear the heartbeat whenever I wanted, and I had found some that were at a very good price, and good quality. But I heard the heartbeat two weeks ago and I get to hear it again on August 31, so I think I'll be alright.

WE'RE EXPECTING!!!!

November of 2009 we found out I was pregnant, but for whatever God's reasons were it did not last (I will not go into details, those who know what happened understand). That was the most heartbreaking thing I've ever had to go through. I don't how I would have gotten through it without my wonderful husband by my side, he truly is amazing. We had to wait a while before we could start trying again, and 6 months later... I'M PREGNANT!!!

In June we went on a cruise with Brian's family and when we came home I thought I'd take a pregnancy test just for fun... I honestly wasn't excepting it to be positive, since the ones a couple months before were negative. I set it on the counter and was waiting the 5 minutes, like the directions said; but Brian decided he'd look. I yelled at him not to touch it, it hadn't been 5 minutes. He looked at me with a smile, and of course I looked confused. I said, "Well, what does it say? Negative right?" And he just kept smiling and I finally said, "NO WAY! Are you serious, it's positive!?!?!" He shook his head yes, and I started jumping for joy!

First pregnancy test taken 6.11.10... but of course, considering what happened last time and the fact that I could not see the doctor til I was at least 7 weeks along, I took another test four (6.15.10) days later.. just to make sure. You have to make sure. And it was still positive!!! YAY!!! (However, I'm only going to put up with one picture of the test, haha.)

Last time, since we were so excited we told everyone and put it on Facebook, way early than we should have and had to explain, too many times, what happened. So this time we 

decided we'd wait til we went to our first doctor's appointment before we'd tell our families (which would be 7-8 weeks along) and then wait til the end of the first trimester before telling friends and the world of Facebook (which would be 12-13 weeks along). However, I somewhat broke that rule and told my close girl friends once I had gone to the doctor the first, I was just so excited!!! 

We had our first doctor's appointment on July 2, 2010 at 7 weeks and 3 days. I was more than a bit nervous because of our visits last time. The doctor came in, wheeling what I swear is an ultrasound from the 1980's, into the room. After asking routine questions, we get to the ultrasound. And after what seemed like half an hour, but was really like 2 minutes, I saw a blob on the screen. And it's tiny little heart beating, I couldn't breathe...this was our baby, this is what we've wanted for so long. It was very exciting! After the ultrasound and conformation of the pregnancy, I preceded  to the blood taking area - where I was stabbed (that's right stabbed) twice!! In both arms, yes for someone whose job is to take blood ALL DAY, EVERY DAY... she, for some reason, cannot find my vein in my right arm and takes out the needle, grabs another one and stabs my left arm. And for someone who is around people all day, she's not a people person. I am NOT a needle/shots person at all. I even hate my finger being pricked. And I was talking to Brian and our awesome nurse about the fact that I didn't like needles and so on. The blood taking lady preceded to say, "Well then, you shouldn't have gotten pregnant and you'll have to get used to it." WELL THANK YOU BITCH! I am aware of this, but that doesn't mean I have like it or enjoy it (being stabbed with needles).  

This is our first ultrasound, taken on July 2, 2010 at 7 weeks and 3 days pregnant! You can see the yolk sac (the small white circle), the baby (in the middle, kind of looks like a jellybean), and the umbilical cord (which goes from the baby to the edge of the sac). And since our baby looked like a jellybean (as the doctor called it), that is the nickname for our child until we know the sex. So until the end of September, our child will  be known as Jellybean Thomas (Don't make fun!)

So the first trimester of pregnancy, I thought, was pretty easy.  I was nauseous most of the trimester, but only vomited a couple of times (like 5 times tops), so I thought I had it pretty good on that. I was extremely tired though, like extremely! I could sleep for 12 hours at night and take like a 5 hour nap during the day and still be able to sleep the following night for another 12 hours.... not that I'm complaining. And I had to pee every 20 minutes, SERIOUSLY! But overall I think the first trimester was pretty easy for me, so I'm not complaining at all. However, I this feeling that when I become pregnant with our second child, I highly doubt I'll be as lucky with the first trimester symptoms.

Our second appointment was on July 30, 2010, however it was not a normal "check-up" visit. We have decided to have three tests done, not that I'm high risk or anything, but our insurance covers these tests 100% so we thought, why not? We had an NT and lab work done, as well as the cystic fibrosis test done. The NT test is done by ultrasound and measures the fluid in the baby's neck as well as the bridge bone in there nose. NT tests for spina bifida and down syndrome. Both the NT ultrasound and the cystic fibrosis tests came back NEGATIVE, which is great!!! And all my lab work was prefect! So we were very excited about that. We were not expecting to get any pictures during this ultrasound or to be able to see the baby as clearing and for as long as we did. The appointment lasted at least 30 minutes, in which we saw both arms and hands, both legs and feet, and the baby's nose. :0) We also saw the heart fluttering again, but this time we got to HEAR the heartbeat, which was a surprise to us because we thought that we wouldn't be able to hear it until our 12 week appointment. It was so wonderful to look at the screen and see a life forming in your stomach. I will admit I was still shocked when I saw Jellybean on the screen again, it's hard to believe that something that wonderful is growing in your stomach, until you can actually feel it kick. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen and was overwhelmed with joy when I watched Jellybean "jumping" in my belly. I know Brian was overwhelmed as well. And the ultrasound machine used for this test was one of the high-tech GE huge ultrasound machines. It was just wonderful!!

Here is a picture of Jellybean on July 30, 2010 at 11 weeks and 3 days! (However Jellybean was measuring almost 12 1/2 weeks!) After seeing our baby's head, I sure hope it's body catches up!!! Both Brian and I had heads too big for normal delivery. So we'll see! You can see Jellybean's nose, which is so cute!! As well as Jellybean's ears! Although it looks like Jellybean still has a tail.

On August 2, 2010, at 12 weeks along, we had our third appointment, which was our second "standard check-up". During this appointment I was asked routine questions and so able to hear Jellybean's heart again!! :0) The doctor counted the heartbeat, 160 BPM!!! Which she said was perfectly normal! I have another appointment on August 31, 2010 at 16 weeks along, but only for more blood tests, registering for classes, and hearing the heartbeat again :0) I can't wait to find out the sex of the baby! But that won't happen til at til 20 weeks, which is September 28!!! :0)

I have to say that I absolutely LOVE my doctor and nurse! I'm glad I chose to stick with the practice I've been going to since I was 18. And what I think makes this even more special is that the OB/GYN practice I'm going to is the same one my mom went to when she was pregnant with me and the same practice that delivered me, however, I have a different doctor. Dr. Fisch is great!

I'm currently 14 1/2 weeks along and I'm definitely showing, which is exciting! I've also gone maternity shopping at Gap and Old Navy which has the BEST maternity clothes, in my opinion! But luckily a lot of my shirts still fit, I just need pants. I am looking forward to the rest of our journey through pregnancy and can't wait to meet our first child!!! And in case you were wondering we've already picked names - (Boy: John Cayden Thomas; Girl: Peyton Elizabeth Thomas). 

So it's official, we're expecting our first child February 15, 2010 - a Valentine's baby! We're so excited!!!!