If you didn't get the memo when we were in Santa Barbara or our current Shelfie, WE'RE PREGNANT! Our newest grail has been pre-ordered and it's set to arrive early October 2019. It's been quite the intense ride the past few weeks. Everyone has been asking how I've been enjoying pregnancy so far, I can honestly say I've hated 80% of it. The only joy we've gotten is seeing our little "Sour Patch" wiggling around on the screen and finally feeling it move around. I only say that because I've spent most of the time either nauseated to the point of no return or my head has been in a bucket hurling. I was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum almost immediately once we found out I was pregnant. Today happens to be HG Awarenesses Day. I'm thankful to find a group of women who understand my level of misery right now. We have yet to reach that point where my nausea isn't a problem, but we've managed to survive the most of it. My celiac disease has done me no favors with this pregnancy as my stomach is more sensitive as ever. It probably doesn't help that my allergies are completely out of control too. I do nothing but itch and hurl. Trust me, I will write up a list of my HG survival tips for all those asking within the next few weeks.
The next question we always get asked is "Was this planned or a surprise?" This one is a tough one for us to answer because it really was a surprise. Our doctor's office no longer carried a celiac-safe birth control pill as of October 2018. After fifteen years of being on it, we decided to come off all of it. We were told a few years before our wedding that having children would be extremely difficult for us. Plus with me being on birth control so long, the chances were slim to none. We really had already prepared ourselves for the possibility of a life without kids. Jokes on the doctors, because apparently, we got pregnant late December without a single clue. We ended up not finding out until late March. By then I was a complete nauseated mess, lost close to 20 lbs, and doctors kept thinking my celiac disease was going haywire again. It was an emergency room trip for severe dehydration that finally gave it away but not in a way we wished to learn. After spending five hours in the ER waiting to get me rehydrated, we were finally told the "good news" as I'm hurling and being wheeled out of Emergency. A random nurse runs up to us and says, "Congrats! You guys are pregnant. See your regular doctor ASAP." I'm 90% sure I flipped the nurse off as Andy loaded me into the car hurling because they hadn't helped me at all. Plus, to be completely frank, it wasn't the magic "OMG we are pregnant!" moment we dream of. But we at least knew what was finally causing all this mischief inside me. By the next day, my general OBGYN had me in her office scanning, checking, and dubbing me a "high-risk pregnancy." I've had the same doctor since I was thirteen so, suffice to say, she was stoked to see us finally get the one thing we've dreamed of after a long grueling health journey. After all, everyone does know me as The Super Nanny.
Since finding out we were pregnant, we managed to survive Emerald City Comic Con which was very difficult on my end. I thank Razzi Pizza for at least keeping me full of carbs the entire time. A large amount of walking, long days, and constant need to keep up a happy front was rough. Thankfully we had a few friends who knew the situation so they were keeping an eye on me. Andie, Jon, and Natalie, I love you guys. After that trip, we did a lot of searching into what medicines would work best for my nausea to try and combat it. It took a lot of trial and error. I haven't been that vocal about what I'm taking only because Mom Shaming is quite the rage on Instagram. Something I will be very vocal about later on! Once again, thankful to have HG women who are in my corner saying, "GIRL, I've been there." Frankly, I would love to have an all organic, no medication, or intervention pregnancy but that's not going to happen. I needed more medication to combat the nausea otherwise I was going to be hospitalized. From previous experience, we know hospitalizing me only makes me worse so we've been doing the best we can. Honestly, it wasn't until this week that I started to feel like my productive self again, but the nausea still comes and goes in full force. Until the nausea subsides, hopefully, I'm taking each day as it comes. Some days are better than others. I'm learning to let a lot of things go that I have no control over which is hard for someone with intense OCD. At some point, you can't push your body to answer emails no matter how hard you try. Nor can you try and clean the floors when all you can think about is barfing all over the clean part. Thankfully, they can be answered and cleaned tomorrow without issue. What was the hardest thing about HG or morning sickness for you? What was your saving grace? I would love to hear some of your survival tips!