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The Blizzard and Morning Sickness

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On December 18, two major storms hit me simultaneously – the Blizzard of 2009 and morning sickness. I have to say, it has been a crazy week. After Micah’s birthday party tanked, he stayed sick all week. We did a little celebration at home in honor of his birthday, but then I actually left for Kansas for work from December 15-16. I flew home late on the 16th, not feeling so hot. I thought it was just my susceptibility to motion sickness while pregnant – the flight back did not make me feel too well. We woke up early on the 17th to make our doctor’s appointment to have Micah’s skull examined, and then had an insanely crazy day. I threw up on and off all day, and knew I was in for another round of morning sickness. I had a really rough night on Thursday (and Micah was not sleeping great all week because his cough kept waking him up), and I woke up early on Friday feeling sick.

That should have been my clue I was in for trouble. We were preparing for the blizzard and trying to get a whole bunch of things done. I started throwing up early that morning, and couldn’t keep anything down. I tried eating, I tried not eating. I tried drinking water, I tried sleeping. Every couple of hours, I was throwing up again. They were having a potluck party at Micah’s daycare at 5:00 pm, and I had to make something for the event. Luckily, we had a ton of leftover cupcakes from the birthday party that wasn’t, so I was able to quickly ice those and bring them with us. I took a phenergan in the afternoon, hoping it would help with the nausea.

At Micah’s daycare, I just felt worse and worse. I had to excuse myself to go throw up, and then I just did not think I would be able to function any more. We finally went home, and it just got worse. I threw up a few more times, and I knew I had nothing left in my system. I tried lying down while Elliot took Micah out to services, but that didn’t help either. I threw up a few more times before they made it home. Elliot went upstairs to put Micah to bed, and he disappeared for a few more hours. I was very unhappy with him – I was just miserable as I was throwing up nonstop for the next few hours. He finally made it downstairs (my mom called and he brought me the phone), and he decided to run out before the weather was awful and pick up my phenergan. He disappeared for far too long, and I was a mess. When he finally came back, I took another pill…and promptly threw it up. We called the midwives, and they said that they’d normally tell me to go to the hospital, but the roads were already too dangerous to drive.

We spent the next few hours trying to get enough medicine in me and get creative about ways to make me keep it down. Finally, around 1:00 in the morning I stopped throwing up. I tried drinking water around 4:00 am, but threw that up. Saturday, the snow was going strong all day, so I just pretty much lay low, took my pills, and couldn’t eat or drink anything. On Sunday, we called the midwives again, and they called in a prescription for Zofran. Sunday was actually a miserable day for me. Elliot went down to volunteer at Martha’s Table where we normally cook and serve hot meals the Sunday before Christmas, but I was too sick to go and we had no babysitter for Micah because of the weather. Elliot went anyway, and left me home, by myself, to take care of an infant while I was throwing up. It was an AWFUL day. At least he picked up the prescription for Zofran on the way home, but he was gone from 11-6. I was not a happy camper. Finally, a few hours after I took the 2 Zofran, I started feeling some better. By 10:00 pm, I was able to drink water!! I quickly graduated to vegetable broth, and for breakfast on Monday morning, I got quite bold and ate rice. I managed to keep most everything down, but it has been miserable. Not exactly what I had in mind.

Despite my complete misery, we did manage to take Micah out for some fun in the snow. I took him out by myself on Sunday (for about 10 minutes). Poor little guy – I think it took us 30 minutes to get ready, and he really didn’t feel like staying and playing too long! Here are our snow pictures:









Snow videos:

What a week!

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Thought I’d start off sharing some additional pictures from our Florida trip . . . including our visit with his Great Aunt Ellen & Great Uncle Stu. Check out the first picture – when he does this I keep thinking someone has just shouted “stick ’em up” or “you’re under arrest!”


Okay . . . back to our regularly scheduled program. This has been a crazy week so far – a really good week, but definitely crazy. On Monday I went to my 6 week checkup. All is going well – I’ve healed nicely, but it seems I have a yeast infection on my nipples. No wonder breastfeeding has been so uncomfortable!! I was given a prescription for “Newman’s Nipple Cream” to try and fix everything.

Right after my appointment, I went to my first Baby & Me class! There were about 10 women in the class, and I think it seems like a really good group. We all just sat around to talk, then we went out to Panera afterwards to grab some lunch. It was nice for me to get out and about and feel like me again.

On Tuesday, I was worried that Micah might also have thrush since I had an infection, so I took him to the doctor. Turns out, he was just fine. We did get to weigh him again . . . and he weighed a whopping 8 lbs 10 ounces!!!! I talked to the doctor about whether Micah has reflux, and he thought it was a definite possibility. He gave us some different formula (which I didn’t think would matter since we hardly ever give him formula). We decided to table the discussion on Zantac because Micah had not been crying from the reflux. Naturally, we left the doctor’s office, and when we got home, Micah began to cry. And pretty much shrieked for over 8 hours. Nothing made him feel better. He was hiccuping, making choking and wheezing sounds, crying when he spit up . . . I was sure it was the reflux. I tried calling the doctor about 3 hours in, and he had left for the day. The other pediatrician wouldn’t prescribe Zantac since Micah was not her patient (seriously?) and when I pushed about what to do, she first told me to let him cry until the next day. I pushed some more, and she suggested children’s Maalox. I sent my Dad out to get it . . . only to learn that children’s Maalox only comes in pill form. I called the doctor back, and she said “Oops, I meant Mylanta.” I then sent Elliot out to look for Mylanta . . . and again, we learned it is not available in liquid. At 8:00 pm, I called the after-hours number . . . and got the same rotten doctor!! She finally gave in, and after giving me some attitude, she called in the Zantac. All I can say is it made a HUGE difference. Micah is doing really well on it!

On Wednesday, Micah was feeling so great that we went out ALL day. We went to the baby store to get gifts for a friend of mine who just had a baby (also named Micah), and then off to Target. After the errands, I went to the breastfeeding support group. Following the support group, two of us then went out for coffee. In the middle of all this, I got a call that one of my friends (whose grandmother had just died) was having Shiva that night. For those of you who do not know, Shiva is a Jewish custom to support the family members of a person who has recently died. Everyone goes to the house, brings food, and is there for a short prayer ceremony that enables them to mourn. The custom is designed to ensure that those in mourning do not have to mourn alone. Anyway, Elliot & I decided to go there, so I took Micah to my parents’ house on our way over. We made it home about 10:00 pm – I was out with Micah for 12 hours!!

Thursday was another adventure. I woke up in the morning and took Micah back to Target because I had mistakenly bought the wrong bottle. We then went to pick up Elliot, and we went to the bris for my friend’s baby Micah. We spent the afternoon there, then came home. Elliot & I decided we were long overdue for a date night, so my parents came over to babysit. We went out for a few hours to see a one-man comedy show – My Mother is Italian, My Father is Jewish, and I’m Still in Therapy – at the Bethesda Theatre. It was a lot of fun, and so nice to get out just the two of us.

Today we spent the day with Aunt Jen and cousins Paige and Peyton. It was another good day, although Micah seems to cry at the beginning of every car trip (which breaks my heart). I even had time to take a business call before we left! Micah has been so much more alert and awake this week. We’ve had time to play on the playmat (actually, both my babies were playing together):




and run some errands, too! I can’t believe how big Micah is getting. He is having some cranky periods now (very new for me) and he has some fussiness and hours when all he wants is for mommy to hold him. We’re working on getting the hang of the new routine.

Here are a few other fun pictures from this week:


And Micah wants to send out a big “hello” and a huge hug & kiss to his Poppy Ira and his Grammy . . . both of whom always make sure to read this blog and keep such close tabs on him! Thank you.

Rough Week

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This week has been tough. Micah has been struggling with a cold, and then it affected his eating/nursing. We’ve been having a difficult time getting back on track. He seems to be feeling much better, but he is still congested. At the doctor’s appointment on Thursday (we went in to have him checked for his cold), he had only gained 4 ounces – about 5 ounces less than we would have liked. We have no way to know whether this slowed weight gain is merely due to his cold or if it signifies a bigger eating issue.

I’m a bit frustrated right now with breastfeeding. He was doing a great job eating, and we were on a pretty good schedule until he got sick. He wouldn’t eat for about a day, so I had to pump and bottle feed him. All I can say is this began a long cycle of crazy stuff . . . first I was feeling like I had an oversupply, and then it felt like my milk supply crashed. Micah finally got his appetite back, but he has been cluster-feeding pretty much non-stop for the past several days. We finally resorted to giving him a few bottle formula supplements because I just couldn’t nurse him that many hours a day. I think he was nursing for about 12 hours straight on Thursday and Friday. Yesterday was better during the day, but then Micah would not stop nursing overnight and would not go down to sleep. I had a horrible migraine, so after nursing him for 9 hours (with about 45 minutes of breaks TOTAL), I finally told Elliot to give him a bottle of formula so I could try and sleep my migraine off. I’ve been concerned that Micah is nursing like crazy because he isn’t getting enough from me. The formula did the trick last night and Micah finally slept for 5 hours straight. He seems to be nursing more “normally” today – we’ll see what happens tonight. He has been difficult to wake for his feedings today, so I’m concerned we are on a bad cycle here.

I’ve tried calling a few lactation consultants. Right now, everyone seems to think this is just a growth spurt (although I’m not convinced). Did I mention he is pooping green? I am concerned this means there is an issue with my milk, but who knows. He isn’t exhibiting other symptoms of a foremilk/hindmilk issue (and he nurses for very long periods of time – sometimes 30-50 minutes on each breast – and yes, he is actively nursing that WHOLE time). I may have another appointment with a lactation consultant tomorrow.

Overall, today was a good day. Niki and Eric and their kids came by to bring us bagels for breakfast and take a tour of our house. I then went to meet a new contractor to get a price quote on fixing up my condo for resale. Micah has been nursing easily and quickly going down for his naps today, but tonight will be the real test. I’m still obsessing about his weight (and my milk supply) and whether everything is okay, but I’m trying to hang in there for a few more days.

My baby is sick

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My poor little guy is sick . . . he is running a bit of a fever, and he is definitely congested. I can’t get him to wake up and eat today. I called the doctor, and there isn’t much I can do for him. I just hope he starts feeling better soon!

In good news, Micah did latch 2x in the past 24 hours without the nipple shield. He didn’t nurse that long, but he did latch, so there is hope that we’ll get off the nipple shield eventually!

I’m so sick – and he is so awake!

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Well, it is official – I’m SICK. I can’t breathe, I’m all stuffed up and coughing, and I’m just feeling horrible. We’ve been having a rough day today – Micah has been cluster feeding all day, and he has been wide awake for the past 5 hours. It is kind of fun having him awake, but then he gets upset and wants to nurse. I think he isn’t sure what to do with himself. I’ve been singing to him
(poor guy) and talking to him. I’ve been giving him a pacifier today – not sure if that is a mistake. It seems to keep him calm, but I don’t want to discourage him from eating. He is able to hold it in his mouth all by himself! As Elliot would say, “He’s so advanced.” Perhaps Micah isn’t feeling well either.

Hopefully being awake will help him sleep better tonight. We’re also going to try the secure sleeper and see if that helps. Wish us luck!

Are we really moving?

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According to our contractor, our house will be finished this weekend. Now, we’ve been hearing this since . . . May. But for some reason, this time I think it really might be true! I would love to finally be able to move into our new house and settle in. We shall see if the contractor is telling the truth this time.

I’m feeling okay today. Frank seems to be sleeping right now (he was awake and contracting most of the night), so let’s hope he stays quiet. The nausea is what is making me feel the worst today. According to the scale, I’ve lost another 2 lbs . . . I cannot for the life of me figure out how that is possible. I swear, this baby must have Elliot’s metabolism (which is much better for him in the long run). I’m sure going to miss eating with impunity.

28 week appt

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I’m trying to stay positive, but today was a slightly rough day for me. It was my 28 week appointment – fairly routine, gestational diabetes test scheduled, and not much else to worry about. HOWEVER, last night, I began to realize that the dull ache on the side of my abdomen that had been bothering me since Sunday had escalated to the point of excruciating. After much debate, DH & I decided I should tough it out until our appointment this morning.

I arrive for my appointment, and quickly discover that the nurse forgot to give me the glucola to drink at home BEFORE my appointment. So, at the appointment I have to quickly inhale the horrific orange goop without vomiting (quite a task), and then sit and wait an hour so they can draw my blood. We went into the room for my appointment, and then things went downhill. The good news is, the baby’s heartbeat was great, and I’m measuring right on target. I did not gain any weight again, but this midwife seemed totally unconcerned by my lack of weight gain, so I did escape the yelling/lecture. We quickly moved on to more “fun” subjects . . . including the return of my UTI. Yup, it is back. Or perhaps it never left this last time. And my numbers were through the roof – the infection just keeps getting worse. So, I’m being placed back on antibiotics . . . for the rest of this pregnancy. Fun, huh?

So, after discussing my lovely UTI, I brought up the pain in my abdomen. After some discussion and a quick check, I was informed that I have pulled a muscle in my abdomen. I have to go out and buy an abdominal support brace, which she thinks I’ll have to wear for the remainder of the pregnancy :(. I’m definitely not pleased about that either. And it looks like I have to drop out of yoga class now, too :(.

Next bit of fun? We talked about my morning sickness and other tummy issues I’ve been having . . . and I was basically told there isn’t much more we can do. I’m supposed to stay away from fiber/veggies (haven’t heard that one too often, right?) and understand that the antibiotics will probably just make it worse.

So then it was off to visit with the nurse to have my blood drawn. Let’s just say she was not quite adept at drawing blood. Four (yes, I said 4) stabs later, and lots of moving the needle around, she finally got the blood, but it involved tears and hysteria from me. I have good veins . . . any competent phlebotomist should be able to draw blood from me without incident. I was really unhappy today, pretty worked up, and now I look like a junkie with track marks. It is days like this that it is difficult to keep the thrill of being pregnant and not get caught up in the bad stuff. Let’s just hope the test comes back negative and I can at least avoid having to do the 3 hour test!

Dancing Baby

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Tonight I am sitting here and watching my belly . . . the baby is making my belly dance!! He seems to be kicking and punching, and my big ole’ belly is moving all over the place. I’m quite amused by this, and I can’t stop smiling. Now if we can just get him to play when my mom is in the room, he’d have a happy Grammy!

What else can I report? We are finally making progress with our house – for the first time, I have hope that it will be finished in the next few weeks. We have ordered the baby furniture, and we are actually planning to go and start registering for stuff this week.

Other than that, I’m feeling well, but still not over the morning sickness completely. Suddenly, this week the indigestion has kicked it back into high gear, and every time I eat anything, I’m feeling over-full, like there is just no room in my tummy anymore. I have my next appointment in two weeks, and I’ll be having the gestational diabetes test done. After that, I start going in for appointments every 2 weeks!

Yoga Time

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When I started out with this pregnancy, I swore I was going to work hard to stay fit and in shape. Health was a factor, but frankly I was terrified I’d gain 300 lbs during the pregnancy, and never be able to fit through a normal door again after the baby arrives. I had grand plans of swimming everyday, and taking long walks, and about 500 other physical activities I was going to do. And then the morning sickness set in . . . and the UTIs. . . . and the sinus infections and bronchitis . . . . and well, let’s just say I’ve been fairly sluggish this pregnancy, despite my good intentions! It is amazing how easy it is to justify staying out of the pool when your head is congested and full.

It seems the morning sickness is finally easing up (I wouldn’t say it is gone, but I have more good days than bad days now), and I’m in between UTIs and sinus infections, so I’m feeling pretty good this week. Except for all of my sore muscles (probably from failure to exercise). So, this week, I decided it was time to get back to physical activity. I am usually quite flexible, so I thought a class that would build strength and flexibility in a low-intensity way would reduce my current discomfort and would be an ideal first step back. On Monday night, I drove over at 7:00 pm to go to my first prenatal class . . . only to find they canceled the class! After much searching, I learned that there are tons of yoga centers offering prenatal yoga . . . but none currently have scheduled classes! Naturally, I saw this as a challenge, and it became my mission to find a yoga class to attend. After relentlessly calling and searching, I found another location that has a certified prenatal instructor who teaches a regular yoga class. I spoke to her, and she said that she is willing to let me participate in her regular class and help me modify the exercises to make them appropriate for pregnancy . . . so almost a prenatal yoga class. The good news is, I could continue in this class after I have the baby, too!

I was asked to come in for an initial private session so the instructor could evaluate me, confirm that I am capable of participating in the class, and show me some key modifications I will need to use. Today, I went in for my first private session. I have to say, I haven’t felt this relaxed and loose in months! I really enjoyed the physical activity, and I’m hoping to keep it up 1-2 times per week. My next class is on Tuesday, and I will be trying out the group class! I also have grand intentions of getting back to swimming, but one step at a time, right?

It’s back . . . .

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Well, I’m having a wonderful time at the beach on vacation (despite a little tropical storm). I handled the morning sickness on the trip down pretty well, and only threw up once so far! Unfortunately, I got a call from the midwives . . . I have ANOTHER UTI . . . but it is a different bacteria this time. So, unfortunately, it is back on antibiotics I go!

On a more positive note, we received a message that Sam & Betsy had their baby this weekend – Rebecca Sadie! We are thrilled for them, and can’t wait to meet her when we return.