My Current State of Being

I’m in high spirits this week, though I did hear two dead twin stories yesterday. I learned about someone’s acquaintance who had one twin die at 16 weeks. (Not a good thing to hear when you’re at 15 weeks.) Then, my general practitioner, who I finally went to see about my cough, immediately told me that his mom had miscarried his twin brothers at 7 months upon hearing my news. Um, thanks for that. I like him though. He’s very thorough and though he maybe talks a little too much about anything and everything, he doesn’t rush appointments. I’ll be taking the twins to him for pediatrics (God willing that they make it). Funny thing is, he didn’t even ask about whether I did IVF or anything. If my doctor, who probably has the most reason to ask such a question, didn’t need to ask, then everybody else can just mind their own business! I really liked GLouise’s response to my post yesterday—all so true and reassuring.

Anyhow, I wanted to give a quick health report for those of you obsessing about your condition like I am. The doc found no real reason for my cough other than it being a seasonal thing, and he suggested a cough drop that numbs the throat a little for relief. I hate cough drops though, so the name/brand went in one ear and out the other. I was feeling better, but then I had a major coughing fit last night that woke me up and made my stomach hurt so much. I find I have a lot of growing pains at night so I hope everything is fine.

I’ve had major headaches every day for several weeks now, and there’s really nothing I can do about them. I find laying down actually makes them worse. This has prevented me from sleeping in on the weekends, because I tend to wake up at 5 am with the headache and have to get up. I’m also peeing a million times a day—the frequency seems to have increased this past month. My lower back has been hurting from time to time, probably due to the growing boobs and belly.

When I looked down at my belly last night as I changed my clothes, I saw my belly button had completely popped out. Even though I’m just into my 4th month of pregnancy, I look a full 5 months when analyzing the pregnant woman illustrations in my “What to Expect” book. I guess it’s time to start taking some pictures of my belly!

I’m still concerned about my pink breasts, but I’m chalking it up to not being able to find the perfect bra. The new, expensive bras I bought while I was away still leave marks on the larger one that take hours to go away. A lot of my bras seem to be cutting off my circulation. Last night, the pink, marked-up area was a little numb. Ugh. I hate my boobs. I always thought it was great that I had a little bit of a chest. I never knew how much I would wish for an A cup. They are so big now they have stretch marks.

The other new development is that I feel the need to eat just about every hour. And it’s not a pleasant “oh I’m hungry” feeling. It’s a “oh my god I better eat or I’m going to die” feeling. I feel much better for about a half hour after eating. Then the process starts again. I don’t enjoy food at all, which makes it even harder. I’ve been able to eat healthy things at least. I’m always in the mood for fruit. Today, before lunch, I’d already eaten a lunch baggie full of grapes, a baggie full of strawberries, an apple, and a kiwi. This was in addition to a huge chunk of cheese, a granola bar, a dried fruit pouch, and a bagel. Maybe I should just eat a bigger sit-down breakfast? I really only have time for these quick snacks rather than a sit-down meal.

Other than these minor discomforts, I’m doing well. I’ll find out the sex of the babies on Dec. 20, less than 2 weeks away! This will be a very detailed scan, checking for lots of things, so I hope it will be a good one. Every time I feel like I might go out and start buying some of the major ticket baby items, I tell myself to wait until after the next scan. I really need to start shopping after this if we are going to spread out paying for two of everything. That and I won’t be up to going shopping once I get too big. I know it’s still early, but given my current size I now fully believe my doctor when he says that I don’t have much more time left to get around easily. Plus I want to be prepared in case I need bed rest. I don’t want to be over eager, but I feel like the time to go crib, stroller, and car seat shopping is upon me, especially if things need to be ordered.