Tag: second trimester

Heinous heat waves: Tips for surviving a summer pregnancy.

.Reading time 6 minutes.

shutterstock_pregnant-in-summer

I’m 27 weeks pregnant, in the last week of my second trimester and struggling to survive summer. It’s bad enough my body has increased blood volume and raised metabolism, which in turn increases my body’s temperature by almost one extra degree. Then mix in the heinous heat waves we’ve been having and you have the recipe for one huge-hot-mess of a Mumma-to-be. 

I remember it being “hot” when I was pregnant with my son in the middle of summer six years ago, sure there were a couple of days in the high 30s, but I coped. This time around I’m literally dying! Living in Sydney, Australia means we’re currently experiencing (amongst many other places in Oz) a number of intense heat waves. There have been days that have reached highs of up to 38-42 degree celsius! I mean you’re lucky if the temperature drops below 28 degrees at night – where’s the relief?! 

The heat out there can get too much to bear and I have had days where I’ve felt so hot and light-headed, you could knock me over with a feather. The best advice is to stay indoors. Although, we unfortunately don’t have air-conditioning in our house, but I make sure I’m constantly parked in front of the fan. Not to mention, there are a number of other things I do in order to survive the heat and stay alive. Here are my tips on how to stay cool this sweltering summer.

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Emergency hospital trip. Round 2.

.Reading time 5 minutes.

After the visit to the gastroenterologist I was left in a state of dismay. I felt that perhaps I should have had my new condition explained to me  a little better. Also I would of really appreciated some advice on what I could do/eat at home so that I wouldn’t exacerbated my Gastritis. Instead, I read up on it myself and the foods that could help heal my inflamed stomach. After researching quite a bit, I decided to “rest” my gut and resided to a diet of home made bone broth and gluten free bread.

I did this for 3 days, until I got to a point where I was so hungry I was close to gnawing my own limbs off! Although the pains had started to subside, the baby inside me was screaming out for more sustenance. So one morning I got real adventurous and decided to try some gluten free cereal. Wrong move! No sooner had I consumed the (small) bowl, than I was throwing up all over the place again. Nooooo! Just when I thought I had jumped an incredibly difficult hurdle. I had taken my anti-nausea medication earlier, but I guessed that came up with breakfast. So to try and get a hold on my vomiting fit, I took it again. Which just made me vomit even more! The Hyperemesis was back with vengeance and it wasn’t even letting me keep sips of water down. Needless to say I spent the morning on the couch with my head buried in a spew bucket.

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Introducing Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

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Okay this is getting ridiculous! Where the hell is the 2nd trimester respite and relief all the pregnancy sites write about? It can’t be normal that I’m 16 weeks pregnant and this sick?! The constant vomiting non-stop all day for the last week and a bit has been torture and has really taken its toll. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t even want to eat as I know all I do is throw it straight back up. Sometimes I’m so vomited out I feel as though I’m just throwing up water and stomach acid. I’ve spent the last couple of days in bed, too weak to do anything and spend a lot of the time crying, wondering why this pregnancy is as horrible as it is. Not to mention I feel like such a bad Mumma right now. The house looks like a bomb’s gone off and I’m sure The Little Guy is feeling neglected. Thank god for Preschool and play days at the neighbours. Hubby is very concerned with how ridiculously unwell I am. 

Finally, I decide that it can’t just be “morning sickness” and head to my doctor’s after the morning preschool drop. By this stage I’m very gaunt looking and sporting a glowing green tinge. Whilst in the waiting room I’m asked by two strangers if I’m okay and did I need assistance. Dear God, I must look like death warmed up! As I sit in my doctor’s office and recount how horrifically sick I’ve been, tears of exhaustion and helplessness stream down my face. In a very sympathetic and concerned manner she tells me I have Hyperemesis Gravidarum. She explains that with how long it has gone on for and in the weakened state I’m in, I need to head straight to emergency. She writes me an admission letter for the hospital and off I go.

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The first antenatal visit

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Okay so I’m a little bit behind in regards to posting. I mean I’ve still been writing, I’ve just been so caught up in the festive season that I haven’t managed to post for almost 2 weeks. For now, here is last week’s…………

Week 14 and I’m now in the second trimester. Apparently this trimester is most women’s favourite, as the symptoms that plagued them during the first trimester are supposed to calm down around now. This is due to the drop in HCG (which will continue to fall as the pregnancy progresses) and the placenta taking over. However,  I feel as though somehow I’m digressing. Not only am I yet to feel some sort of relief in the being nausea department, I have a sneaking suspicion it’s getting more intense. Perhaps I may have to wait another a week or two to start feeling a little more human again? To make the tribulations of pregnancy more bearable, I treat myself to some new maternity clothes. 

This week I had my first antenatal visit at the hospital where I plan to give birth. The midwife weighs me (I’ve put on 3 kilos since pre-baby), measures my height and takes my blood pressure. Then the midwife asks me a long series of questions that go on for about an hour. These include my medical history, past pregnancies, family medical history and mental health. I also get to hear the baby’s heartbeat again through a fetal doppler.shutterstock_fetal-doppler

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