Giving Peanut Some Fresh Air

We have reached week 8 and everything seems to be going fine. I have lost the heavy queasiness and am only experiencing some mild discomfort every now and then. Yay, lets hold thumbs that this will last. My breasts have definitely increased some as well us my tummy and my skin actually looks better.

My mother-in-law booked us a getaway for Xmas which we got to spend over the weekend. It is a charming little cottage 10km from Struisbaai called Langrus Lodge. It is very pretty and well equipped, and does not have electricity so we had to use lamps and candles and make fire in the "donkey" for hot bath water.

We enjoyed some long walks and it was lovely to get some exercise. They also had an old row boat and hubby, me and the dog went for a row on the pan. The Soetendalsvlei is the largest natural body of fresh water in South Africa. It was beautiful and very peaceful bobbing along and being surrounded by nothing but water.

The weekend really recharged our batteries and brought us back to basics. And one day we will be able to show Peanut where he/she spend his/her first getaway.

Cravings and No-No's

There is some definite things that my body wants at this stage and also other things that I cannot stand.

My number one craving so far is chips / fries / "slap tjips" - with salt and lots of vinegar or lemon juice. Not the healthiest craving I know, but luckily it seems like it can be substituted with potatoes or mash.
Apples seems to help for the nausea, so I feel like eating them more often as well. Also crave other fruits like watermelon and peaches.
Tea - strong, sweet Rooibos tea (I am not a regular tea drinker).

Number one on my No-No list is coffee. This comes at quite a shock to me as I LOVE coffee. That was the only thing that I used to want 1st thing in the morning, and then had 3 - 4 cups during the day. Now I cannot go near the kettle if I think about coffee, it makes me feel like a vampire approaching a spot of sunshine! In the last 2 weeks I have maybe drank 3 cups, nothing in this past 4 days.
I also struggle with muesli. Hubby leaves me a bowl of muesli each morning which I put back into the bag and just take the yogurt to eat.
Over the weekend we bought some of those apricot sweets at the farm stall. I ate 2 and my stomach did a somersault, did not like it at all.

Blood test results

My doctor got the blood test results this morning and is very happy with it. She says everything "looks beautiful" and my count is on track for about 6/7 weeks.

We have now decided to be referred to the doctor in Hermanus instead to a gynecologist and will be meeting her in about 2 weeks time.

Peanut Is In The House!

Had my first appointment with the doctor today and yes, it was confirmed, Peanut is in the house. I am very relieved that this is not just a figment of my imagination, but that someone confirmed that it is really happening. Everything is fine so far and my vitals are all good. Me and hubby will quickly pop in tomorrow morning for her to draw blood so that it can be send away for tests.

We have however reached our first obstacle of life in a small town. The nearest gynecologist is 180km away and we must decide now who we want to use to get us through this next couple of months. I do however intent on completing this pregnancy as natural as possible, so have to consider the reality of going into labour and hubby have to drive us 180km - maybe in the middle of the night - to the hospital. I am also not a great fan of hospitals, but my doctor told me of a GP who does deliveries, so we will explore that option firstly. My first choice would be to use a midwife to deliver the baby at home, but also think that there might not be a lot of them in the area and do not see one driving out of the City for appointments. But I'll do some research over the next couple of days and hopefully we will work out a plan that will work for us.

So, we have entered week SIX and Peanut resembles this funny little fishy and is as big as a chocolate sprinkle.

Image from http://3dpregnancy.parentsconnect.com

 The first of the nausea hit me on Saturday and we ended up spending Saturday in bed watching movies. Sunday was better and we could at least go for breakfast and to the shops. This morning I started on new pregnancy supplements which left me very green. The doctor advised that I can take it before I go to bed and hopefully the effect will have worn of by morning.

Early Pregnancy Symptoms

We are now at week FIVE and as the Peanut is developing my body is undergoing some changes and making me aware of it. Hubby jokingly says it is way too early and that it is only in my mind. If I wasn't pregnant, I would have kicked him.

Here is what I have dealt with so far:

• I spoke about the not so normal cramping that I've experienced a week before my period was due. This has faded a bit and now feels more like a stretchy sensation. Apparently my uterus is stretching to prepare itself to grow a new life. I am also experiencing a feeling of "fullness" and feel like holding/rubbing my tummy a lot. 
• My breasts are a bit tender, especially when getting up first thing in the morning. I always had tiny breasts, so I am very curious as to how much they will expand.
• I have not had morning sickness yet, although it is supposed to start in week 6. I have however been feeling a bit queezy and get some heartburn after eating.
• I am feeling rather good overall. Yesterday was the first day where I went for a nap after work and today I also feel a little more tired that usual. We were having a terrible storm last night and did get to go to sleep a bit late though.
• I do not have to pee a lot more yet, although I've been getting up to go to the loo and drink a glass of water during the night this past week. 

My greatest fear is that this is all actually in my imagination. That I will go to the doctor on Monday and that she will laugh at me and tell me that I'm being silly and not really pregnant...

How The Peanut Was Discovered

I am re-blogging this from my Adoption Blog:

Two weeks ago I had some expected pre-menstrual cramping, normal but it felt different. I blamed my imagination as I have gone through too many cycles imagining pregnancy symptoms, just to end up with a broken heart. On day 28 I was prepared, but nothing happened. This is however not too strange, as I get the odd month where my cycle is 32 days, so I waited longer. I would double check each time I go to the loo, but still nothing. A tiny flicker of hope sparked but while browsing "early pregnancy signs" I got to an article which talks about weight gain (especially around the middle) which can mean PCOS, which results in missed periods. The flicker of hope died and I thought: "Great, now this as well". On Saturday (which was day 36) I could not handle it anymore. I drove to our adjacent town to go and buy a pregnancy test as our town is too small and only have a grocer which sells no such things.

I came home, unpacked the groceries and took my parcel to the bathroom. Hubby was in the kitchen busy making potato salad. I got into position and peed on the stick, two pink lines appearing almost immediately. I had a little hysterical fit (a happy one) and did a little boogie dance in the bathroom while trying to finish my pee, hold the stick, wipe my eyes, try not to make very strange noises and pull up my clothes - all at the same time. Hubby was saying something through the door about potatoes, I tried to answer but those very strange noises that I was trying not to make escaped from my mouth. He asked whether I am OK, so I opened the door. He took one look at my face, then at the stick I was holding up and realisation dawned in his eyes. It was priceless, I dreamed for 5 years about how this would play out and this was perfect. We grabbed each other and cried in each other's arms.

The Seed Is Planted!

Five years ago we decided that we are ready to have a baby. Two years down the line we were tired of trying. Something was wrong and things were not working out. We considered our options and decided to skip any medical intervention and start the adoption process. On the 3rd of February 2012 we completed the process and were officially "paper pregnant", waiting for that all important phone call that would make us parents. We never stopped trying to get pregnant, but we did give up hope of this ever happening. On the 4th of January 2014, after being a couple of days late, I took a pregnancy test and our miracle unfolded - we are pregnant.

I can in all honesty say that the moment those 2 pink lines appeared on the stick was the happiest moment of my entire life. Waiting and wishing for five years to become a mother makes you hard. It is lot to deal with and keeping your emotions in check is the only way to survive and carry on each day. Those 2 lines broke the restrains, I could feel the enormous burden lifting off my chest and off my heart, making room for happiness. I sobbed for the first time in a long time and it felt good to be that happy.