Second Trimester Pregnancy

Posted on Feb 22, 2013 in Pregnancy | 2 comments

Jan 17
My first appointment with an obstetrician. We heard the baby’s heartbeat. Mine was 77, and the baby’s (BB) was 152! So fast!! Some people say if it’s more than 150, it’s a girl.
Tea also contains caffeine, so don’t drink too much. But green tea is OK, the doctor said. Are you sure? I thought green tea also has  caffeine. I still drink it sometimes though.
And I was told not to eat sashimi too much as it sometimes contains radiation. He speaks so fast that we didn’t have a chance to ask why. We will ask next time.

Jan 21
First time to join a prenatal yoga

Jan 28
2nd class and it continues…

Jan 28 – 30
The temperature dropped to -25 c. The humidity at home was only 35% and I got a sore throat. My small attempts to make the air wet cannot defeat the dryness.
Even though I have to continue eating when I feel nauseous, I shouldn’t stuff myself at each meal time, I just noticed now (too late). I get full, but then I get nauseous. Not to vomit, I have to keep eating. That’s very hard.

On top of it, coughing, burping and tooth brushing make me feel like gagging as well.
Even a very small burp makes me gag after drinking some liquid. Normally, I don’t even notice small burps even when I’m healthy! But now each time I feel nauseous and realize how many times I’m burping a day. Am I burping a lot because I’m pregnant?
Tooth brushing time is a hell time of the day. When I wrote about it on FB, kind friends gave me some advice. Very nice!
“For a time being, take a rest from brushing, and use an interdental brush, dental floss and mouthwash for anti-bacteria.”
Another friend sent me a link of a doctor saying “brush before the meal”.
Thank you very much.

Feb 1
Blood and urine test, 3rd time

Feb 4
3nd class of prenatal yoga

Feb 10
I’m still gagging but haven’t vomited for the last 2 weeks.

Feb 11
4nd class of prenatal yoga
At the end of Jan, I got a sore throat from the dryness. I try to be super cautious. I remembered about the medical masks that my parents sent me last year and started using them at night to moisten my throat while sleeping.

18th week
On average, it is said the peak of morning sickness is behind me. But it depends on the person and I’m not that average person. Damn!

Feb 12
I got a cold finally. I started coughing hard. We were planning a short trip from the 15th!! Damn!

Feb 14
Seeing my obstetrician for the 2nd time.
I had an appointment, but waiting time today was 3 hours! What do you think?
I know it can’t be helped. The doctor can be very busy with emergency cases. I was told in advance that we patients sometimes have to wait for a long time for that reason. But…. we are pregnant ladies… And in my case, I’m coughing so hard. I should be sipping some rooibos tea at home comfortably… And it’s a Valentines Day… I can only kill time by reading a book or snooze with a strange posture and get a possible neck pain. It’s a bit sad…
The appointment was  for 13:15. I was going to have lunch after this, so I went to see the doctor without eating lunch. My hubby came to me at the waiting room saying Happy Valentines Day! and gave me the half of the 12 inch Subway sandwich. Thank you! I was going to eat the last stuff in the fridge as we were leaving for a trip from the next day, but as he bought me that, I ate it. Phew! That was good, as I wasn’t expecting I would see the doc after 4 o’clock. When I got home, it was 5!
My hubby had classes and meetings, so he couldn’t wait around with me because it’s so difficult to know the exact time at this clinic. It can’t be helped.
But the doctor apologized, and after hearing the BB’s heartbeat, my negative emotions disappeared.
Doctor was in a hurry, as I thought. His talking is so fast. As expected.

I asked a question that we couldn’t ask the last time. He told me not to eat much sashimi. And why? That was the question. We had never heard that sashimi contains radiation before. The answer was to kill the bacteria/parasitic insect. I thought they get killed by freezing at some certain temperature, but I guess it depends on the fish or the preserving conditions or the regulations of that country, some radiation would be used… But it’s very difficult to find out which fish, which restaurants, and so on, he says, just don’t eat it too often or too much. By the way, he likes to go to Mikado Japanese restaurant, which we haven’t tried! We gotta try it! ^^

I search on that subject and I found that it’s been reported quite widely in North America that pregnant women shouldn’t eat much sashimi. I didn’t know that! Not only the radiation is worrisome but also pregnant women are more vulnerable to some bacteria called Listeria, which is in sashimi sometimes.

And one more question. I have a good chance that my coughing will become very bad. If I want to have cough syrup, is any bland OK to take? And the answer was NO. Oh, good I asked. “Robitussin” is OK to take, he said.

My weight was now 2 kg more compared to 1 month ago. Because I have to continue eating when I feel nauseous, I thought I gained too much too fast. But 2 kg was normal, he said. Oh, really? Good! Wow, I’ve been eating so much, but it was OK? I guess I really am able to eat for 2, eh?

Feb 15 – 21
Taking a short trip to Calgary and Lake Louise
The day time in Calgary was 12 c degree! So warm!! But at night it was cold with some wind. I forgot and left my medical masks (to moisten my throat while sleeping), and I lacked the ability to prevent dryness to my throat. Then I got a cold. I couldn’t sleep because of my frequent coughing and neither could my hubby. In Lake Louise, my nose started to get runny. Luckily I didn’t get any fever, we still enjoyed activities like snow mountain hiking and cross-country skiing. Somehow during these activities, my cough stopped. Mysterious… It was a great feeling and nice to get some sore muscles from good exercise.
The day before we left Lake Louise, we went to a Japanese restaurant in Banff and I ate a lot of Gari (Japanese sweet ginger pickles). I don’t know if it was why, but from that time, my sickness got dramatically better. I was able to sleep without much coughing. Wow! Ginger power!
The next day, I felt much better and then noticed my morning sickness was also almost gone! Excellent!! Still, coughing makes me gag, but the after-meal sickness got much lighter.

Feb 22
2nd time for the ultra sound. No abnormality. Looks like it’s a girl!?
The BB flipped 180 degree when I went to the washroom and came back! Amazing!
The BB’s weight is 270g right now.
And it’s 20 weeks.

 

2 Comments

  1. Yes. nausea = girl; ginger good for pregnancy and post pregnancy recovery (chinese tradition).

    • Hi, Minty! Nausea = girl. Is that right.
      This time the ginger was good for my cold but but I’m sure I’ll try to eat a lot from now on.

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