Sunday, November 4, 2012

Success with Shots

I have been taking a shot, once a week, full of a Synthetic Hormone - Progesterone. I was skeptical and never wanted to take it because it is completely synthetic, but after being sent to the hospital to stop my contractions when I was only 20 weeks (exactly half way through the pregnancy and far too early to be contracting) Nik and I decided it was what we needed to do to keep this baby baking inside as long as possible.

Let me tell you...these shots are amazing! Before I started taking them, I was not able to go grocery shopping without the scooter or even clean my house. I was not able to get off the couch or walk down the hallway without having contractions. Life was pretty boring and difficult and scary...but now that I have been on them for a month, my life has been AMAZING! I can do all those things without issues. Last week I walked a mile without any issues, other than minor hip pain. Yesterday I went grocery shopping with Nik, for over an hour, and didn't have one single contraction. I am so glad I am taking them! Yes, the one bad side effect I have had, so far, is the injection site becomes very itchy...but that is totally worth the confidence and calmness I feel. Let's all hope and pray this baby stays in full term so I don't have to leave her in the NICU like I did with Tatum.

I wish I would have known about this with Tatum, but I had no idea what contractions felt like until my water broke and I was in labor at the hospital...I just chalked it all up to pregnancy discomfort. I hope no other pregnant woman has to go through the trouble. The shot is saving my sanity and probably even my unborn child's life. I will definitely be getting the shots with future pregnancies...no doubt.

Before I started the shot, I had asked on Facebook if anyone had gotten them or heard of someone who got them. There were a few that knew someone or did it personally...but the one friend that really made it clear was Catharine. She said "It is too scary to not take them." I realized she was right. Yes, the hormone in the shot is synthetic, and I am not the biggest fan of that, but am I willing to lose my baby or have to deal with the NICU again? No, I don't want to do that! I want a nice, healthy, full term baby girl in February....and I want to not have to get there on bed rest. Apparently my body needs a little more Progesterone and I am so thankful for modern medicine that allows me to get what I need.

Baby Girl Berry...I can't wait to meet you!
And I will try to lay off the Caffeine.
You were acting a bit crazy last night from the soda.
I love you!
Love,
Mommy.

Uterine Math

Let me start this off with a conversation Nik and I had back in March (I posted it on Rebecca's Facebook so we could forever remember it)...
Rebecca was pregnant with our soon-to-be-Niece at the time and he wanted to know how far along she was....
So here you go...

Nik: "How far along is Rebecca?"
Me: "I think she is 24 Weeks."
Nik: <death stare> (he HATES how we count in weeks) "So she is 6 months along?"
Me: <laughs> "Actually, she is only 5 months."
Nik: <steam coming out ears> "HOW?! HOW does THAT make ANY SENSE?! You count in Weeks and then take one month away when we ask how many months?!?!"
I then explained it to him and laughed. He hates counting in Weeks but us women, especially those that have been pregnant, know how each week counts. Lol.
Just had to share this story with you. 
 This is pretty much the jist of it. We were talking about this just the other day, but about me and our baby, and he was getting so frustrated that it made me laugh. Here are a few things he said during that conversation...

"So, no matter what kind of calculation I do with the number of weeks you give me, I will always be wrong? This is what I call Uterine Math. There should be a course just on this! You pregnant women and your calculations never make any sense."

He said some other pretty funny things but with this Pregnancy Brain (it IS real!) I have forgotten most of them. It just cracks me up...I never count in months but I can tell you any day, in the blink of an eye, how far along I am in weeks. I CAN tell you in months but it will take me some time to think it through.

I guess I just needed to make this post to remember this funny moments. I'm sure both sides can relate...those that are/have been pregnant and those that have not/never will be (i.e. men).