Here are some emails that I sent during my pregnancy to give my impressions, interesting learnings, and experiences from pregnancy:
-----Original Message-----
From: Wong, Eileen
Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 1999 7:48 AM
....Not sure if anyone is interested, but I'll share what I've learned so far -- and this is just my experience. You'll probably learn all this stuff later, but it may be fun to hear now.
- Morning sickness is a misnomer - It's all day sickness. Fortunately, it only lasts thru the 14th week or so
- Pregnancy weeks are calculated based on the LMP (first day of Last Menstrual Period), so for the first 2 weeks, your technically not even pregnant (since the egg drops mid-cycle)
- Even though pregnancy is considered 9 months, it's actually 40 weeks (there are some 5 week months in there)
- Your supposed to gain about 5 pounds in the first trimester, then a pound each week after that
- Energy is back up in the 2nd trimester. I've gotten the "nesting" instinct - or a feeling that I need to clean the house and purge a lot of stuff to prepare for the baby.
- The motherhood store has decent style and good prices, but I hear their stuff falls apart. I've had good luck so far. Mervyn's and Ross are supposed to have good maternity clothes but I haven't been there yet. Pea in the Pod is really expensive. JC Penney, Sears, and KMart have been recommended for me, but the quality is not very good. I found a national chain called Dan Howard that has the best combo of prices and style. The Maternity Survival Kit by Belly Basics at Bloomingdales is great. It includes leggings, a knit skirt, shirt and dress.
- I've already felt kicking at 17 weeks or so. At first I wasn't sure, but last week, at 19 weeks, it was pretty noticable.
- You can find out the gender as early as 12 weeks, I think. I belong to Kaiser, so we heard the heartbeat at 12 weeks and checked the gender at 16 weeks.
- Walking a lot is supposed to help make labor easier
- After the first trimester, risk of miscarriage drops off dramatically
- I'm looking into daycare already. Supposedly waitlists are really long
That's about it for now. I don't know if I'll have much more to tell. I think it should be pretty smooth sailing from here on out. The next big event will be delivery .- Yikes! The parenting info should be a lot more fun. I've been told when changing little boys diapers to make sure to block with the front of the diaper when you first open up because the cold air causes the baby to spray. (Sorry if this grosses anyone out. Parents seem to be immune to the gross factor and can talk about this stuff during meals)
Jeannie told me at Pete and Jenny's wedding that John talks to her belly and the baby kicks more. I have a masseuse that used to give regular massages to an expectant woman and after the baby was delivered he would turn his head whenever he heard her voice.
Babies supposedly like classical music too. There are a bunch of CD's on the market with Mozart or classical lullaby music.
Hope everyone is doing well. And remember, it's never too early to start! I'm looking for someone to confirm all my information above :)
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2000
10:34 AM
Subject: Pregnancy Update
Hi everyone,
Here's some more updates on my pregnancy and what it's like. Last I wrote, I was at 19 weeks, now I'm at 30 -- only 10 more to go or less!
After the first trimester, I had a great energy level for about 10 weeks or so. It was great because Andy and I were able to run around and prepare stuff for the baby's arrival. I purged closets and Andy purged the garage (the nesting instinct), and we started collecting things, like a crib, and exersaucer, a swing, and a lot of hand me down clothes. I started to get really tired around the holidays. Andy painted the living room and dining room and hallways. Now the house is all painted on the inside and we're changing carpet on the 15th.
In the past two weeks, the kicking is noticably stronger. I can feel the baby roll over, and sometimes I feel hard spots, like a limb or something. It's kinda cool!
The doctor appointments at 20, 24 and 28 weeks are pretty uneventful. The doctor checks the baby's hearbeat, measures the belly, and check to see if the cervix is closed. It's all pretty quick and uneventful. At 28 weeks, it's standard now to get a glucola test for gestational diabetes. You drink a bottle of special orange soda and go to the lab after an hour to get blood drawn. If your sugar is high, then you go in for another test the GTT (glucose Tolerance Test) where you have to fast for 12 hours, get blood drawn, drink the orange soda, get blood drawn 3 more times each hour after the soda.
I tested positive for gestational diabetes which is the most common complication with pregnancy (4-5% of all pregnancies). The hormones in the placenta create insulin blockers that make it difficult for the body to process sugar. It's only a temporary condition that goes away after delivery. Most cases can be managed with a strict diet (no more sweets for me =( ), and I have to check my glucose levels 4 times a day. The reason why I say 10 weeks or less to go is that with GD, labor is induced at 40 weeks due to the concern that the baby will get too big (baby's glucose is converted to fat). At least I know I won't be late.
January will be pretty eventful. Andy and I have an Infant care class (1 day cram course), Lamaze classe (2 day cram course), Introduction to Pediatrics, a hospital tour, Breastfeeding class, a regular checkup, and a follow up on the GD.
Let's see... what else... oh, I get leg cramps in my calves every once in a while. They wake me up in the middle of the night but not too often. Bananas are supposed to help, but I disagree.
So, for those of you who plan to be pregnant sometime in the future (all of you?), pregnancy is pretty bearable. My skin has been clear through the whole pregnancy and my hair got a little thicker (too bad this goes away after pregnancy). As far as the labor part, I hear great things about epidurals, so I'm all for it.
Preparing for parenthood is whole different level of awareness. Did you every think about the fact that most disney movies are too scary for little kids? Floor lamps are a hazard because kids like to hang on them; Dresser drawers can be used as steps; Window blind cords can be a strangulation hazard; Baby PJ's don't have to be unflammable until 9 months since babies can't move before then; Blue toilet water can be a temptation to the baby.....so many factoids.
Anyway, I've kept you long enough.
I hope all is well with all of you!
Eileen
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