The First Doctor's Appointment

Okay, I actually had the appointment two weeks ago, but I haven't felt up to blogging lately.  (I haven't felt like doing much of anything but sleep, to be honest.)

The appointment went really well, and was really long.  I got all sorts of tests (blood, urine, etc.) and the doctor did an ultra-sound.  It was so thrilling to see our little baby.  Dr. Sloan pointed out a little flutter on the screen, and she said, "That's the heart beating." 

Wow.  What an amazing moment!  I started crying (of course).  There's a real baby growing inside of me!!  Incredible!!

So, for your viewing pleasure, I'm including a scanned copy of our ultrasound (the lightish blob in the center of the dark circle area is the baby):

(At the time the ultra-sound was taken, Boko-baby was about two centimeters long.  Now that I'm 10 weeks along, the baby is probably about 1 to 1.5 inches long.)

And here's a close-up of the little guy or gal:

The greatest thing is that Dr. Sloan said since we've seen the heart beating normally, we have only a 5% chance of miscarriage.  For some reason, I was convinced I would have a miscarriage ... and I guess I still might ... but hearing that we have a 95% chance of carrying this baby to term was SO relieving!!

***

I've been pretty sick lately, and I sometimes forget what a blessing it is to even be pregnant at all.  I throw up almost everyday, but lately, I only throw up once a day instead of several times a day.  Hopefully, that means I've gotten through the worst of it.  I've lost about 10 pounds since week six/seven, but from people I've talked to, it could be a lot worse. 

In about two weeks I'll have my second appointment, and hopefully by then I'll have outgrown the nausea portion of this pregnancy. 

One Small Victory.

It is 5:30 pm as I am writing this post, and to this point, I have only gagged twice.  And that was this morning while I was brushing my tongue (after brushing my teeth) in preparation for the dentist appointment I had.

I have been following the advice of friends and family to eat several small meals and to always be eating or drinking something.  My new motto is:  If something's going down my throat, then nothing can be coming back up.  The theory seems to be holding.

Over the weekend I was throwing up so much that I got a migraine.  Sleep was the only way for me to keep any food down. 

But then we bought some "Preggie Pops."  I don't know how or why they work, but when I'm feeling the most queasy, sucking on the preggie pops absolutely helps!

Fortunately, today has been a good day, with a steady stream of nibbling on food.


CRAVINGS I've had this week:
- MEAT (I just can't get enough protein for my little baby carnivore!)

Things I'm looking forward to: 
- the end of morning sickness
- my first doctor's appointment next week

That's what they mean when they say, "Morning Sickness" . . .

Over the past several days, I had been getting used to the near-constant companionship of my new friends Queasy and Nausea.

Yesterday, however, they introduced me to their well-known associate Morning Sickness.  We did not get along at all. 

In fact, I fought my first battle against Morning Sickness yesterday. 


I lost.


Today, saltines and ginger ale notwithstanding, I was forced to surrender, yet again.  And I'm certain it will not be the last time.


Does anyone know any other tricks or foods that combat Morning Sickness??