4w3d – the beginning of Excel Charts!
Today I’m at 14dp3dt, which makes it approximately 17dpo. So, yes, yesterday’s 16dpo beta numbers are high, but not outrageously high. My last pregnancy, I was at 7oo-something at 17dpo with a singleton. So that’s what I’m pinning my hopes on – that this is just one seriously female little girl in there, who’s pumping out the hCG like a champion.
(Seriously – apparently female fetii produce more hCG than male ones. Did you know this? I didn’t until yesterday. It’d fit with my previous pregnancies’ beta levels, though, so I’m running with it. One little girl, coming right up!) Yes, I know I’m also right in the sweet spot for twins. But I’m not going there. This is my “don’t worry until you absolutely have to” pregnancy, and I can ignore the obvious if I want to. And I want to.
One. Baby.
One wickedly healthy, strong, and robust baby.
And the levels are not high enough to be worrisome like a molar pregnancy would be. And they’re not low enough to lend any credence to my double ectopic theories (thank heavens.)
Now I’m counting down til Wednesday, when I get the next set of obsessible numbers to, um, obsess about.
My doc put me on another dose of prednisone, and I’m resisting the urge to Google “prednisone birth defects”, even though it is calling out to me. Will. Not. Obsess.
Much, anyway. Will not obsess much.
I do think this might become a MS kind of pregnancy, though. I’m already feeling less-than-settled in the belly. Nothing too bad, yet, but I dreamed last night about trying to get through my day while nauseated, which tells me that slight feeling of unsettledness has been more present than I’ve been willing to admit, and the whole “must drink water, except my mouth’s full of spit and the last thing I want is more fluid in my body” thing is getting out of hand. Blech. I had to go buy a toothbrush for work yesterday to try to rid myself of the nasty-mouth feeling yesterday.
But really? I’m feeling great. Ask me that if you ever come upon me with my head in a toilet and my hair straggling away from my face, and you’ll get the same answer. Feeling great, feeling fine, everything’s really sort of ducks&bunnies happy here.
Which is weird & wrong in & of itself.
- I did get “caught” reading a Baby Bargains book by the Boy. ”Isn’t it a bit early for that?” I told him that I was allowed to enjoy every second of being a normal pregnant lady (albeit a normal pregnant lady who’s taking more drugs than she ever has in her life). He shrugged & left me to it, because he’s smart like that. I smiled and went back to pondering the important differences between foam and coil crib mattresses. Because I’m apparently becoming insufferable like that. I also have a newly formed opinion about onesies, shoes on babies, swaddling, and other mysteries of baby-care.
- I marked my day planner (in pencil, because I’m not entirely stupid) with my week/day notations all the way to my due date.
- I’m all about the iPhone pregnancy apps. I have tried three now, and will let you know which one I prefer in a few weeks.
- Currently knitting an octopus. Because, as with prawns, you just can’t have too many octopi-amigurumi around the house. (Not sure what this has to do with pregnancy, but I’m putting it down to hormone-related irrationality. Humor me.)
- Nearly wept when House of Andy had no more green stuff by the time I was able to take my lunch at 4pm yesterday. I wants my bok choi, I does.
- The black circles under my eyes are rivaling the bulls’eyes on my belly. Thank ‘ee Lovenox! Seriously, I’m thinking I might need to learn to apply make up. (To my eyes, not my belly.)
- The thirst is real, but being from the desert, I’m able to ignore it when drinking a liter of water every hour is inconvenient. Which is sort of all the time. Which is not really a good thing to ignore. So I’m going to start keeping track. Formally. Excel Charts!
Will post my weirdo charts when they’re finished. Trying to find a way to make them a little easier to deal with online, but haven’t yet. Totally sensing a ripe market here for obsessive pregnant ladies… If only I’d gotten that computer science degree!
You are making me want to learn to knit! And get pregnant. That’s how joyous you are making morning sickness sound. This baby is going to be set in the octupi and prawn area. Lucky baby!
You crack me up. This is going to be a fun pregnancy to go through with you! You’re totally right — that beta number is definitely a strong singleton. Ignore twin comments — I got those too (actually I still got them when I was five months along. I was not kidding in a previous post when I said it was suggested to me that there may be a twin hiding behind the other). Oh and for the thirst. This may be assvice — everyone needs to find their own things — but just throwing it out…for me, lemonade is what got me through the first four months. I drank a ridiculous amount of it…I think the reason pregnant women crave it (because I later found out I was not alone in this) is that it’s mostly water but the added sweetness both helps you down more of it and boosts your blood sugar a bit when solid food is less appealing. I bought Minute Maid brand for home, and while out and about discovered that Panera Bread has the best fountain lemonade. FWIW!
I must see a pic of this octopus! And I’ve been on steroids for the last 4 weeks. I too am resisting the urge to run to Doctor Google and investigate the subject. I also feel you on the dark circles. My principal said to me this morning “Are you okay? Do you need to go home?” It’s always nice being told that you look like shit at 7 am. I probably should have said yes, but instead I am going to grin and bear it at work.
Ducks and bunnies and tigers and octopi! oh my!
Ps I think you can be a happy badass and still be a badass. I’m just sayin’.
xox
Such an awesome beta! Nice, strong, just where it needs to be! Here’s hoping for a healthy little baby! Yayyyyy!
First, you must post pics of your knitting…enough teasing us already.
Second, for comparison with my boy pregnancy, my beta levels were:
10p5dt 70
12dp5dt 105
14dp5dt 300
19dp5dt 1591
Talk about a slow starter comparatively (if I knew then what I know now I would have been going ape-sh*t). But, I believed that he would make it (as nervous and sick to my stomach about the alternative as I was) and he did!
As you said re: possibility of twins, deal with what you know when you know it.
Hey,
Congrats on the beta – looks great! Can’t wait to hear your numbers tomorrow.
When I was pregnant, I was majorly into excel charts for keeping track of things. Actually, I still have excel charts! Now, they are about my daughter’s feeding and eating and growth, but last year they were all about periods, fertility, ovulation, betas, etc.
PS. I actually do have a Computer Science degree, if you want to seriously consider going further with the excel sheets for pregnant ladies. alyssa.gavinski@gmail.com, if interested.
Looking forward to all your research results – I am considering whether to buy and iphone and it sounds like you have one. Glad things are progressing so well, your journey is keeping me sane as I continue to wait for something to happen!
I wanted to do those iPhone apps so much but Peter refused to buy me an iPhone! He said I’d just break it (which is probably true, I dont have a great track record with phones or jewelry for that matter…)
I’m so, so excited about your positive!
Let me know which APP you like. I’ve got the What to Expect when you’re expecting one, and I like it. Of course, it was free.
I need one of those baby bargain books.
Sooo excited you’re with Sprog! Happy times!
You sound fabulous – and bring on the charts!
So glad you are knitting nifty sea creatures and enjoying the possibilities. Hoping for a little onesie for you instead of a twosie.
New baby will LUV the octopus! Both mine love an octopus or ceiling fan – cause seriously who can tell the difference?