An Excuse to Make a New Chart
So, I’ve been thinking about this goddamned spotting. In no particular order, here’s all the salient points to reassure myself that I’ve come up with:
- My mom bled through her first trimester with both me & my little brother.
- I’ve had blood in my kleenex every time I blow my prednisone-stuffy nose from the day after transfer. My mucosa membranes are obviously fucked up.
- Carrying twins makes bleeding much more likely according to everything I’ve read or heard.
- IVF makes bleeding much more likely.
- I’ve only had a couple of spots of fresh blood. Most of it is old, and according to Dr. Google, “nothing to worry about”.
- I really haven’t had any cramping since week 6.
- The nausea is unmistakeable and growing more pronounced.
- The boobage is threatening to take over my entire front. Internets, I’m stacked.
- I never bled with any of my previous miscarriages. At the time, I hated that fact, it just seemed doubly cruel that I simply didn’t know. Now I’m finding comfort in it. Bleeding or not-bleeding apparently means something different to my body than to others’.
- I did have a MUCH fluffier uterine lining than I’ve ever managed to pull off before. As witnessed by the fact that both sprogs managed to implant – something we’ve never managed, even when transferring 3+.
- I’ve been under some wicked stress – both physical & mental – in the last week & a half. Thanks, Realm of Pain. You suck!
But it’s this last one that I think just might be telling:
- I’ve been feeling sick enough in the afternoons & evenings that drinking my full allotment of water has taken second place to not-vomiting in my list of daily priorities. I did run across a couple of references to dehydration making people more prone to spotting. Which might make sense. This started while we were traveling, when I certainly wasn’t drinking as much as I ought, and this last week, I’ve been feeling so green in the afternoons that I know I haven’t been drinking enough. I mean, I’m still probably drinking more than I usually do, but not enough so that I don’t always feel thirsty.
So.
My solution? I’m going to make a real effort to get more fluids into me in the next couple of days. Buy some gatorade powder – a trick I used when I was working outside a lot – and dose my water enough to make it not taste like water, but not enough to be sweet (I really don’t like sweet drinks). Maybe buy a bunch of limes.
And keep track.
This is obviously just an excuse to make a new Excel chart in order to distract myself. And I’m ok with that…
I agree with your thinking on the prednisone–it thins your mucus membranes so they are more delicate. I suppose this is an indelicate question, but how much longer will you be carrying twins?
I love any excuse to make a new excel spreadsheet.
Best of luck fitting in the extra water (and the extra peeing) in this afternoon. I hope it’s the ticket for you!
Gah – the spotting would make me crazy – good for you for thinking rationally about it but I hope it stops.
It has been hard for me – the entire pregnancy – to drink lots and lots of water. I am sitting here looking at my water bottle, knowing I need to knock it back…but I just enjoyed a hershey’s bar and skim milk…much better than water!
All of that totally makes sense to me.
This time is different. This is it.
Powerade is my new best friend. I’ve never seen the Gatorade powder. I’ll have to check it out. Sorry about the spotting. I hope it goes away soon and stops worrying you. My doctor did tell me to expect spotting with multiples though so you are right to assume that it is normal.
Hey, I think the fact that with your m/cs you did NOT spot is an excellent sign. This is different. For so many reasons you listed. Hang in there hon.
hey – i’m all abotu the excel charts, too. there is no problem on earth that can’t be solved with excel..
i’d like to challenge you on the water.. it’s so so importnat, and i have major trouble with it, too. i just took hubby tot he airport a few hours ago – he’s gone all week, coming back friday night. he just called me and said he walked to wal-mart and got a case of 16.9 oz bottles. and he wants me to do the same. and then we will see who can drink them all before we see each other again. maybe you can try it too.. gotta have some kind of game to get motivated…
i really do think this is it.. can’t wait to hear the next update.
About the nausea–I had wicked nausea my first trimester. My RE had no tips, and the ob would not see me till the end of my first trimester, so I did not get their tips till the nausea had passed. Anyway, this is what I tried:
seabands (they worked a little)
This is what I wished I had tried: hard candy, esp. mint or lemon. Mint and lemon in general were recommended.
Thinking of you…
With Nicholas and Sophia, I had terrible nausea up through the 14th week (then less with Alexander and none, save a few odd days, with Bobby and Maya). Have you tried ginger cookies? They are nasty (I think) but worked well.