Acu. Update II

Still here, still griping. So I had my three appointments this week with the acupuncturist. Not really seeing any improvement, but I'm still hopeful. He added a few more needles here and there. I made three more appointments next week, so I guess I'm not stopping just yet.

I was reading today about what's going on in my belly at this point in the pregnancy. It mentioned that if you suffer from migraines they might be more frequent at this point during pregnancy. And then I was grateful for my silly nausea. I have headaches occasionally, not very frequent. Once, months ago, I had what was possibly a migraine. Intense pain, nausea...I did not want to move and huddled under the covers and a pillow. I got a prescription that helped and was grateful it went away. I can't imagine having frequent migraines! That must be the worst, especially on top of morning sickness. So, I'm trying to tone down the pity parties I throw for myself and be glad it's not worse.

Acu. Update

Friday I had the second appointment with the acupuncturist. He added two more needles in my feet and this time wiggled all the needles a bit when he put them in to stimulate the area. That was a tad painful, like 2 out of 10. The pain went away after a few seconds though. He also added the little pressure point stickies to my other ear. I just pinch the spots to make nausea go away. To be honest, those haven't really done anything for me, but I still pinch every once in a while.

He again suggested eating fresh foods, no heavy greasy food. But I do well with the greasy food, like fried chicken and pizza. So I eat those every once in a while and try to stick to fresh unprocessed foods most of the time. While pregnant with Sean I learned about ginger aiding in nausea relief. For whatever reason I didn't try the preggo pops, ginger ale, or ginger tea. I think I tried ginger snaps though, haha. So at my appointment the acupuncturist suggested I try ginger tea. Thomas picked some up at the grocery store last night and I tried it that night. It seemed to work pretty quickly. And again this morning at work I drank some, still drinking as I type. It doesn't taste bad, but it's no Dr Pepper. And I didn't add sugar. So, either the ginger tea helps or it's coincidence. I'll take either.

This week I have three appointments set up. They're not cheap. Sixty bucks a session. About the price of a message or facial I guess. Thomas is being supportive though. He knows I really want this to be over with and I'm desperate to try and see if acupuncture works. I figure if by the next two or three appointments I don't see significant improvement I might stop going. It's my understanding that I should see improvement soon. And you know what, if I do end up sticking with the treatment by the time I've got all the sessions in it'll probably be when my body is naturally done with being sick, haha.

On another note. My mom is staying with us this week! YAY! Thomas is just as grateful for her presence as I am. She takes care of Sean and helps feed him and make meals. And takes care of me too.

Happy Monday friends!

Nausea Relief?

Like I said on Facebook, "It's just as exciting the second time around." Unfortunately for me it's just as sickening. I know every pregnancy is different, even for the same person. So, I was hopeful the second time my body would understand what was going on in my uterus and not make my stomach flip flop.
    I mentioned in a previous post I was nauseous from the day I took the pee stick test, just before Christmas. It's tough this time with a little one running around, but Thomas has been awesome, doing everything! I really don't think I could do this again, with two kids running around. When I was pregnant with Sean I was eventually given a prescription to give me some relief. It didn't.
    Recently, a friend  posted about going to a chiropractor /acupuncturist for relief. That got me thinking about if acupuncture could help with nausea. I knew there was a place in my office building that had the services so I called and made an appointment. The Dr. that runs the office is Chinese and has been practicing for 20 years, taught at an acupuncture school in Austin and also is a real doctor! haha He talked with me for about 15 minutes in his office about how I was feeling and checked my pulse and looked at my tongue, yeah, my tongue. Before even going into talk to him the receptionist took my blood pressure. He showed me the itty bitty needles and how they are individually packaged and sterile, and for one time use only. He took my pulse with his three fingers on my wrist, each wrist. He said that the pulse can tell how my organs are functioning. He would lift different fingers and I guess just feel for the strength of the pulse. Then he asked me to stick out my tongue and explained what he can tell from looking at it. I think the conclusion was I need to drink more fluids. Anyway, he then showed me on a diagram the energy channels that run through out our body. He said the energy channel in the center of my body, running vertically, was going the wrong way, hence the nausea. He talked about how a change in my uterus effects my body. He also mentioned that it's not uncommon for women in China who experience nausea to seek an acupuncturist for relief. The treatment for the acute symptoms would be shorter than most. For instance, a back injury might take months and months and then even maintenance sessions. So, then he showed me where the needles would go. One between my eyes on my forehead, one in each wrist, one in each calf, one in each foot and one in my upper abdomen. (Hey Annie, my friend that went to an acupuncturist too, I mentioned that I had a friend farther in her pregnancy that had a treatment and the only place that hurt was her hand. He said that's a stress point and he doesn't touch that spot on pregnant women. Along with other points, I'm assuming the lower abdomen? )
    Off to the treatment room, basically like a message room and laid on my back on the message table. He put the needles in and a heat lamp over my lower legs and encouraged me to nap. It didn't hurt, but you can just feel the sensation of the needles being put in. About an hour later he came in and took the needles out. I was so relaxed and sleepy. Before the session back in his office he had a model of the ear and asked me what it looked like, besides an ear. I said "a sea shell?" haha. He said it looks like a fetus, and it kinda does. You know the bloby fetus shape. He said their are points on the ear that correspond to parts of the body. He put little adhesive dots on my ear in three spots. Basically I just hold the spot for 15-20 seconds when I'm felling nauseous. Thomas didn't even notice them in my ear.
    All in all, it was a good first treatment. I am hopeful and excited for the next ones. The Dr. really believes in what he's doing and explains everything very well. He recommends 2-3 times a week for 3 weeks then 2 times a week for 2 weeks. By the second or third session I should notice improvement.
    Since Thomas deals with co-workers in China/Asia he is going to ask them what they think about acupuncture and  if they've ever had acupuncture treatments. I'm just hoping the don't say "yeah, it's a scam." I mean why would there be business for it if it didn't work, right? =/
    Just wanted to share my experience! I'll keep you updated on how it's going. My next appointment is this afternoon.

Test

I wrote this post the day I took the test so I would not forget the deatails.

  I began to suspect pregnancy when I woke up super hungry and feeling weak. Normally I can just wait till I get to work and eat a granola bar, maybe just drink a Dr Pepper for breakfast or even skip breakfast. But I was feeling close to nauseous if I didn't get food in me soon. I decided to wait a few days to take a test. I had been sick and thought maybe that threw my cycle off. With Sean I specifically remember taking the pregnancy test on a Wednesday after work before heading out to church, so I decided to wait til a Wednesday again.  I'd rather put off the test so it has a better chance of detecting a pregnancy than taking it too early. So Wednesday morning rolled around and while Thomas was still sleeping I took the test. The "this pee stick is working" line quickly appeared and then nothing. I stared at it trying to figure out what I wanted it to say. Would I be disappointed if it was just the one line (not pregnant)? Would I be relieved? Would I be thrilled if there were two lines? Scared? Of course all this flew threw my head in a matter of 60 seconds. Because slowly and faintly a second line was appearing. I grabbed the stick and jumped into bed with Thomas and held it in front of his sleepy face. "What?" he says. "Two lines!" I say. So he turns on the bedside lamp and takes a closer look. My dear husband the pessimist and analyst examined it closely. He asks, "Are you sure?" "Yes, I'm sure that little second line only shows up if detects something."

And if I hadn't taken the test that day I would have still bet money on being pregnant because I was nauseous and sensitive to smells from that day on.

Baby Number 2

  I had the first appointment today and confirmed there is a little life in my belly! I made the Facebook announcement so there's no takesies backsies. It's hard to tell when the exact right time is to tell the world cause you can't undo it! Anyway, the appointment went well. Good heart beat, good measurements. She said I'm 2 months along with a due date of August 18th. 
  I'm just as sick as I was last time which has been absolutely no fun. I've missed a lot of work and spend a lot of time sitting like a lump on a log. Thomas has been doing so, so much for us. He takes care of Sean and me so well. He does housework and fixes food and helps me with simple tasks like walking up the stairs and changing into my PJs. He gives Sean baths, changes his diapers, and still manages to keep a smile on his face. I would be so lost without him. I cannot imagine doing this alone. Sometimes I feel like a big wimp, but yall, it's really a miserable pain being nauseous all.the.time. And it's not just the feeling. Let's just say I don't bother eating expensive food these days.
  I feel like I'm already rockin' the pooch, but definitely still an awkward one. And I sooo want to hop into maternity jeans, but I feel I should wait a lil longer!
Well that's the update for now.

We're super excited and praising God for this little miracle.

A Little Christmas Recap

    Just wanted to check in and ramble for a bit. I have yet to add new photos to FB or the blog, so this will be a photoless post.
    Christmas break was a dream. My work was actually only given Christmas Eve and New Years Eve off, but I managed to steal away more days than that. The original plan was to travel Christmas day in order to make it to both parent's houses, same as we did last year. Sean was younger then, a nice, flexible, friendly baby. Now though, Sean is a little more challenging to work around. Just thinking about rushing around Christmas day and driving so much was stressing me out. So, I did what any "baby of the family" does. I complained and whined to my sister to persuaded her and my mom to come to us. Well, not exactly, I was more mature than that, at least I think so. In the end, Mom and sister drove to us! *Sigh* So much easier for Cranky Pants McGee, a.k.a Sean.
    Christmas morning we woke up at our house and took Sean downstairs to the tree. We opened presents and leisurely gathered up things. We were assigned to bring ham and rolls to Christmas lunch at Tommy's parents. There was no lack of food there. We covered all the beasts: air, land and sea. There was duck, ham, brisket and fish. Along with a gajillion other side items, appetizers and desserts. Opening presents at the in-laws house was fun because Sean's cousins added excitement to the gathering.
    After stuffing ourselves we headed back to our house. Sean fell asleep on the way home and we successfully transferred him to his bed. Soon after my mom and sister arrived. Sean woke up then we commenced another gift exchange. We just hung out the rest of their time here. Although, my mom and sister did sneak off to the day after Christmas sale. Loft was like 70% off, sad I missed it. But Thomas did have three Loft boxes under the tree for me, so I should say that was enough. He did a great job picking out clothes for me.
    Wednesday after Christmas was the Texas Bowl that Baylor was participating in. It had been a good 15 years since their last bowl game, and we just had to go. My mom works with an Illinois alum (the opponent) so we all snatched tickets and met up at the game. Well, Baylor lost. But on a good note Sean really enjoyed the game. He wore his little Baylor jersey. He was so well behaved and didn't fuss at all. He noticed us clapping and began to clap also. So cute. I took his soaking wet socks off, it was raining on our way in. And my mom was twirling his sock trying to dry them. He notice this too and started twirling the sock in his hand.
    I was feeling under the weather the whole break, I blame stress. So I kinda sorta didn't go to work much at all the week after Christmas. Well, now I'm back to the grind.