You're not going to get a cute belly picture this week......



...because here I sit, a horrible case of bronchitis, boxes of tissues, bags of throat losanges, movies on tv, cuddled up with my dog. I usually get one bad cold each season, but this one has iced the cake. I was really trying to avoid getting sick while pregnant. Taking extra precautions to use sanitizer and disinfect the house as much as possible when I could. But….when Dave started feeling bad last weekend, I knew it was just a matter of time before it came my way. We took precautions, but sometimes it just isn’t enough. Thursday I woke up with that dry, tight cough that you feel when you know you’re getting sick, and by the end of the day all the grossness of the wet, hacking cough and everything that accompanies had settled for a nice long nap in my chest and nose. I took Friday off, and was running a nice low grade fever by the end of the day. A trip to the after care clinic told me I had bronchitis, and a few hours later I had taken my first dosage from my Z-Pack antibiotics and was anticipating an uncomfortable recovery.
Normally, I’m not the kind of person to run to the doctor for every stuffy nose of sore throat. I know that, most times, you have to let those things run their course, and there is not much the doctor can do. In fact, my doctor usually doesn’t prescribe anything for colds. He comes from the mindset that if you can control it with over the counter drugs, you should, and avoid putting useless antibiotics in your system. I totally agree with this. But, since I am now 20 weeks pregnant, and with the quickness and severity that this “cold” came on, coupled with the fever, my smart husband said we should probably go to the after care clinic. Between my blood pressure and being pregnant, my medicine options are limited. But, the doctor, and several other sources including the ever resourceful nurse and best friend, assured me that what she had prescribed was safe for both. So, here’s hoping that I can kick this thing in but butt this weekend, and by Monday be ready to conquer the world again.


While I thought that being sick while pregnant would be the worst case scenario, I’m reminded of a story my parent’s told me once. When my mom was pregnant with one of us, I can’t remember which one, she broke her ankle at 7 months. Yup…..she hobbled her preggo self around on crutches while she was 7 months pregnant. Now, for someone with my size and stature, that would still be a nightmare, but my build would make it considerably easier. When you’re 5’1” like my mother and are carrying around a baby belly that is probably as big as the rest of you, this would be a nightmare x 10 to the 25th power! I must give her mad props for surviving that time in her life. If it had been me, I would have just given up right then and there.


On to other topics….


All this week I’ve been thinking about certain issues related to pregnancy and I’ve come up with some opinions. Me with opinions. Shocking, I know.


Maternity Clothes: To my surprise, I actually like maternity clothes. To be honest, I think I’d dress like that all the time if I could. Pants and jeans with elastic waist bands designed to grow with you. Flowy tops where you don’t have to worry about holding your stomach in after indulging on too much lunch. My one complaint…..they are all the same. It’s hard to find a top that doesn’t have an empire waist with a ribbon that ties behind your back. I mean, how many of those shirts can I really buy. I have been fortunate enough to have two sister in laws around my same size who have given me lots of things to choose from! I’m so thankful for Lydia and Rachel and their willingness to share with me. I actually haven’t had to buy too much, which has been nice.


Pregnancy books: I avoided reading these books when I first got pregnant. Knowing me, when it comes to medical issues, ignorance is bliss. I will certainly stew over things for long periods of time if I know too much about them (like all the glories of labor and delivery…but that’s another post). I knew that if I started to read too much, gain too much information about all the craziness of pregnancy, I’d start to overreact and….dare I say it…flip out. But, over the Christmas holiday, I told myself that it might be a good idea to just browse through them. So, on our way to Arkansas, I did just that. Big mistake. Case in point….in one of my books I read that, after week 16, women should stop laying flat on their backs to sleep or exercise. Well, I’d been doing this the whole time! The book said that it cut off the blood vessels that delivered nutrients to your baby. Holy Cow! I’d been sleeping on my back a lot. Had I hurt our baby already? As I begun my freak out session, the ever logical Dave reminded me that our doctor hadn’t said anything about it, so it must be ok. While that did put my mind at ease, I of course obsessed about it the whole time until our next appointment. Low and behold, when I asked her about it, she explained this old “wives tale” to me and assured me that I could lay on my back as long as it was comfortable. She also cautioned me against reading too many of these books. She felt like they could really rob women of the joys of pregnancy. Most of the things in those books, she said, are based on very little research, and most of them are thicker then her OB books from med school. She assured me that if there was something I need to do or not do, she would tell me. Her three absolutes: No drinking, smoking, or recreational drugs. Well….Luckily I’ve got those covered.
I will say that, as I read a few of those books on my drive, they did mention some things that had been happening to me that I hadn’t attributed to pregnancy, and it was comforting to know that some of the symptoms I had been experiencing were indeed symptoms. But, I think if anyone asked me, I’d tell them what my doctor told me...enjoy this time, don’t make any drastic changes to your lifestyle, and everything will be safe, happy, and fine.


Birthing plans: So many people I know have tackled this in so many different ways. One of my sister in laws had a schedule printed out for her first delivery of all the therapies and techinques she wanted to do while she was laboring. My other sister in law used a midwife to get her through that time. While both of them have shared with me their opinions about the whole thing, they have also told me that this is a personal choice. I’ve decided that, for me, the best plan to have is to have no plan. I do know that I want all drugs that can be offered to me. I’m not in this for a gold star or to “experience” anything. I’m sure I don’t get a closer spot to Jesus in Heaven because I had a natural child birth. I also know that I would like to avoid being induced, and I really don’t want a c-section. C- sections have become more “common” these days with women actually scheduling their births. And, I’ve heard that the longer you labor, the more likely your doctor is to suggest a c-section. But, I also know that my doctor will respect my decisions, and if I want to avoid these things, she will do what she can to help me. But, ultimately, I want a safe and healthy baby, and so however God wants him or her to come into the world, I’ll do my part.



Ok...next week I promise something more happy and less snot coated :>).