Head down, belly out

Wow, that was a long gap of no posting.  I admit to kind of keeping my head down and hoping to get past various milestones, at which I believe there will be smooth sailing.  It hasn't really gone that way, though not much has gone horribly wrong.  Yet.  So, first, I was focused on getting to 24 weeks, which is generally considered the viability threshold, though viability doesn't look that great then, really.  Each week thereafter makes a big difference.

So I made it to 24 weeks, and I had an OB appointment a couple of days later.  At 24 weeks, 1 day, I had menstrual-like cramps the whole damned day.  Nothing happened, but I mentioned them to my calm, unruffle-able, Obama-like OB the next day, and she said, "Well, that's not good!" and ordered up a fet.al fibro.nectin test.  It came back negative, which she said should make me feel confident I wouldn't have the baby in the next two weeks, and she also checked my cervix, which was locked up tight.  She said that in her practice she had seen anecdotal evidence that women who had c-sections the first time (and who had no cramping in those pregnancies) sometimes turned up with lots more cramping the next time. But usually it was later.  

So then I got to 25 weeks, then 26 weeks (yesterday).  Then, last night, [TMI ALERT] I woke up with terrible diarrhea and strong cramping -- during the first round of diarrhea, my uterus was rock-hard.  I really thought I might be in labor, but that part subsided.  I did have to keep getting up every hour or so to spend some more time on the toilet, reading the sample ballot for the upcoming general election, which was all I had at hand.  This was particularly irrelevant since I voted early and did not need to be swayed by any new information.  (My policy is to vote "no" on all ballot propositions unless I am convinced by someone who really does his/her research -- usually, my brother -- to do otherwise.  And while I'm on this topic, all you Californians really must vote NO on odious proposition 8!)  I had no fever, nausea, vomiting, etc., and, so far, no one else in my household is similarly afflicted.  How long can that possibly last?

Things were a bit better this morning, though the notion of limited toilet access kept me confined to home (which is fine since I am working on a freelance consulting project).  I spoke to the OB's office, and the nurse said "every pregnant woman in San Francisco" has diarrhea right now.  So that was reassuring, if not pleasant for this particular population.

In other pregnancy-related news, this one is much different from the last.  One, I am tracking 3-5 pounds ahead of the last one, which I do not like.  Also, it shows.  I have a spare tire, and my belly has really popped out.  I swear that I'm as big at 26 weeks as I was last time at 37 weeks.  Obviously, though, I do feel better, so that's probably why I'm packing on the lbs.  Second, last time, my skin and hair glowed like a 22-year-old model's -- this time, my skin is dry and mottled, and my hair is dry and resembles straw.  I was forced to go get my first expensive haircut ever, and I do think it helped.  Third, I am TIRED this time -- I think it's because I pee every hour at night.  I'm not exaggerating.  I don't think I ever get more than a 1.5-hour stretch of sleep.  Maybe the diarrhea-induced dehydration will help.  Fourth, I think my diet and exercise plan were much more exemplary by 26 weeks the last time -- I need to at least start taking some fish-oil capsules or something, lest I give birth to a half-wit.  Finally, as you can tell, I am just much more freaked out by everything.

But you know who's great?  So.ren.  He is getting to be a pain in certain ways (as would befit someone in his toddler phase), but he is so much fun -- he runs all over the place, he says a zillion things, and he's just really happy and fun and very, very cute.  He has started shoving other kids at the playground, sure, and he's also started shrieking "MINE!" and throwing little tantrums if you don't get him his Tra.der Jo.e's cereal bar fast enough (I never should have introduced those), and maybe it's a little annoying that he still says "Daddy" about 30 times as often as he says "Mommy," but he's my little sunshine.