Halfway!

I am officially 20 weeks today! We had our anatomy scan yesterday and everything looks great! Baby Nelson is measuring 1 day ahead. We also officially know the baby's sex, but are waiting to share this news publicly.

I am feeling a lot better this trimester. I figured out that the cause of my daily headaches was due to the pillow I was sleeping on. I have always been a stomach sleeper, but after switching to my back and side, I was waking up with neck aches and developing headaches after work everyday. After going to the store and getting fitted for this pillow, my daily headaches have gone away. Nausea has also mostly (if not completely) gone away as well.

At 20 weeks, I have gained between 3-4 lb. This is not a lot compared to many women, and I even had a scare a few weeks ago (on 2.17.17 at 16 weeks, 6 days) when I had lost some weight. Luckily, my OB was able to fit me in that day (a week before my scheduled ROB). We listened to the heartbeat on the doppler, and the doctor was not at all concerned. She explained to me that the baby is essentially a parasite, and will take from my body what it needs before anything bad would happen. At my anatomy scan yesterday, the baby measured perfectly (even ahead by 1 day), and again, the OB was not at all concerned with my weight. (Baby weighed in at 11 oz., and was measuring 1 day early in the 29th-49th percentile.)

I get comments regularly (from coworkers, friends, family, the dry cleaner, doulas, even strangers) that I am "so small" and "not showing at all." At first, this bothered me because it made me feel like I was a bad mother or doing something wrong...but now I am embracing the fact that I am healthy, the baby is healthy and right on track, and I still fit into my favorite skinny jeans. I have some of the cutest maternity clothes hidden away in my closet, and I look forward to the day I can wear them...but until now, I am happy being able to wear my normal clothes. David and I can see my belly growing everyday even if others can't. :)

Tomorrow, we leave for So-Cal for a much-needed Spring Break/Babymoon. I can't wait!

The Day After

The day after my ER (Thursday, 6.2.16), my pain was low/moderate, but I was not feeling 100%. One of my friends had a really hard time after her recovery (bed rest for a week), and I've read many accounts from women who suffered from OHSS, so I was pretty blessed to feel as well as I did. 

I gained 3.2 lb. within 24 hours (3.6 lb. total within 48 hours), so I called my nurse who told me that weight gain is common after ER, especially with the fluid you receive while you're under anesthesia. I also read that your follicles will fill up with fluid after the ER. The nurse recommended a high protein diet (chicken, Greek yogurt, etc.) and to continue drinking electrolyte drinks over the course of the next 2 weeks. I read on a forum that the sodium (from electrolyte drinks) encourages the cells to retain fluid instead of spilling out into the abdominal cavity. I usually prefer diet sodas, so the idea of drinking tons of sugary sweet Gatorade did not appeal to me, and though I like Smartwater, the electrolyte content is low, so I found Powerade Zero, which has 0 calories and <1 g carbs, and the Fruit Punch is pretty good.

After drinking at least 32 fl. oz. of Powerade a day, I have been steadily dropping the water weight and today (6 days after ER), I am back to my normal weight (before starting stims). I also felt well enough to go back to the gym on Sunday (4 days after ER), though I've been taking it easy on the elliptical and doing low weight/low rep weights. I did have to take Colace for a couple days to get my system back on track. :)

I know I am lucky to have had a pretty easy recovery after ER, as I know that is not always the case. Here are some of my suggestions taken from my own personal experience:

• Rest. Rest as much as you need to. I recommend staying in bed after you get home from the ER, and possibly the day after if needed.
• Drink electrolyte drinks. I started out drinking plain water, but found that drinking Powerade (or Gatorade or Propel) helped flush out my system and drop the water weight.
• Eat protein. Eat lots of protein: eggs, chicken, nuts, Greek yogurt, etc.
• Go to the bathroom. After drinking all that Gatorade, you're going to be making many trips to the bathroom, but that's ok. Your body is flushing out excess fluids. You also may feel some abdominal cramping which can worsen when you haven't had a bowel movement. After anesthesia, it can take your body awhile to become regular again. My nurse said it was ok to take something gentle like (non-stimulant) Colace (if you are having trouble in that department. 
• Trust your body. Your body will let you know what you can/can't handle. If you don't feel well, call your nurse. Keep track of your weight, body temperature, etc. so you have a reference. Take pain medication if needed, and stop when it's not needed anymore. If you are up to it, and the doctor says it's ok, start going back to the gym or walking your dog...just don't do too much too quickly.

I realized today that I am feeling pretty good; dare I say, back to normal? I'm glad I'm giving my body a chance to recover a bit before having to start more injections to prep for the FET!