WEEK 10

10 Weeks

Friday, December 30^th we started 10 weeks. This week has been the most horrible week ever. I went from throwing up maybe once a day, to two-three times a day. I can’t eat anything without getting sick. The only way I do feel okay is when I am laying down. Everything hurts, my head, my throat, my stomach. I just know that I don’t feel good.

I didn’t go into work on Tuesday. I stayed home and slept all day.  Wednesday I went into work, thinking I could make it all day. Everything was so difficult to deal with.

Thursday I came into work, and again, I hoped I could make it all day. Finally around noon after throwing up for the third time, I just had to see a doctor.

I went into a local dr here in town, mine was 60 miles away so I didn’t have a choice really. He tried to give me some pill that he thought would help. But not once did he touch me physically. Even though over and over I told him how miserable I was, how bad my throat was hurting. But whatever, I went home and went to sleep again.

Later that night, I knew that something was not right. I still was throwing up, my throat was on fire and my blood pressure was skyrocketing.  So I asked my husband to take me to the ER so we could get something figured out.

After being in there for a few minutes, they got an IV in me as they knew I was dehydrated. My blood pressure was at dangerous levels, and so they started IV meds to get that to come down. And then the kicker…they tested me for strep. And sure enough, that is what was making my throat so sore! 

They determined that I could not be handled in the local hospital because of the high risk pregnancy with the high blood pressure. So they contacted my doctor up in Sioux City and she wanted me up there. So for the first time in my life, I got to ride in an ambulance just like you see on TV. They wrapped me all up, put me on the stretcher and away we went. Lights, sirens, the whole works!  

When they got me up to Sioux City, they took me straight to the OB ward. They did a stress test on the babies.  My blood pressure was starting to come down, but I still wasn’t feeling well. After an hour, they decided that the babies were not in danger, and moved me to a non-labor floor. I had a beautiful room, and tried to get some sleep. I forgot how difficult it was to be limited in positions to sleep.  At least I knew what was going on. And I finally had stopped throwing up. So hopefully we can start week 11 off much better than we left week 10!

Your Pregnancy: Week 10
The roller coaster of nausea may almost be over, but the roller coaster of emotions (happy, sad, crying, mad; and that's all in the last 30 seconds) is just revving up. No one will understand why Friends reruns are making you cry, so don't bother trying to explain it.

Wondering what's up with your body, your baby and your life this week? Read on ...

What You're Thinking:

"Only 30 more weeks until I can eat raw fish and drink sake again."

Your Body
The hormones raging through your body can wreak havoc on your emotional sanity, so be prepared to spend the next few months swinging from one end of the emotional pendulum to the other. If you're feeling especially sad or depressed, talk to your doctor because prenatal depression is actually quite common.

Simple changes in exercise and diet have been proven to help women control depressive feelings. But if little things like sad songs and sappy commercials make you cry, don't worry, you're not alone. Wacky emotions can be chalked up to pregnancy hormones. So go ahead and blubber your way through Celine's greatest hits. It's OK.

Your Baby
By the end of Week 10, your baby graduates from embryo to fetus, which literally means "little one." It also translates to "I'm just going to keep getting bigger and bigger and so are you!" Other highlights this week:

Your baby has finally morphed from a little tadpole into, well, a baby. Not only is the face more human-like, but that unflattering "tail" (really just the developing spinal cord) has disappeared, fusing into the spinal column.

Your baby now has discernible fingers and toes, which will explain the steady stream of kicks and punches you'll feel down the line.

Junior's skeleton is starting to grow and harden. The ears are beginning to take shape and the eyelids are no longer transparent. Tooth buds are forming, although your baby won't get any teeth until six or seven (or eight or nine or 10) months after birth.

Baby's brain will make an incredible 25,000 new neurons every minute this week. While you may feel like you're losing as many as he's gaining, we can assure you it's not permanent. "Pregnancy brain," like nausea and bloating, is a temporary symptom that soon shall pass. (And then you'll get "Mommy brain," but we won't go there now.)

If you're baby is a boy, he's started producing that macho hormone testosterone. And whether your baby is a boy or a girl, the kidneys are creating copious amounts of urine. Lucky for you, you won't have to change a diaper for another 30 weeks.

Baby weighs only 4 grams and measures 1½ inches, about the size of a mondo Brazil nut.

Your Life
Ok, blah blah blah about the health stuff, let's talk about decorating the nursery! Thirty more weeks may seem like eons, but it might take that long to clean out the soon-to-be baby's room.

Start by painting—you'll want enough time pre-baby for the fumes to have dissipated. If you can afford it, try using low-volatile organic compounds (VOC) paints, which are much safer for pregnant women and children.

Also make sure to check for the presence of any existing toxic lead paint in your home, since safe removal methods are essential for you and your baby's health.

Don't want to spend time painting or wallpapering the joint or worried that you'll be sick of those little yellow duckies you painted on the wall in about two months? Try Blik's awesome wall decals. Totally easy to apply and remove.

Start a search for the most comfortable chair you can find for the nursery. And make sure you love it ... you'll be spending almost as much time there as you do in your bed once the baby comes.