Bun in the Oven

Yes, my oven.

There are some things we are doing differently. I want IV nutrition this time. There was a internist in California who did it for me while I was pregnant and terribly sick with Sam. I think it may have been the difference between Sam and all the others. I'm the first to admit it may not be the magic bullet, but I think it's worth a try. My OB said he would go along with it if I could get the perinatologist to recommend it. We went to a perinatologist before I was pregnant, and we pleaded our case. She wouldn't recommend an IV or a pic line, but she will put a feeding tube in my nose, through my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines when I get really sick. I'm nervous about this because it will be dangling at the back of my throat for 10-14 days and, as we well know, my gag reflex has a hair-line trigger.
She has three criteria for this to be a viable option. First, I need to be at least 8 weeks because they will need to do an x-ray to be sure the tube is positioned properly. She doesn't want to do an x-ray before 8 weeks. Second, I need to have lost weight from the throwing up. And last, there has to be ketones in my urine. This is a toxin released by the body when it's breaking itself down and burning itself for fuel.
In the mean time she has me eating every three hours. Even in the night. We're trying to trick my body into feeling busy, rather than sick. So far, it seems to be working. I usually get sick between 6 and 8 weeks, being full blown sick by 8 weeks. I'm 7 weeks now and I have felt a little nauseous a few times, but as soon as I eat I feel better. I think it's the eating in the night that's making the big difference. So every night before we go to sleep, Matt says, "When was the last time you ate." I tell him and then we count on our fingers three hours ahead and he sets the alarm. Then he walks over to the desk and counts ahead three hours from the alarm clock, and sets another alarm clock. Then he goes to his alarm clock and sets it. When he wakes up he resets his alarm clock to three hours after my second one, so I'm sure to wake up in time to eat again. So in short, we have three alarm clocks in our room going off four times in the night. It's so fun.
I also went on a short little road trip to Idaho with some friends. We had a visit with a muscle therapist. He taught me how to stimulate my kidneys into flushing fluid more efficiently. My legs had been swelling since the fifth and sixth weeks. It's different and not something I'm familiar with or used to, but it's working. It has kept the fluid out of my legs all week.
My poor body does not like to be pregnant. But I'm hoping 7th times a charm and things all work out. Whether we have a baby in December or not, I know I won't regret trying. So, please, keep us in your prayers.