. . . whenever I feel nauseous, or my chest ignites, or I discover that I cannot button yet another blouse, I am reassured that my Little Bean is continuing to develop . . .
As of today, I am a little over five weeks pregnant, which, confusingly, means that I am a little over three weeks post-conception. Besides feeling relieved elated that Vik and I were able to produce this magical little bean without the help of modern medical intervention (more on that later), I am also feeling some early pregnancy symptoms.
To begin with, my humps have gone far beyond what could politely be referred to as lovely lady lumps. Rather, they are now, to use a scientific term, HUGE! Vik estimates that my mammoth mammaries now weigh in at a robust 2 pounds each. I am not sure about that, but I am sure that I cannot get away with stuffing them into my pre-pregnancy bra for much longer. Some women have found this to be one of the more desirable side effects of pregnancy, but I was on the busty side to begin with, so I am far from delighted with my blooming profile (not to mention the accompanying tenderness).
I have also developed a very sensitive gag reflex. Max, my little angel of a cat, has the terrible habit of eating random bits of plastic he finds laying around the house and then redepositing in unexpected places. I was getting ready to go sailing the other morning when I found a regurgitated piece of garbage bag laying on the floor in the spare bedroom. Normally I have no problem picking these little presents up and depositing them in the waste bin, but when I scooped this one up I immediately started gagging and had to run to the bathroom before I deposited my own surprise on the floor. I did not actually throw up, but I did end up spending several minutes dry heaving. Brushing my teeth and strong fits of coughing (particularly inconvenient since I am struggling to get over a case of bronchitis) are also occasionally gag-inducing these days.
Perhaps just as annoying as my increasingly sensitive gag reflex is the fact that my once teflon-coated GI-system is now prone to near-constant cases of heartburn. Sometimes it feels as though a flame-thrower is installed in my stomach!
Finally, I every so often (read, two to three times a day) become so overwhelmingly sleepy that I literally cannot force myself to stay awake. For example, Vik and I were out sailing this morning and, even though I was supposed to be acting as lookout and manning the foresail, I fell asleep. Literally. One minute I was cleating the jib, and the next I was sleeping with my head on the side of the boat. Good thing there weren’t any obstacles on the horizon!
Strangely, these symtoms, annoying and, in some cases, painful as they are, are a source of relief and comfort for me. Although it is difficult to explain, whenever I feel nauseous, or my chest ignites, or I discover that I cannot button yet another blouse, I am reassured that my Little Bean is continuing to develop and that my body is working hard to ensure that s/he is healthy.
