BUMPdate - The First Three Months

The first three months of being pregnant have been...challenging....to say the least. 

I took the test at 5 weeks along, felt great for the next week and a half, and then the "morning sickness" began. Although, in my case, it was actually NIGHT sickness. All day long I'd feel like normal Jess and then around 7:30 each night, regardless of activity, food intake or rest, my stomach would just start to flip over and over. It was gross. But thankfully, I never vomited. See, I'm a crier when I throw up...have been ever since I was little. Crying is maybe not the right word...HYSTERICAL is probably better. I can't control it, it's just the worst. So anyway, I never actually threw up, but most of the time, I wish I would. However, I will say that if you have to feel sick while you're pregnant, being sick at night is the way to go. I was able to go to work (though I'd need to nap when I came home, which is normal) and be okay and when the queasy feelings rolled around, I'd just go to bed. So, though I suffered from the proverbial sickness, night sickness really is the better way to have it.

Feeling ill is normal, but unfortunately that is not the only issues we dealt with in those first three months. At 8 weeks pregnant I started bleeding...serious bleeding that could only mean one thing in my mind. Mr L was in Oklahoma at training and I fortunately was in Virginia staying with my best friend for the weekend. She took me to the hospital and after ultrasounds and a few tests, it was confirmed that I was suffering from a 50% subchorionic hemorrhage. These are also common in pregnant women, though not usually at 50% (they are usually much smaller). Basically 50% of my placenta was no longer attached to my uterus. This could either result in a miscarriage or my body could eventually reabsorb the issue...but the hemorrhage could not get any bigger. They prescribed strict bed rest...like no moving whatsoever if it could be helped. I spent the first two weeks in bed, only getting up to go to the bathroom and take a shower every few days. Mr L flew home and his squadron allowed him to be home with me the entire time....they were amazing about the whole thing. After the first two weeks I started going crazy. I couldn't move, I couldn't go to work, I couldn't get my own food, etc. At our next doctor appointment, I got permission to go up and down the stairs once a day so I could sleep in my own bed (I had been staying in the basement guest room to stay away from stairs) and spend the day in the living room. Because of this, I couldn't travel, so our parents came to Delaware for Christmas and New Year's. I spent every day of that month-long bed rest assuming that it was the day we would lose the baby...and there was nothing I could do about it. This weighed on me in a way that I can't describe. The bleeding continued throughout the entire month...we just continued to hope that the hemorrhage wouldn't get any bigger. 

Finally, 1 month later, we got the amazing news that the hemorrhage was smaller and I could resume regular activities (with restrictions on lifting, cardio and anything extra that I wouldn't need to do). The relief was immeasurable. 

The baby is healthy and growing on schedule. The sickness has finally stopped, my appetite has returned and things are finally going "normal". 

I'll be doing bumpdates from here on out (starting with 16 weeks) and can't wait to track all these huge milestones.