Lifting Fog

The fog of pregnancy induced nausea is finally lifting. I feel about 75% of normal most of the time now, which is SO wonderful. I actually feel like living my normal life, instead of spending it on the couch (which is not what I did, but all I wanted to do). This week I've been cooking real meals, not warming up frozen lasagnas, and I even scrubbed the shower. It feels great!

I don't think this go around was any worse than the first, in fact probably even a little better, but it was harder to cope with at times due to my lack of being occupied. I worked in the hospital full time when I was pregnant with Madeline, and I think it helped to keep my mind off of how I was feeling. I'm so grateful it's about over, and that I don't suffer from this throughout my entire pregnancies like some I know. That is unimaginable.

I'm sure this is of no interest to anyone else, but I'm finding it fun to compare this pregnancy with my last. A lot is the same, but I did find some differences in the things that made me the most sick, and things that helped.

1ST PREGNANCY:

Things that made me more sick than the usual constant nausea -

• cooking
• opening the refrigerator or the freezer (Scott made my lunch for work everyday)
• thinking about food, including making a menu for the week
• grocery shopping - I dreaded this task all week, and had a lovely experience at the Wal-mart check out counter when I was about 10 weeks along. No more shopping alone after that.
• the elevator and break room at work
• taking my prenatal vitamins
• pulling up to our apartment after work - for some reason that part of my routine always induced gagging

Things that helped a little

• popsicles
• changing up my routine

2ND PREGNANCY:

Things that made it worse-

• the laundry room. laundry soap. anything to do with entering the laundry room, and thus smelling the laundry soap.
• the living room - it's usually closed up, so it has a little bit different of a smell than the rest of the house. Not bad, but different, and for some reason it really bothered me.
• the bathroom after someone had just showered. It would smell like soap.
• the magic hour of 5:00pm. I was pretty much out of commission after that point.

Things that helped a little-

• candy canes
• the actual process of eating, but not before or after

This is the time when I actually begin to be exited about our new baby. I more easily recognize the miracle of having another life inside my own. What an amazing gift.