Diclectin + all day nausea
I’ve been writing this latest post through a nausea haze. Oh how naive I was to suggest in my last post that I wouldn't take Diclectin (I now take it three times a day). Readers, my nausea got so much worse. I’ve thrown up in the sink, in the toilet, and once on the floor. One day, I threw up so hard I popped blood vessels in my face. Or, as one Internet acquaintance put it, I got “blood freckles.” The most I’ve thrown up in a day so far is four.
One of the problems with taking Diclectin is that its main side effect is drowsiness. When I’m not overwhelmingly nauseous, I’m drowsy. This is terrible. I’ve done very little the last few weeks. I’m either sleeping or catatonically watching YouTube documentaries, mostly about food because my stomach no longer enjoys eating. I’ll show you stomach! I’ll eat with my eyes! I’m looking forward to the second trimester where I’ve been told it gets easier (no more nausea or extreme exhaustion). My sister-in-law had extreme nausea (hyperemesis gravidarum) the entire nine months, but I’ve been told this is rare.
I’ve also been trying to read more about different postpartum practices, like Chinese confinement, to see what I can do to support myself after the birth. Hiring a doula is something we can’t really afford. We will have a midwife throughout the pregnancy at least. I put out a call on my social media for resources and information and people really came through with helpful advice. Books I’ve picked up based off of recommendations:
Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susun S. Weed
Herbs for Children's Health: How to Make and Use Gentle Herbal Remedies for Soothing Common Ailments by Rosemary Gladstar
The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother by Heng Ou
One thing I’m struggling with is getting enough protein in my diet. I’ve been trying to eat meat again, but, honestly, most meat disgusts me. Also, cooking it freaks me out. Before, when I ate meat, I tried cooking it only a handful of times. I’d start to get anxious that the meat wasn’t properly cooked and wind up throwing it all out which made me feel terrible. Anyway, this is how I rate meat so far: Chicken (very gross). Steak (manageable). Dried biltong (the most manageable). Another hurdle is buying meat raised without hormones etc. Also, meat is expensive as a protein source.
Things I’ve enjoyed eating lately: ice cream sandwiches, toasted bagel with cream cheese and cucumber, halloumi with tomato and cucumber, oatmeal with banana. I made rigatoni with vodka sauce (hold the vodka) the other night when my stomach wasn’t obliterated. Also, my sister gave me a crate of Sperri, a DELICIOUS organic meal replacement drink. I recommend the strawberry flavour. It’s a Canadian company too. 10/10. It does aggravate my dysgeusia, another lovely first trimester pregnancy symptom where you have a metallic or sour taste in your mouth, so I brush my teeth right after drinking Sperri.
First ultrasound
Look at our little baby! I went to a place that doesn’t give you a print-out of the ultrasound so this is just a cellphone shot of the ultrasound screen. You aren’t allowed to take photos of the screen either, but the technician looked the other way for us. And check out our baby’s little heartbeat! We are in love.
Housekeeping thoughts
The thing I’ve felt most overwhelmed by is shopping for baby items. I dislike shopping quite a bit. Also, I don’t really know what items I need to get and what baby items might be a waste of money. I turned to my most practical aunt for practical baby advice. Some preliminary must-haves for newborn: 6-10 sleepers, a lot of burp cloths and washcloths (old soft towels cut up work well), a one piece suit for outside, a baby carrier, a bassinet, changing pad, diapers, and so on.
Her number one tip: Buy or source whatever you can used. The baby grows out of everything right away so buying new doesn’t make sense.
I was already going in the used or free direction. I’ve always enjoyed buying used, selling, and trading items. I see this as part of my home economics. Tristan likens me to a merchant you’d see in an RPG video game. I’ve signed up for a local free kids item group on Facebook and managed to so far get a range of infant clothes, bibs, shoes, hats, baby spoons, reusable diapers, toys, children’s books, a changing pad, and a BabyBjörn carrier. (I will donate everything back to the parent community once I no longer need them.) I’ve bought a few used items like a bassinet, infant lounger, and wooden play gym. I’m going to try to get everything I need for a newborn - 1 year old before the baby comes. I think chronic illness makes me over prepare for everything in my life. It makes me feel in control of things.
I don’t have a neat way to wrap up this post, but hopefully you’ve enjoyed reading my pregnancy thoughts! The next planned posts will feature stories from other disabled parents. Collecting these stories are important to me.