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I would like to first get the bad news out of the way and end this post on a happy note.  So, firstly, my cold has gotten much worse since last week.  If you remember last week’s post I complained that I had a cold all week and that it has gotten worse.  Well, it is so much worse now.  The cold virus has spread and caused me to have terrible sinus headaches.  Stabbing pain in my temple, eye, upper teeth and jaw.  When I sneeze, cough, or puke (yes I still have some morning sickness) this causes my temples, eyes, teeth and jaws to throb with excruciating pain.  If that is not bad enough, I have lost my voice completely.  It broke my heart when the kids at Head Start would hand me a book to read to them and all I could do is turn the pages.  The virus has also caused so much constant coughing, congestion, phlegm and irritation in my lungs that it has caused pleurisy.  Pleurisy is when the lining of your lungs becomes inflamed and causes intense pain when you cough or sneeze.  Sometimes fluid builds up in your lungs because of this as well.  The coughing and sneezing causes sharp stabbing pains, yes, but it also hurts just to breathe deep and simply move around.  It hurts like hell when I throw up!  My body is just under way too much stress.  I have only taken Tylenol.  It has now been 2 weeks that I’ve been fighting this cold and still there is no end in sight.

I did see my baby doctor earlier in the week and he said, “Well your lungs sound clear.  Just keep taking Tylenol.”   Since then, my ongoing cold has caused sinus pain, laryngitis and pleurisy so I plan on going to an urgent care clinic possibly tomorrow and see what else they say.  However, there still may be little they can do since I am pregnant.

Halloween was fun for Faith.  Aaron took her trick or treating.  Unfortunately, shortly after trick or treating, Aaron started feeling really bad.  I found him sleeping on the couch in the middle of the night and he was burning up. 101.4 fever.  He went to the CVS Minute Clinic today and they said he had bronchitis.  Also his sinuses were very inflamed and irritated.  They prescribed antibiotics, Flonase, Ibuprofen, Tylenol and also Tessalon Perle which helps suppress the urge to cough.  Hopefully, all the meds he can take will greatly reduce his duration of this cold and he won’t have to suffer with it for 2 weeks or more like me.  And I’m sure it will prevent him from getting sinus pain, laryngitis and pleurisy!  Lucky him!  I’m jealous he is being treated and I’m not.   I’ve been suffering way too long.. especially while trying to grow a human being inside of me.

Faith did have fun trick or treating, but she is also dealing with mild cold symptoms; coughing and sore throat.  She also went to see the pediatrician earlier in the week but they didn’t prescribe antibiotics since it’s a virus.  While she was there she did get the flu shot, so hopefully she won’t get the flu this winter!

Faith didn’t go trick or treating very long but was very happy with the treats she got from her neighbors.  I will be posting the Halloween 2015 video as soon and I have the time and energy to create it.

 

Now onto the happy news!  The baby’s genetic screening results are NORMAL!  No down syndrome or any other genetic disorders.  We are having a healthy baby!

 

We also found out the gender :)

 

 

Faith is going to have a sister and God willing, a life long friend :)

 

 

IT’S A GIRL!  Another daddy’s girl for sure!  Most likely another curly-haired blue-eyed baby girl that will have Daddy wrapped around her little finger :)

Thanks to my sister, Wendy, for preparing the box and balloons and for snapping the pics.  They turned out great.

 

 

14 weeks belly pic…

 

What baby looks like at 14 weeks…

This week’s big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck her thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, her facial muscles are getting a workout as her tiny features form one expression after another. Her kidneys are producing urine, which she releases into the amniotic fluid around her — a process she’ll keep up until birth. She can grasp, too, and if you’re having an ultrasound now, you may even catch her sucking her thumb. In other news: Your baby’s stretching out. From head to bottom, she measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and she weighs 1 1/2 ounces. Her body’s growing faster than her head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, her arms will have grown to a length that’s in proportion to the rest of her body. (Her legs still have some lengthening to do.)  She’s starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over her body. Your baby’s liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it’s doing its job right — and her spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can’t feel her tiny punches and kicks yet, her hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

The good news this week is that my voice is back.  The bad news is that I’m still sick.  In last week’s post I mentioned the terrible sinus pain I’m having.  I’m still having throbbing pain in my eyes, temples, upper teeth and jaw.  I still have pleurisy I think. The pain in my lungs have gotten worse.  It became painful to lift my arm or use my stomach muscles at all without excruciating pain in my right lung.  My throat started becoming soar again and the glands in my neck were hurting again. The mucus in my nose turned from green to orange. My nose has been bleeding. A low-grade fever returned.  So I finally went to a walk-in clinic yesterday.  I just couldn’t take the pain anymore.  Tylenol is not helping.  I’ve been sick for 3 weeks.

Well, this time the doctor gave me azithromycin (also known as Z-pack).  He said that it is an alternative to penicillin or amoxicillin which I can’t take because I’m allergic to.  He said that it is safe to take during pregnancy.  He couldn’t prescribe me anything else because of my pregnancy.  He said that the pain in my lung could be pleurisy but it also could be a fractured rib caused by chronic coughing!  He can’t take a chest x-ray to find out exactly what it is because x-rays aren’t safe during pregnancy. The more I think about it,  the more I believe it might actually be a fractured rib because any movement I make HURTS.  Not only coughing, sneezing and puking hurts, but just turning my torso, lifting my arms or trying to get comfortable in bed is very very painful.  He said that if it is a fractured rib it will take 4 to 6 weeks to heal :(  I can’t tolerate this misery for another month.

When I got home I Googled just how safe it is to take azithromycin during pregnancy.  I just wanted to educate myself a little more and be sure before taking my first pill.  Well, guess what… I can’t take it.  Not because of the pregnancy, but because of my heart palpitations!  I found this article… FDA Safety Changes: Azithromycin Linked With Fatal Irregular Heart Rhythms.  I told the doctor that I’m having heart palpations and that they have gotten worse since I’ve been sick!  He must not have known the risk of heart problems with this antibiotic.  I’m so glad I found this article, but I’m SO upset that I STILL have NOTHING to treat my sickness.  I haven’t touched the antibiotics.  They are still sitting on my kitchen table, and I feel like crying every time I look at them.

Tomorrow is my appointment with the cardiologist.  Hopefully we will get to the bottom of why I am have irregular heartbeats.  I will inform him of my 3 week cold, the pain in my lung/ribs, and the article that I read about the azithromycin.  I doubt he will suggest I still take the antibiotics.   I wouldn’t want to take the risk no matter what.

I’m concerned about the stress that our baby girl could be enduring because of all the problems with my body right now.  I hate the fact that I’ve been taking Tylenol every day for 3 weeks.  Long term use of Tylenol can’t be healthy for her.  I read an article about long-term Tylenol use during pregnancy … Too much Tylenol in pregnancy could affect child’s development, study finds.  Please keep me and baby girl in your daily prayers.  I need to get over this cold.  My body NEEDS to begin healing now.

Aaron and Faith are doing ok.  Both of them have mild cold symptoms.  Nothing bad enough to keep them in bed.  Aaron just finished his course of antibiotics and Faith is only taking Tylenol and Claritin at night.  I’m glad they’re doing ok.

 

15 weeks belly pic…

 

What baby looks like at 15 weeks…

 

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She’s busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she’s likely to move away from the beam. There’s not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds.

I have still been very fatigued this week, but I feel like I may be beginning to heal.  I went to my cardiologist appointment on Monday, and then back again on Thursday and Friday.  On Monday, I spoke with the doctor about the cold I’ve had for 3 weeks.  I told him about my lung or rib pain.  I had another EKG done there in the office and it came back normal, although I am still having daily heart palpations.  Also, my heart rate was 126 beats per minute!  That’s too fast.  Your resting heart rate is suppose to be 60 to 100 beats per minute.  The doctor drew blood to test for heart disease.  The test came back normal, thank God.  I don’t know what exactly they tested for in my blood that would indicate heart disease, but I am just happy that the test came back normal.  The doctor said that my palpitations are most likely caused by dehydration due to my pregnancy and morning sickness.  Also, the cold I’ve had has definitely made the palpations worse, and the stress my body is enduring because of the pain in my rib and the throbbing sinus pain is a factor as well.  However, he had me take additional tests to make sure my heart is ok.

On Thursday I went back in to get my heart monitor put on.   I wore it for 24 hours.  The nurse asked me to write down the time I have a heart palpatation and I laughed.  I told her I have them so frequently day and night that there was no way I could stop what I’m doing every few minutes to write it down.  She said, “Oh, well if you’re having them that much then no need.  The heart monitor will detect them all.”   Thank goodness.  There was just no way I could record all my palpitations for 24 hours.  On the way home that day, not even 5 minutes after I left the office, I had 3 heart palpataions in the car driving home.  It’s just not practical for me to stop what I’m doing and make a note of the time I have a palpation.

On Friday I went back to get my heart monitor removed and to get an ultrasound done to my heart.  It was actually really cool to see my heart pumping.  I saw the valves of my heart and the flaps inside the valves opening and closing.  My heart is still beating fast, but it was a little slower at this visit; 113 beats per minute, and my blood pressure was normal too; 118/70.

So now I’m just waiting on the results from the heart monitor and also from the ultrasound of my heart.  The doctor said to rest as much as possible and drink lots of water.  I am resting every moment I can.  I still have to complete my preschool practicum at Head Start.  I can’t miss any days.  So I’m just sitting down as much as possible when I’m there, and taking it slow.  When I’m home, I’m lying down whenever I have the chance.  I do feel better when I’m resting.  When I’m up walking around, I get short of breath very easy.  I’m optimistic that everything will be fine.  I just need lots of time to rest and heal.

Faith and Aaron still have some cold symptoms.  Coughing and runny noses, but otherwise seem ok and have so much more energy than me.  I’m jealous.

16 week belly pic…  Oh! and good news this week!… I’ve started to feel the baby move!  The movements aren’t yet strong enough to feel with my hand, but I feel her flipping around a lot in my belly.  I’m so glad she is active and doing well!

 

What baby girl looks like at 16 weeks…

 

In the next few weeks, baby will double her weight and add inches to her length. Right now, she’s about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. Her legs are much more developed, her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved closer to the front of her head. Her ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her locks aren’t recognizable yet. She’s even started growing toenails. And there’s a lot happening inside as well. For example, her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.  Baby is now listening to your voice, thanks to tiny bones forming in her ears.