HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I really should be writing about regression analysis right now, but I've decided to take a few minutes to bring you up to speed on the past year and a half. I definitely didn't intend to take this long to write the 2nd part of my piece on pregnancy, but being a single mom with an amazingly energetic, cute-as-a-button baby, who somehow morphed into an even more amazingly independent, smart, cuddly not-so-little toddler, I barely have time to do more than pick up toys and read bedtime stories these days.
So, let's see: I'd promised to share some insight into my first trimester of pregnancy, and surviving endless nausea. I'm sure every woman who experiences nausea during pregnancy thinks her experience is "the worst", but truly, mine was awful for two month. I think I would have preferred to actually vomit more instead of just feeling constantly nauseous all day. I would somehow make it through the day, then wallow in discomfort on my couch for the rest of the evening until I fell asleep. Then I discovered two things that changed the whole experience.
1. Orange juice mixed with ginger ale first thing in the morning. I would drink about a pint of it on the way to work and then pray that my belching sessions would end by the time I got out of the car. It really helped with the acid reflux and indigestion.
2. Seaband Acupuncture bands. I don't recall how I stumbled upon this marvel, but it was truly an amazing product. Perhaps I was looking for non-drug anti-nausea alternatives and Google did me one solid when this popped up in the search results. I immediately went out and bought a pair from my local pharmacy. Initially, I would put it on first thing in the morning after my shower, and within about 15 minutes the nausea would subside. I've never liked wearing watches or other wrist jewelry, so when I first tried Seaband, I would take it off after about an hour. However, the nausea would return, so I'd have to put it back on. The benefits definitely outweighed the desire to not wear anything on my wrists. At some point I even started sleeping in them. I don't know if they work as well for others, but I definitely would recommend them. I have no affiliation with the company. I ended up buying a second pair because I was a bit concerned about losing one (you have to wear one on each wrist for maximum effect).
After the first two months of nausea my pregnancy proceeded without a lot of theatrics. Thankfully I was healthy physically, and more importantly I think being mentally excited about the coming of my child, despite a world of uncertainty, helped to create an insulated bubble of happiness that carried me through. I remember finding out I was going to have a boy around 22 weeks. I'd already picked out names--about five years ago! It was a choice between Wilhem (my paternal grandmother's name is Wilhemina, and she had the sweetest soul), Leonides, like the heroic Spartan king, or Gideon, after the biblical hero, and also the moniker of one of my favorite TV characters, Jason Gideon (quirky side note: the character was created by a guy name "Jeff", which also happens to be the name of my son's dad).
Both the biblical story of Gideon and the Greek myth of Leonides are about brave warriors, accomplishing incredible victories against immense odds.... with 300 men. Their courage, faith, and determination allowed them to do the impossible. The deciding factor for me was that Gideon lived to enjoy the rewards of his bravery and died of old age (something I hope for my son), while Leonidas gave the ultimate sacrifice for his people when he was still very young. I have no idea whether my son will end up choosing a military path, or if he will ascribe to any form of religion as an adult, but when choosing a name I wanted to give him one that embodies a sense of the possibility of accomplishing his goals, despite unbelievable odds. It's a theme that has been central to my own life story thus far.
Ok, back to regression analysis. Next time I'll talk about my delivery and the past 20 months of being a mom. I hope my hiatus won't be as long next time, but can be very busy with a toddler who's literally skipping and jumping around the house every waking moment of his day.
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