Verdict On Progesterone Cream: Yay!

In September, I published a post titled Can Progesterone Be The Solution? I had no idea I'd get so many hits to it - but I did, and therefore felt it necessary to write an update on my experience.

My post had been because I'd started using progesterone cream the end of August 2009 to see if it would help with menstrual cramps, mood, and headaches. At first I didn't know how successful it would be. One month I'd go without cramps but feel my mood drop prior to my period, the next I'd be in a great mood around my period but have cramps. However, I gave it time and now I'm in my sixth cycle. The verdict: It works!

Do I feel perfect? Of course not. But have I had to turn to Hydrocodone which I previously used because my cramps were so bad? No, in fact I haven't even had to take ibuprofen! Have there been months that I have felt cramps? Yes -- in fact, several times they've started to fall under the "moderate" category and so I will literally be on my way to the medicine cabinet to get some ibuprofen -- but they suddenly disappear before I take off the lid. Previously, my cramps were "severe" and lasted all day, every day (often for 10 days or even occurring not around my period). No matter what tip I followed, they didn't improve in the slightest.

(FYI, I wasn't able to use the cream during my period for cramps because, even though it did make the cramps go away completely, it kept stopping my period.)

Have I felt my mood drop prior to my period for no reason over the past six months? Yes. But have I been depressed? No. I'm sure anti-depressants have better results when it comes to depression for those who struggle with it, but for me I just wanted to feel more stable than not using the cream. Because, prior to having Logan, I would find myself crying the week before my period almost every month. The rest of the days of the month I'd be positive and upbeat, but then one week each month (always before bedtime) I'd mope around the house or with my head in a pillow, finding all of the negatives in life. I went the entire time I was pregnant and breastfeeding without ever feeling like that. But once I stopped producing milk, for the first time in my life I experienced that EVERY day for an entire month (last February - so exactly a year ago). Not only that, but it was to the maximum degree that I'd ever experienced. I didn't really cry because thankfully my son was the only thing that made me smile. But I was prescribed LexaPro. After three days of feeling incredibly sick, I stopped taking it. I made some changes in my life and things improved, but I also think that my hormones started balancing out once they got used to me not breastfeeding anymore. I went back to just feeling my mood drop the week prior to my period.

Since I'd lived 18 months having been on a natural and healthy high, I wondered why I couldn't feel like that every day forever?! Although the progesterone cream isn't as high as the amount I had in my body due to pregnancy and breastfeeding (so therefore I think that will be the only way to feel that way again), my "down week" turned into just a "down day." So, I'd even stay on it without the cramp problem -- just because having one down day a month (or two at the most) is better than even a week.

But what did it take care of completely for me? Migraines! That's right, I haven't had a single migraine since September. Considering I had one nearly every day during the month of August, but none over the past five months, I don't think it's a coincidence that the changing factor was progesterone cream. One day I even forgot to use it in the morning (you're supposed to use it when you wake up and before you go to bed, approximately days 14-28 of your cycle) and I started getting a headache. I was like, wow, it's been a long time since I've had a headache! I put on the cream and it went away!

One of the other benefits from progesterone is weight-loss. While using it hasn't made me lose weight, it has allowed me to lose it. What I mean is that when I stopped pumping (i.e. producing milk) last February 1st, I gained weight obscenely quickly. I'm not sure if someone had sat on their butt all day eating bon bons they could have gained faster than me. I was chasing around my active 9.5 month old son and hardly having time to eat, so talk about feeling depressed - I was so horrified at how fast I gained 10 lbs (two weeks) so one day I ate only a couple of bites of food and that was it all day. When I stepped on the scale the next morning I had gained an additional 5 pounds (which stayed on so it wasn't just water weight)! Can you say messed up?! Needless to say, I just ate normally after that and exercised when I could, but although I didn't gain anymore, I didn't lose any either. I could tell losing weight was going to be harder than it ever had before - I could literally feel that my metabolism had slowed down and was fighting against me. But in October, I felt like my body was on my side again and, sure enough, I lost 7 lbs. easily by eating healthy & exercising regularly. I'm still working to lose the rest of the weight that I gained a year ago, but I actually feel it's possible now and have no doubt I will if I "follow the rules."

In my post Can Progesterone Be The Solution?, I gave a link to a website that gives signs to know if you're low on progesterone: http://www.hormone-healthy.com/Symptoms_of_low_Progesterone.htm

I have searched and searched for anything negative regarding progesterone cream but can't find anything. The only side effect reported for someone who might have "too much progesterone" is being too relaxed/tired. So, if you're experiencing anything on the above list, I recommend you ask your doctor to test your progesterone levels to see if you are even a tiny bit low. Remember (for those who read my previous post about progesterone), there could be factors why the cream may not work - so get everything tested to make sure you give the progesterone cream a fair shot. Because, I tried it for a brief couple of months several years ago and it didn't work. The recommendation is to give it at least three months, but I say six months. Organic cream is most successful - it can be bought over-the-counter at any pharmacy or purchased online (I bought mine from the website, Emerita). Price is $29-39, depending on the size of bottle. . .for me, the $29 size lasted 4 months and the $39 size lasts 8 months, so budget is roughly $60 a year ($5 a month - worth it to eliminate pain)!

*I was NOT paid to write this post - this is my own opinion

Returning To "Normal" (Is that a good thing?)

This was written on Thursday, August 28, 2008:

This is a big week for Logan! Sunday was when he started standing on his own (next to our table -- I posted a pic in my last post) and tonight he held himself in a sitting position for quite awhile, check it out! :-)

4 months 10 days--Good job, Logan!
--------------

This was originally written on Wednesday, September 3, 2008:

Today last year was Labor Day--the day I found out I was pregnant :-)

This year my news is that Logan rolled all of the way over for the first time on Sunday, August 31st! Since then he's been a rolling machine. Every time I put him down he immediately rolls over and acts very proud of himself. :-) The humorous part is that now he refuses to stay on his back! Unfortunately, he's forgotten how to roll from tummy to back (something he did a few times at a month old, but only one time since), so once he gets on his stomach he gets frustrated. He appears to think the point of being on his tummy is to crawl, because he keeps trying, but his arms aren't strong enough yet.

What a big week: standing, sitting, and rolling over all within 7 days! Joe was four months-twenty-seven days when he went from back to font; Logan was four months-thirteen days! (I didn't do it until eight months old because I was over two months premature.)

I have a feeling Logan will be crawling next. His legs are strong enough, and he definitely has the desire (he gives himself quite the workout by trying and trying--it always looks like he's swimming), he just doesn't know how to work his arms with his legs yet.

I never realized prior to having a baby that he would have an instinct to do all of these things on his own. I'd thought I was supposed to teach him everything, but he's been the one to show me rather than me show him. There must still be a nature's schedule going on, just like when he was in the womb. It's so fun to watch!

Since my last post, we decided not to keep our original plan of going five hours away for Labor Day weekend. For the past twenty-one years my stepdad's family has had a get-together for my cousins' birthdays, but Joe & I had to miss last year's because it was the weekend we moved into our new house. Hopefully we'll be able to attend next year because I always love spending time with them.

Also hopefully this weekend goes well with Logan (Joe's in a wedding--his best man is getting married in Iowa), since it'll only be his second time for traveling (the first was at 7 weeks old). I am amazed at how many people I know have already flown on a plane with their babies at this age. I am still not relaxed about just taking road trips! (Experts recommend not flying before three months old, here are two articles from BabyCenter and Surf Net Parents.)

My mom is going to come help out next week for a couple of days so that should give me a little break. My mood has still been down, so I'm going to see if my doctor will prescribe me progesterone at my annual exam this Friday.

I've been learning more about hormones prior, during, and after pregnancy. During pregnancy, progesterone is the highest it will ever be. Afterwards there is a major drop--which is why many women get post partum depression. Taking anti depressants will just mask the problem and often end up making hormones even more out of whack, but still most doctors prescribe them rather than trying to get hormones balanced first. (Let me note that I am not Tom Cruise and therefore I feel anti depressants ARE the right option for some people, I just don't feel I'm one of them.)

This makes sense to me because it fits exactly what I said on my own in my last post! Since I was put on progesterone early in my pregnancy because I tested low means that it is most likely low again. When progesterone is low, depression is the most common side effect, as well as:

Infertility
Thyroid dysfunction
Fibrocystic breasts
Weight gain
Gallbladder disease
Low Blood Sugar
Panic attacks
Water retention
Irregular menstrual cycle
Blood clots during menstruation
Magnesium deficiency
Vaginal dryness
Breast tenderness

At different "times of the month," progesterone levels change within our bodies. That explains why for years I've described the week before my period as having a black cloud over my head--but then as quickly as it comes on, it goes away, so that's why I never thought it was a big deal. I've never gone on anti-depressants because I just assumed "that was me." But not feeling like that the past year made me realize what my life would be like without it--and I liked that feeling A LOT better! I've never thought of myself as unstable or moody, but compared to the past year, I notice a difference now. I'm actually glad it seemed to happen overnight a couple of weeks ago, because if it had been gradual I might not have recognized the change, and then I'd naively deal with this until menopause. But I felt the drop inside of me, so now hopefully something can be done about it.

I actually tried over-the-counter progesterone cream back in 2004 for cramps (and irregular cycles), but it was very brief because I didn't notice an improvement. However now I've learned that for someone like me I'm going to need the hardcore prescription kind, like what I went on during my first trimester.

Maybe it will help my cramp-problem this time (that's an entirely different topic which I'll blog about some other time--but I can sum it up by saying that my contractions during labor were just as severe as menstrual pain that I've had. In fact, even though my contractions started in the last phase (there was no gradual build up or breaks between them like most women have), I remember thinking, "This is what it feels like to go into labor?! But I've done this before!!!!" Over the years there were days I'd cried in bed, sweat pouring down my forehead, the pain so severe I was dizzy, etc. Nothing helped my pain subside).

I had surgery in August of 2005 to check to see if something was wrong with me, like endometriosis. But my doctor said I looked healthier inside than what they're taught as doctors that we should all look like! I was actually disappointed that she didn't find anything because that meant there was no cure for my pain! She suggested I try different birth control methods--but I'd had major side effects with the pill (I was on it from Feb. '03-Feb. '04) so I recoiled from the idea of trying the other stuff out there since the regular birth control pill has the least amount of side effects! I'd just be trading one problem for another. (Birth control raises estrogen, which lowers progesterone, so I was the most "down" the year I was on the pill, it also caused me to get regular migraines for the first and only time in my life, lowered my immune system so I had one virus after another. . .among other things.)

I tried eliminating certain food from my diet (like wheat, dairy, sugar, caffeine, and fried foods), and even going through detox for copper toxicity (because I tested high for levels of copper in my system, common in women who have been on the birth control pill)--but neither helped. The only way I got through the last two years was because I had saved hydrocodone from my surgery--so that became my savior. I was careful with it so as not to become addicted; I didn't want to ever have to get a prescription, so I just took one each month on my worst day. I can't even describe the difference when it would kick in. I could actually function--happily! But, I took my last pill with my last period before I got pregnant, so I've dreaded getting it again without painkillers.

Could it be as simple as my hormones causing me to actually have contractions each month???

I still haven't started my period--but, like I said last week, I can tell it's soon. (It's like having my one bad week from my past, only for three weeks so far this time--ick! At least it's not affecting my time with Logan, I'm still able to enjoy him and feel happy whenever I look at him.) Joe thinks the shift in my hormones might also have caused the recent change in my milk supply (which you can read about on my "Okay. . .I'm Ready For My First Break "post). And, unfortunately, last night the moment I knew would happen, happened: it dropped again. I nursed Logan for TWO HOURS and it still didn't satisfy him. I know I wasn't "supposed" to give him formula, but I finally did for the first time since he was three weeks old (because I don't have anymore breastmilk stored). I've increased my fenugreek intake to maximum and am back to pumping, so I'll be fine for awhile longer. . .but I told Joe last night that I don't even know if I want to try to continue anymore. I was ready to throw in the towel when Logan was three weeks old--it was bad enough nursing for two straight hours back then, but four months later?! For a long time I felt guilty, like I was being selfish, but now I'm wondering how anyone could be motivated at this point!

I considered contacting La Leche, but I've clearly nourished Logan well for four-and-a-half months, isn't that good enough? But then I think about the winter coming and how breastmilk might protect/prevent Logan from catching viruses, and also comfort him when he recovers from surgery. SIGH.

Well, we might not have a choice; I might be physically unable to soon. I will keep centering my life around breastfeeding for another month, but a miracle's gonna have to happen for me to continue any longer than October (six months).

A lot of people have been telling me that if I start feeding Logan solids it will help me keep up with him. Logan has taken an interest in our food now, so I understand why four months old is when doctors say babies can start eating cereal. (It is a development builder, too.) Although I had planned on waiting until he was six months old so as to be sure to avoid allergies, as well as the other reasons found in my post titled Four Months Old, we've decided to compromise and do it on his five month birthday.

Who knows, maybe going on progesterone will somehow help the breastfeeding. I also can tell my metabolism has slowed down over these past two weeks, which makes me feel lazy and bloated for the first time since having Logan. I guess the above list did say that low progesterone equals weight gain. (Even though after somehow losing 35 lbs two weeks post partum and my other 7 lbs that I'd gained while pregnant by two months, I currently weigh less than I did before I got pregnant.)

On another note, we were finally able to make it to Babies R Us on Saturday to use our 10% off coupon from when Logan was born (I had mentioned here that we would in July but we weren't able to then after all). So we finally bought the rest of the things on our registry, as well as his first Baby Einstein DVD and some sunglasses for him. They didn't have any boy ones left, so he has cherry glasses, hehe.

We rested up on Sunday and then Monday (Labor Day) we were invited over to Mike & Sara's because they were grilling out, so it was fun chatting with them, Darin & Lisa, Nick & Heather, and Shawn & Sarah. (The husbands that Joe used to work with.) Under my August archives link I wrote on a couple of posts that I have three friends who are pregnant & due in April. One of them is Heather (she is 10 weeks already), another is Melissa (my friend who lived in Omaha up until April, she is 9 weeks), and the other is Brooke, a girl I used to work with (she's now 8 weeks along). It was fun to talk pregnancy with Heather in person for the first time, since I was the very first person she told the end of July!

Not long after we returned home that night, I had one of the worst experiences ever.

Before I gave birth it was drilled into my mind never to put anything in a baby's crib. SIDS has been reduced by NINETY-FIVE PERCENT since experts started telling parents to put their babies on their back and eliminate bumper pads, blankets, and stuffed animals from their sleeping areas. I have always followed those rules to a T (for other tips, go to the SIDS Network site), except when Logan is playing in his crib or pack n play and I am in the same room--then I let him have a stuffed animal, and/or he also likes to hold on to a burp cloth or one of his two mini-blankets.

Well, after I had finished changing Logan's diaper, I set him in his pack n play. He was wide awake and energetic, so I let him have his Chicago Bears blankie (it has a little bear rattle on the end). I didn't expect him to be in his pack n play for long. Lately when he's in that type of mood he won't just "hang out"--he wants to be in his bouncer or play gym, etc. But, he wasn't complaining, so I left the room for a moment (Joe was outside watering the yard).

Suddenly I heard the worst scream of my life.

It was not a cry that I had EVER heard from him. I'm sure other mothers out there know how it is--you can predict what it is your baby wants based on the sound of their cry. It was much easier than I had thought to learn his cries fairly early on. Logan has always been very predictable--until that HORRIBLE, desperate, gurgling sound which came out of nowhere. I immediately took off running because I knew 100% that something was wrong. My first thought was that maybe the changing table on the pack n play had fallen on him. The cry said that something had hurt him.

As I reached his pack n play my heart jumped into my throat. His arms and legs were punching and kicking because his face was completely covered with the 15 x 15 inch blanket! My eyes became blurry as I threw off the blanet and scooped my baby up in my arms. His chest was going in and out rapidly and he was breathing like a person who had just run a race. I held him close and wanted to ball my eyes out, but instead I silently rocked him until he smiled and I knew he was over it.

But I'm not. Boy did I learn a lesson. I'm NEVER letting him play with a blanket again (unless I'm sitting right next to him, not going anywhere). You always hear people say you can't take your eyes off your kids, but that's easier said than done. Who sits and stares at their children every second of every day?!

I knew I didn't trust Logan to be on his stomach without me (he has a strong neck, but when he gets tired he will put his head face down--so I am worried about him in his crib at night now that he can roll over). He is also obviously too young to know how to escape from an item that is suffocating him.

I hate that this happened because I was already trying to be aware of danger zones to prevent--but obviously I missed this one, so it pains me to know I will probably miss another in the future. I just want to sob at the thought of Logan in any pain.

The worst part was knowing that Logan felt fear--that was what caused him to scream. Joe said it was a good thing, a survival mechanism, because he knew he was in danger--but I can't handle the thought of what could have happened had he NOT screamed! All it takes is a few seconds for a baby's air being cut off for our lives to be changed forever.

Ugh, I can't write anymore about it. . .it's still so upsetting. . .he means EVERYTHING to me!!!! If I lost him, you might as well consider Andrea lost forever because I'd never even be a shell of myself. I know what people mean when they say the worst loss is the loss of a child. I pray to God I never experience that.

It made Bella's experience today hardly seem worth any stress. Our fence gate was somehow open this afternoon, and so Bella escaped. I didn't even realize it until she'd been outside for ten minutes, which was longer than usual, so I called for her to come in. It wasn't like her to not come when called, and so I stepped out on the deck because I couldn't see her, and that's when I noticed the gate open. I knew then that she wasn't in our yard and could have already gone far in those ten minutes.

I put on my shoes and coat and ran out our front door, calling to her. An SUV was driving down the street and so my voice took on a more panic tone, as I prayed she wouldn't get hit by a car. Thankfully, I spotted her--she was only two houses down and she must have sensed my voice because she came running straight toward me, although she kept hunching down like she thought she was going to be in trouble. But I just didn't have the energy to yell at her like I normally would have, so that was that.

As for Cosmo, something is wrong with his leg(s). Every half an hour he starts crying and snuggles to me. Joe & I noticed that he keeps stretching his legs, so if he's still doing this tomorrow morning I'm taking him to the vet. We've been told since he was a puppy that at some point he may have knee problems, so I'm wondering if that's what's going on or if he just jumped wrong off the bed or something. Hopefully it's nothing serious. . .I'm fine with no more drama!

Guess the Gender

The following was originally written on Saturday, November 3, 2007

This past Thursday (November 1st) I went to the doctor for the fourth time since I've been pregnant. This appt. was for her to feel the size of my abdomen and to hear the heartbeat!!! (I had seen it on the ultrasound at 7 weeks, but this was the first time for hearing it.) It was incredible. It was like when I saw the ultrasound for the first time--so miraculous and amazing. I think I needed another special moment like that after my bad seven weeks with sickness, as well as my cousin's baby's death. [My cousin gave birth to a son four months premature on October 25, 2007; he passed away three days later.]

It was such a love-bonding-connection! I mean, at this stage it is usually hard to "bond" with the baby because, aside from the sickness and five extra pounds, there is really no way of me knowing that I'm pregnant. I can't feel the baby or see it yet, so moments like Thursday are reinforcements that it is indeed real and everything is going well.

I think I always have a degree of skeptisim because whenever I go to the doctor, I'm expecting them to say "We're sorry, you've lost the baby" or "We've made a mistake, you've never been pregnant!" I'm always prepared for them to tell me there is a problem of some sort, but instead it's always encouraging. Like, my doctor said she was very confident I no longer need to worry about miscarriage. She said second trimester losses are extremely rare.

You might remember that I went on progesterone on September 7th since my mom had trouble with her levels, which caused her to have several miscarriages. She took progesterone with me, but stopped at six months pregnant and went into labor at almost seven, so she always wondered if I wouldn't have been early had she continued taking them. The only other person in my family to take them was my cousin who went into even earlier labor.

So, I told my doctor I wanted to stay on them as long as possible (my prescription has run out because they only put women on them for the first trimester). But my doctor said that they are not enough to prevent miscarriage in the second & third trimesters. For women like my mom, they now give them daily injections--but my doctor can't put me on them since I have never had a miscarriage before. Just because my mom had that problem, doesn't mean I will. Unfortunately, you have to lose a baby first before they give you the injections! That made me want to cry because I didn't know if that meant I'd lose this baby if I have that same problem, but then "oh no need to worry, now we know for the next time!"

But she actually promised me I wasn't going to lose this baby based on low progesterone. She said that she was willing to bet anything that my cousin's early labor had nothing to do with her progesterone levels. I can agree with that, as her baby did have a heart condition. But, I was hoping they could still monitor my levels like they did when they tested me at 7 weeks. Unfortunately, there isn't a "number" that it should be at by the second and third trimester. By this point everything should be strong enough to sustain the pregnancy on its own. Second trimester miscarriages are usually caused by uterus or cervical problems, or a dysfunction of the placenta. My doctor says says I've had no indicators of anything causing a second trimester labor.

I trust that she is right and that this baby is going to stay alive & healthy, and will not be born until the third trimester. In order to focus on the "fun" of being pregnant, Joe and I searched the internet trying to guess what gender we are having. :-) We had heard that based on the heartbeat, sometimes you can tell. But guess what? Ours was 140. . .and apparently if it's above 140 it's more likely to be a girl, and under 140 is more likely to be a boy. Right at 140 can go either way! (When a girl's sleeping or a boy is being active.)

I tried some online "tests," but found them to be undeterminable. Here they are:

You're more likely to be carrying a boy if...

• Your baby's heartbeat is lower than 140 beats per minute (I don't know, it was right at 140)

• You're carrying all out front (Can't tell yet)

• You're carrying low (Can't tell yet)

• You're blooming in pregnancy (I'm not exactly sure what this means??)

• You didn't suffer from morning sickness in your first trimester (Definitely no!)

• Your right breast is bigger than your left (Yes, and this is weird because when I wasn't pregnant it was the other way around)

• You look at yourself in the mirror for at least a minute and your pupils dilate (A little)

• You crave salty food or protein, such as cheese and meat (Yes)

• Your feet become cold more quickly than before you were pregnant (I'm not sure)

• You tie your wedding ring to some thread, hang it over your stomach and it moves in circles (Yes. . .but it also did the one for the girl)

• Your skin becomes dry (Some areas)

• You combine your age at the time of conception with the number of the month you conceived and the resulting number is even (Nope, it's odd)

• Your hair has become more full-bodied and shiny during pregnancy (NO! It's never looked so horrible)

• The hair on your legs has been growing faster during pregnancy (It's hard to tell, it's always grown fast, LOL.)

• You are more prone to headaches (Not really)

• Your pillow faces north when you sleep (Nope, south at both houses)

• You're asked to show your hands and you present them palms down (No, but that's just something I've done my entire life)

• You lie on your left side when sleeping (I'm all over the place)

• Your urine is bright yellow (Sometimes, depends on the day)

• You were the more aggressive partner during love-making when you conceived (Haha, I don't remember)

• You eat a clove of garlic and the smell seeps out of your pores (I haven't tried this one)


You're more likely to be having a girl if...

• Your baby's heartbeat is faster than 140 beats per minute (It was right at 140)

• You're carrying all round (Can't tell yet)

• You're carrying high (Can't tell yet)

• You've missed the "blooming" period altogether (I don't understand)

• You suffered morning sickness during your first twelve weeks (Yes!)

• Your left breast is bigger than your right (No)

• You look at yourself in the mirror for at least a minute, but your pupils don't dilate (They did just a little)

• You crave sweet things, such as juice, fruit and sweets (fruit, yes, other sweets, no)

• You tie your wedding ring to some thread, hang it over your stomach and it swings from side to side (It did both)

• Your skin is soft (Some places)

• You are more moody than usual (Possibly, haha)

• You're asked to show your hands and you present them palms up (As I said before, this is what I've done my entire life)

• You were the less aggressive partner during love-making when you conceived (Still can't remember)

• You eat a clove of garlic, but you don't smell of it (I guess I could try this)

• You combine your age at the time of conception with the number of the month you conceived and the resulting number is odd (Yes)

• Your hair has become thinner and dull during pregnancy (Yes)

• You lie on your right side when sleeping (I'm all over the place)

• Your pillow faces south when you sleep (Yes)

• Your urine is dull yellow (Sometimes)

See what I mean? Hard to tell! Although I did answer "yes" for a girl more than a boy. But then I did the most popular test, Chinese Calendar, and that predicted a boy (based on the moon the day I was born and the day I conceived). So who knows!!! (By the way, I would try that yourself just for fun. Go to http://www.thelaboroflove.com/chart/pred.html if you know the exact day you conceived your child, and see if it's accurate. If you haven't had a baby yet, try it for your mom. For example, I asked my mom for her info and it predicted I was a girl, as well as Joe's mom's predicted a boy!)

I am now entering "week 13" and my doctor said she's confident I won't be one of the women who have the sickness all nine months because it has been tapering off. I threw up on Thursday morning but it was weird 'cuz I felt great afterward! Usually on days like that I am miserable all day. But she said it's not something that turns off like a switch, so the fact that I've been feeling better is a sign that it is ending. So I won't have to go on medication--yeay!

I am also starting to regain my energy. I've stopped needing naps and actually woke up at 5 am almost every day this week. By last night it had caught up with me, though. I had a nice dinner with Melissa at Panera Bread; I've decided that's the best place for me to eat right now since I seem to be on an all-carb diet, LOL. No other food has appealed to me for the past month, so I tend to mainly eat just bread, pasta, cereal, etc. Hopefully that will change any day now and I can eat healthy from each food group again. Thankfully, I've read & heard that the first trimester is more important as far as avoiding stress, relaxing, taking vitamins, avoiding the "bad" things, etc. because that is when birth defects occur which is not due to food (as long as you're not eating seafood, cold lunchmeat, caffeine, alcohol--the "don'ts" during pregnancy). This is good news for women who have sickness, because apparently it's extra hard then to eat nutritionally--but the baby isn't really eating a lot of food until the second trimester when the sickness is usually over. Anyway, I was soooo exhausted after just two hours out. Today I got up at 7 am. . .hopefully tomorrow I'll go back to sleeping in at least until 8 am. I want to sleep well while I can!

My doctor said the "surge of energy" usually happens around week 16, and then it starts the "best time" of pregnancy. I can already tell my mood is better. I've been much happier (although that might just be because the nausea is improving)!

Anyway, rather than analyze the above gender tests, Joe and I are going with our gut instinct. My prediction (from the minute I found out I was pregnant) has always been a boy, and Joe feels the same way. We will see. . .!