Friday, January 23, 2009

Boy/Girl Symptom Scorecard

Urgggh I was sick yesterday. I would have guessed the flu, or maybe the plague, except that I really feel fine today. Sinus headache, aches and pains, and a pulled muscle (an ab just below my ribcage, I think from swinging around a few boxes of coin at the bank) just to round things out. It's possible I was dehydrated. I'm also wondering if it was because I wore a pair of new pants without washing them; sometimes I have allergic reactions to the chemical crap they treat new clothing with, but usually pants are OK, being so far from my face and all.

My mom sent me a huge box of maternity clothes and baby clothes for my birthday, just in time because I've outgrown everything I own and can't find ANYTHING here to buy, that will work for work. I tried Target's maternity section: nothing. That was really annoying because it's a long-ish drive up there and I'd received a tip that it was the place to try. I tried Old Navy, and didn't find anything there in their maternity, but I DID find a pair of dark-brown cords for the weekend that fit beautifully, in clearance. (Right now their size 14 fits me just right; usually I would wear a ten.) I didn't realize that it was "take an extra 50% off clearance" day, so when the pants rang up as eight dollars, I almost fell over. Now I have all of these maternity things from mom; I just have to try them on, and, if they fit, wash them before wearing. Totally stoked.

For those keeping track boy/girl:


I'm carrying very low so far, although at 21 weeks it may be too soon to tell.

"Morning sickness" or "pregnancy sickness" was definitely present for the first trimester, but it was never really bad and disappeared by 14 weeks or so. It was much milder, for example, than one friend's and two coworkers, and they all had boys. (You know who you are!)


I'm pregnant in my face-- it's rounder and chubbier than usual!-- but my skin looks good, if I may say so. That's kind of a mixed signal, there.

The fetal heart rate has measured consistently high, in the high 170's to 180's. I have an appointment next week, so we'll see if that is consistent.

Emotions are a mixed bag. For the most part I've been on a pretty even keel, although it is hard to judge these things oneself. I have had less patience with work, but work has gotten considerably more difficult and stressful in the past few months, and that has nothing to do with the pregnancy; I notice that everybody I work with is showing signs of stress and grumpiness. There have been a few episodes, like the recently documented Meatloaf Fight, but I'd say that I really am my usual laid-back self, all things considered, for whatever it's worth.

Anybody that knows me 'in real life' knows that my bum's been pregnant for years; I am so ass-positive that it would be impossible to judge anything from that region. With my overall Hubbard-squash shape, it is hard to tell... Judging by my pants, though, my butt, thighs, and hips are more or less stable so far, compared to my belly. Compounding the issue is the fact that I've been eating like a hippopotamus since getting pregnant, so even if I AM gaining in those areas, it probably has more to do with Ben & Jerry than with the Sprout Within.

6 comments:

Bex said...

That's it! I'm butt pregnant. It's been huge for years! Thanks for clearing that up.

ayla said...

FHR, I've found, is the best predictor for gender. Are you getting the "big ultrasound"? Or are you going to wait? I knew I was having a boy the whole time I was pregnant, but I wanted a girl, and we didn't get the "official" gender until he was born. It was fun to speculate.

I say girl. Oh, and my butt's pregnant too. :D

PICTURES!!! I want a belly picture.

Oh, and I shopped Old Navy online for maternity clothes, and my MIL took me to Motherhood (thankfully we have one nearby). You might also check eBay, as women who have been pregnant for the last time will put all their clothes up in a lot.

Mara said...

We're waiting until the birth, hopefully. I am having an ultrasound next week, let's hope that the docs/nurses/techs and the baby itself will be cooperative and keep us in the dark!

iampregnant35 said...

sinus sux . Take good care of you

Unknown said...

I'm voting .... Boy! :) But 75 percent of all of my pregnancies ended with boys so it's *possible* that I'm biased.

OH!! And my security word verification is guithing (GUY THING!) so I think that's a sign, don't you?

Anonymous said...

I still say girl... but maybe it's because we want to have a little girl next. :)

Mara - do you have any places that are a kids' consignment store where you are? Like a Kid-to-Kid? They are AWESOME for getting cheap clothes for the wee one (especially because they grow so fast) but they also have a maternity section, and I've found some good stuff there. I found the best fitting stuff at Motherhood, but stick to the sale racks; they're good at mixing expensive name brand designers in there; and the last thing you want to do is fall in love with the $85 sweater that you'll only be able to wear for the next month.