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Week Eight
Published 03.12.2008 | Permanent Link | Comments (9)
Your baby:
- Is about the size of a gummy bear or kidney bean, and dear LORD I promise to be done with the bean comparisons soon, because it is all entirely too precious.
- Is extremely jointy, with fingers and toes and elbows and knees that s/he can bend and wiggle.
- Almost doesn't have a tail anymore.
You:
- Are possibly a walking ball of first-trimester misery, if I may project myself on you for a bit.
- *BARF*
- OMG I HAVE TO PEE I JUST PEED OMG I HAVE TO PEE AGAIN
- May be having trouble sleeping at night, despite being exhausted.
Oh, and allow me to introduce you to your sciatic nerve. It is, quite literally, a pain in your ass. And a pain down the back of your legs. Trust me, you'll know it when you feel it. Some women are prone to TERRIBLE sciatic pain throughout their pregnancies, which is caused by your expanding uterus putting pressure on the nerve. Some women only notice it occasionally, or only during certain times in pregnancy. (I had it from about week 18 on, but some women get it right away.) There's not a whole heap you can do about it, other than lie down on the opposite side of the pain if it comes at night. Keeping your legs uncrossed and your feet supported during the day can help a little too.
At this point you should definitely have a prenatal visit scheduled, and you may have had it already. (Mine is tomorrow. Whee. Yay. Etc.) Your first prenatal visit will probably consist of a pelvic exam, lots of questions about your family's health history, a urine test (pregnant ladies are AWFULLY prone to UTIs, on top of everything else) and some blood tests.
The blood tests will check your pregnancy hormone levels, but will also tell your doctor all sorts of other things: blood type, blood count, Rh factor, immunity for rubella and chickenpox, and will be screenings for Hepatitis B, HIV and syphillis. You and your partner's ethnic backgrounds and family histories may also lead to a recommendation for further genetic screenings (for stuff like sickle-cell, cystic fibrosis and Tay-Sachs).
Needless to say, it's all just terribly fun. But at this point, "uneventful" is definitely what you want out of your prenatal visits. If you're about 10 weeks along at your appointment, you'll probably be able to hear your baby's heartbeat with the doppler, but no such luck right now. Thank you, come again.
Oh Yeah, THIS: Wow. WOW. I really had forgotten what a cavalcade of misery the first trimester can be. Nauseated but hungry. Tired but unable to sleep. Pudgy but not pregnant-looking. In pain from a variety of complaints and suffering from a weakened immune system but forbidden from taking most over-the-counter remedies. Moody and cranky and irritable and weepy.
Maybe THIS is why I swore Noah was going to be an only child for all those months. Huh.
New This Time Around: The only one who had to suffer my moods and general crankitude (besides me, of course, for oh! how I suffered) last time was Jason. Who, frankly, was a big boy and could deal with it and probably deserved it a little bit. This time, there's a little two-and-a-half-year-old here who doesn't understand that Mama's head hurts or that she really needs some privacy in the potty or that she's just really, really tired. I'm snapping at him, I'm impatient with him, I'm serving him the same damn inoffensive pizza snacks for every meal because they're the only cooking smell that doesn't make me sick. And I feel terrible about it, which is awesome, because I clearly wasn't feeling terrible enough already.
Pregnancy Video for the Week:Fashion tricks to help you to dress great during your first trimester of pregnancy with Liz Lange.
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About this column
Zero to Forty is a week-by-week guide to the miracle of pregnancy and all the various indignities that come with it. New installments will be published on Wednesdays, with other pregnancy-related content and ramblings to be published whenever the columnist can stay awake long enough to type themzzzzzz.
The column is well-researched but not written by a health care professional. Consider it your internet BFF pregnancy guide. See our legal disclaimer below.
About the author
Amy Corbett Storch, aka Amalah, is a freelance writer and professional blogger from Washington, DC. She is currently knocked up with her second child, due in October. Her first child is still currently wearing diapers. Amy is currently wondering what she has gotten herself into now.
Amy also writes Alpha Mom's Advice Smackdown.
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Comments (9):
Rebecca said:
Ahh, thank you. My 16 month old ate cheerios and cheese for dinner last night. I feel better now!
Posted on March 12, 2008 10:14
obabe said:
WHATEVER IT TAKES to get you through the first trimester of hell, is my motto. 14+ weeks now, and i've finally gotten over the hump, but around weeks 9 and 10 my husband traveled for two weeks straight, and i hadnt yet gotten my zofran and was throwing up constantly. i have no shame in saying my 4 and 2 year old picked their dinners (pizza is a well balanced meal!) and watched them in front of blues clues for those two weeks. it was survival mode for everyone.
it will get better, and noah wont remember your crankiness.
and for the record? ive sworn this is my last kid. i cannot go through those 7 weeks of hell again. ever.
Posted on March 12, 2008 10:21
procrastamom said:
Oh duuuuh! I've only given birth to three babies and I never knew before today why they make you give a urine sample every time you have a checkup. Little old unassertive me just followed directions when they shoved the cup over the counter at me and didn't ask questions. My only thoughts about this were: "Wah? Do you test my urine to make sure I'm still pregnant? Doesn't my rapidly expanding belly confirm that for you?"
*headdesk*
(I swear I'm a competent mother and that they're all still breathing to this day!)
Posted on March 12, 2008 14:06
gaffentine said:
Um, I have a question about the first prenatal visit...I didn't get any blood taken. And I didn't realize it until after I left. I KNEW they would take blood beforehand, but it wasn't until I was pulling back into my driveway that I realized they hadn't. What would they have taken the blood for? (Meaning, should I call them and say, "Uh, hello, nine weeks and no blood work over here, what's the deal, Doc?")
Posted on March 14, 2008 11:26
Zoot said:
Man - I heard you about someone other than your husband dealing with the mood swings. My poor kids.
Also - I've only ever had the Pain In The Ass happen once and it was grocery shopping at Target and I spent the whole trip with one hand on my ass trying to rub out the pain. I'm guessing that's why they banned me from coming back.
Posted on March 19, 2008 08:47
tara said:
i am right here. i cannot believe that i forgot how horrible the first trimester is and having a 2 1/2 year old makes it so so so much worse.
only 4-6 more weeks of feeling like complete crap....woo-hoo.
Posted on April 2, 2008 12:30
Ecakes said:
I get the Pain in the Ass thing all the time! And I'm so glad that someone explained it to me. Thanks. This is my first ... hoping this pain doesn't last too long. Blah.
Posted on May 13, 2008 00:45
Roseytoesies said:
The ass pain! I forgot about the ass pain! And now? I'm 7 weeks (yes i like to read ahead because I'm all excited) and I just remembered about the pain in my ass that lasted from week 9 until about oooh... week 40! This is gonna be sweet... Also, I have a 2 /2 year old and he is NOT happy with Mama and her moodiness and would like goofy patient chipper mama back ASAP OKTHXBYE.
Posted on May 26, 2008 15:44
Jennie said:
Man, it's such a relief to read about other moms losing their patience and otherwise not being *perfect* in their first trimester. I've been grumpy and feeling horribly guilty about it. My son is older - 8 1/2 - so he's a little more tuned into my moods.
Luckily the Zofran is working wonders and I'm only feeling constipated-queasy-ish all the time instead of all pukey-unstable. Makes surviving these hellish weeks easier.
Posted on July 10, 2008 20:30