I have issues...

Well I am 21 weeks and 3 days today.   I thought once I hit 20 weeks, the halfway mark, that I'd see my belly grow and pregnancy would be enjoyable until I get too big later on.  Don't get me wrong...I AM enjoying it, but 20 weeks brought on a whole new set of issues and worries that I never had in the first trimester.  The issues I have dealt with this far are: nosebleeds, round ligament pains, backaches and an undiagnosed UTI. 

Around 15-16 weeks, I was at work one Saturday night and my table told me I need to excuse myself to the bathroom.  I was so confused as to why, then she told my that my nose was bleeding.  I went to clean myself up and it just kept bleeding!  Of course I was nervous as to why, and this lady was in there with her daughters.  I figured I'd ask her since it was obvious she had kids already.  Lucky for me, she was an Obgyn nurse!  She told me it was perfectly normal because the dry cold weather and how cardiovascular our bodies are when pregnant.  She told me that as long as my blood pressure is not high, then I have nothing to worry about.  So, if you have a question...Ask somebody!  You never know who will have an answer!  I haven't had nosebleeds since then, but I have to blow my nose every day, and there is blood every time. Gross, but at least it stay up in there now, haha.

Just weeks ago I was complaining because I felt so good.  I mean I didn't feel pregnant, and didn't look it.  I was just ready for a change, then the day I hit 20 weeks I got my change.  ROUND LIGAMENT PAINS!  Yes, I put them in all-caps on purpose.  Those pains hurt!  And the books say they last a minute or two, well of course I am not a textbook case, and they last hours!  It is like lingering PMS pains, not cramps, just pains.  The pain is difficult to describe.  My poor husband thinks that pregnancy is not for me, and already doesn't want another baby (I do, so we will definitely have one anyway!) because he feels so helpless around me.  They lasted almost every day of my 20th week...I ended up breaking down and taking Tylenol.  At least I made it halfway before having to treat a pain, that is a blessing.  I am very thankful that I haven't had major issues, but with a first time pregnancy, EVERYTHING is scary to experience.  I have found that when those pains do come on, it is usually when I am at home on the weekend now (thank goodness!) and I lie down and just wait it out.  I also will wear my Bella band, not folded over.  I don't have a belly that needs support yet, but it does offer some relief.

My backaches started at 20 weeks and 1 day.  I woke up that Monday morning and it hurt for three days in a row NON-STOP!  It was right in the upper middle area, like behind the bra line.  I would sit on the heating pad on the low temperature setting for about 15-20 minutes at a time.  When pregnant, you have to be mindful of your body temperature and that it does not get raised, hence the low setting.  It sounds silly, but I began to pray that my pains would be gone by the time I began student teaching this week.  My last pain was Sunday!  Praise God!

Now the explanation of the "undiagnosed UTI".  Monday, my first day student teaching went off without a hitch.  It was a perfect day, both because it was painless and it was my FIRST day!  Kindergarten is going to be so much fun :)  Anyway, Tuesday came and I felt fine until I got in my car to drive to school.  All of a sudden, it felt like a burning, shards of glass sensation "down there".  I have never felt that before, but I was thinking to myself, this doesn't feel so good.  I thought maybe it was my position or Preston's position, especially since he never ventures away from my bladder yet.  I parked at the school, and walked to my classroom and it was steadily progressing to more pain.  I was almost in tears when I asked my mentor teacher if I could be excused at 8:30 to call my doctor's office.  It sucked, because we have to to be at school at 7:45, so that was a LONG 45 minutes.  So, of all day, it was the days I left my cell phone at home, which meant I had to run to the teacher's lounge for my phone calls.  So, I call and of course they need a number to call me back on, and I didn't know it, then gave them the number to the school that was in the phone book.  Since the receptionist said they would be calling me back immediately, I waited in the front office.  Turns out the number in the phonebook was the wrong number, because it was for the alternative school.  Great!  Well, eventually I was scheduled a 2:00 appointment for an on-call nurse.  I figured I would take what I could get.  Well, 30 minutes later, when I began to get a stabbing lower back pain, in addition to other pain, that I called back and pretty much demanded that I get an earlier appointment.  I told them my symptoms, and that I had to pee often, but only a little would come out.  I also told them that I only drink water, milk or OJ, and an occasional sweet tea (like twice a month sweet tea).  Then they asked if the baby was moving, and I realized I hadn't really felt him since Sunday.  Then, the worrying set in.  I was in pain, but all I could think about was Preston.  Was he ok?  Is something wrong?  Well, my mid-wife said that if I could leave right then, that she would see me personally.  I am so grateful for my student teaching placement, as my teacher and para-pro, who are both mother, were totally understanding and sympathetic to me and let me go immediately.  Well I get there, and she tells me that my urine sample came back clean...as in no infection.  I know I was not making up this pain.  I mean, why would I?  She listened for the heartbeat, which was fine, and did an internal exam in case it was a vaginal infection (negative too).  She did feel my cervix and uterus and she said he started to kick her hand, so I guess he has been moving, but I have been so busy I just didn't feel it probably.  She decided to treat me for  UTI just in case, so I got some antibiotics and a pain reliever.  I took them immediately and felt relief fairly quickly, so I returned to school.  I have been fine since.  Maybe Preston was in a strange position and was hitting a nerve?  Who knows!  But I am taking the medication as directed just in case.  I still have some pain, but it is WAY better.  It was a weird visit, because I just knew it had to be something with my kidneys, and it was supposedly nothing.  I am glad they believed me and decided to treat me though! 

So those are my random pregnancy issues of the 2nd trimester!  Also, my right ribs hurt a lot.  Like it hurts to take a deep breath. They have been hurting for about a week, and I didn't even think to say anything at the doctor office yesterday.  Maybe it's my posture, or my future milking machines....but I'm not miserable so I figure it's worth dealing with...