Of Needles and Steroids

"Listen yax, we've been discussing ur situation and u need to get steroids na..."

I was dumbfounded. Shocked even. I had just entered my OB's clinic when she said these. STEROIDS??? ME???

As she explained to me that it was necessary for the maturity of the baby's lungs in case i had premature delivery (which was very likely); and that i've got two options, one is to be given through IV (which would require me to be admitted at least for one day in the hospital) and the other, through injection (2 shots, 24 hours apart); i got more and more scared.

U see, i'm terribly afraid of needles. I guess it was brought about by the anti-rabies injections i had when i was still a kid (7 shots around my belly button). Back then, my parents would reward me with a bump car ride after every session, complete with running and crying bouts, of course! :D

And steroids? What's up with that? One usually associate them with bodybuilders and athletes... so why should i have them? So despite the assurances of my OB that it had no side effects, I was still quite apprehensive even when i told my OB i'd take the first injection the day after.

I talked to my mom and her now-husband Ray via YM that night and told them recent developments in my pregnancy. Fortunately, I learned that Ray's daughter also took the same medication for the fast development of her twin babies' lungs, which were delivered 2 months before the actual due date. That somehow put me at ease about the steroids thingie...

So seeing that ultimately, it would benefit my baby, i mustered enough courage to fight my phobia and had my left arm, and a day after, right arm injected with steroids... while clinging to Jon and thinking of my reward... a bump car ride with healthy Sofia one day... =)

Anything (and everything) for the baby

In my previous post, i mentioned that my baby and i will be closely monitored til her delivery. I had no idea that that would mean a doctor's check-up every two weeks and a pelvic ultrasound EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK. Wow.

The latest ultrasound revealed slightly improved amniotic fluid, and Sofia, still in breech presentation (suhi). Which means that the chances for a caesarean delivery is very likely. And we all know that CS fees are much higher especially in a prestigious hospital where i am to deliver...

Moreover, my doctor suspects that i have pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). So apart from my usual medicines (calcium, iron and the like), she gave me more medicines to take every day til my blood pressure returns to normal (which for me, is 90/70 ; 100/70).

...but i know that the financial stress would be nothing compared to the joys that we would be experiencing the moment we have her in our arms, safe and sound. *sigh* I can't wait.

And as i've said, anything for the baby...

~*~*~

...just like me drowning for her ...in 5 to 6 liters of water everyday...(that's roughly 1.5 gallons every day!)

I have been advised to chug down twice the recommended amount of water daily because they think that I may have been dehydrated for months. Come to think of it, they may be right... First, i've suffered from gastro-enteritis and upset stomach, then, i salivated excessively during the first to second trimester (as in!)...plus, i didn't like drinking water then coz that made me feel more queasy. And add to that were problems in the home-front (with the in-laws in particular ) a couple of months ago (- which is a thing of the past already), often made me cry myself to sleep before. So yes.., i guess i WAS dehydrated.

~*~*~

I'm already on my third (and last) trimester! =)

• The inevitable has arrived! :( Stretch marks have already started to appear on my belly and although i've been trying to desperately avoid them by applying cocoa butter cream and vco, wala ren... :( Goodbye, 2-pieces! bwahahaha!

• Fetal kicks and movements are much much more recognizeable now and I even let Jon feel them from the outside. But sometimes, when he can't feel her move, he acts a little jealous! But i tell him this... "tsaka ka na magselos pag nagla-labor na ko!" That instantly puts him in place. heheh. =)

• There's shortness of breath oftentimes, especially when i'm lying on my back. I'm supposed to lie on my left side all the time.

• I have slight edema (manas) on my feet, which my doctor said, is normal at this stage but severe edema is much more serious (a symptom of preeclamsia - which she suspects i have), so i have to watch out for it. So I'm trying to elevate my feet every chance i get.

• I feel uncomfortable pressure in my bladder and sometimes, in the bowel area. Proof that my baby is steadily growing inside me... Well, that, and of course, my enormous baby bump. :) Grabe! i'm so big now!!! And i still have 2 months to "grow"... :D

• I have occasional headaches and migraines.

• And yes, i STILL feel nauseated some mornings...

...11 weeks to go...