The silver lining

[fiddledebi]

Hi all...

So, I've been MISERABLY sick with congestion, sore ears, cough, bad escalation of my asthma, etc... and this morning, I added laryngitis and day-glo snot. I decided enough was enough and called my GP. Fortunately he has Sunday hours, so I went in and he said my breathing was bad enough to put me on antibiotics for bronchitis. I hate the idea but know that good air flow is really important, and I had to do SOMETHING.

So, I figured that was it, but then he pulled a DOPPLER out of his drawer and said, "Let's check on that baby." I said, "Oh wow, my midwife said it was too early, I'm only 11 weeks." He said, "Nah, I can usually get something around 9.5 weeks or so...I used to do lots of OB work. Let's see..." and sure enough, after a few minutes of wiggling, he found the heartbeat exacly where I thought babe was -- to the right a bit. Wow! Wow wow wow! It was just as cool and magical this time as last time, and I feel so wonderful knowing that there's a real baby in there!

So, still sick and miserably uncomfortable...but pregnant with a baby whose heart is beating!

[CandyApple]

Congratulations!!! What a great feeling to counteract the miserable ones! I'm so happy for you and hope you get to feeling better soon. I stayed home for a week before Christmas with a nasty cold/flu, before I went to the DR. Getting a little safe medical help made all the difference to a happier, faster recovery!

[~Megan~]

That's nice. I won't get to go in for my first appt until after my birthday (Feb 3). It feels like such a long wait.

[AugustLia23]

fiddledebi, I'm right there with you. I have been so sick with Morning Sickness lately!! and on Friday when I went to meet my Midwife, I asked her to see if we could hear it and we DID. It really is the most amazing sound! She said that she doesn't usually hear it this early too. Congrats to you hearing it.

[Abylite]

That's awesome!! I hope you feel better soon!!! My rented doppler should be here next week...I'll be 10 weeks and a few days....so I really hope I can hear something!!!

[fiddledebi]

Thanks for the warm fuzzies, everyone! I still feel absolutely MISERABLE, but hopefully the antibiotics will start working in the next couple of days. Does anyone have any good safe remedies for crazy congestion? I'm trying to drink a lot, but that's about it.

AugustLia, I hope you feel better soon. I've had a lot of nausea but no puking yet...I hear that people have loved the ginger pregnancy pops...have you tried them?

[nabigus]

Hi, fiddledebi,

Okay, I have the ultimate solution to congestion, but it's something you want to do in the privacy of your own bathroom with the door closed. I used to get sinus infections--the kind that require antibiotics--3 or 4 times a year like clockwork, and since I started this, I haven't gotten any (knock on wood). Three years with no sinus infections!

And after that mysterious intro....
Have you ever used a Neti pot? (The one where you pour warm salty water through your nose.) Well, I'm too cheap to buy one, and it doesn't work for me if my nose is already blocked, so I use a small bowl (tupperware, eg) and fill it with warm salty water. (You'll need to experiment with the amount of salt. I think the "official" recommendation is 1/4 tsp per cup, but I think I use a little more. You want enough to act as an antibacterial agent and make your nose run, but not enough so you start coughing and gasping a la snorting ocean water when you're swimming.) Then, lean over the sink, close one side of your nose by pressing your finger on it, and "inhale" the water. A little freaky the first time, but the water runs right out again through your mouth, along with all kinds of icky gunk. I do this 3 or 4 times for each nostril, morning and night. When I'm sick, I up it to 4 or 5 times a day, which may seem excessive, but really REALLY works for me. (I got a horrible cold the first week I knew I was pregnant, and this was what saved me.) Be prepared for your nose to run with clear stuff for a little while after you "snort" salt water.

Hope this helps and that you feel dramatically better soon!