August 11, 2006

Friday, August 11, 2006

You are hopefully reading this at some point later than I am writing it. As of today, we're not ready to make our announcement, though it will likely be in the next couple of weeks. I am now 7 weeks pregnant with our second child. I don't know how long we'll be able to keep the secret, since I'm having a heck of a time fitting into any pants I own, and am sick as a dog the last couple of days.

Neither is a particular surprise--I threw up for the entirety of my pregnancy with Charlotte, though with her I started feeling queasy at about 3.5 weeks instead of 6. I got a good 2 week reprieve this time, though it is hitting me harder. Last time, my record was 3 barfs in one day, not counting the weekend I had the stomach flu (thanks to a friend's kids, who were also barfing that weekend). Yesterday I did 5. I'm on ~4 today--really 5 sessions of hovering over a toilet seat, but 2 were dry and very quick. No, I have no qualms about sharing the details of my puking with the world. Just wait till the baby comes and all I can talk about is the color and consistency of various diaper contents :)

Today I finally broke down and re-discovered one of the few foods that seems to calm my tummy and fill the aching void at the same time--McDonald's french fries. I barely touched the hamburger that also came in my happy meal, but the fries made my tummy quite happy for over an hour. Hooray! Of course, this is the start of the slippery slope that leads to a 60 pound weight gain, but I think I prefer to diet later rather than pass out of combined nausea and hunger right now.

Since this isn't my first pregnancy, you would think the clothing situation wouldn't be an issue. I do have some clothes that are a couple of sizes bigger than what I've been wearing, but that wardrobe was from my psuedo-stay-at-home days and is limited and exceedingly casual (some jeans, and sweats). It will not get me through a workweek. For maternity clothes, I shared in a sort of communal maternity clothing collection that at least 3 or 4 other women have also partaken of. One of my friends is currently in posession of the box (or boxes by this time) of clothes where my favorite maternity jeans (nice low-waisted ones with a wide elastic waistband from Old Navy--no big panel, and not overly maternity-looking) are currently housed. In order to request the clothes, I'll have to tell the secret, so it'll wait a bit longer.

I realize that all of the books and most of the women you talk to claim that you don't need maternity clothes till closer around the second trimester, and that you can get by with a size or two bigger of regular clothes for quite a while in the meantime. Apparently I am not built the same as these women. I sport narrow hips and a short spine from hips to ribs, and of course all my extra body fat collects around my belly to start with. So my waistline barely fits in the same jeans that are falling off my hips, and that's without a uterus the size of a grapefruit squishing all my innards up and out my belly button. Add in the constant queasiness, and the last thing I need is a tight waistband digging into my midsection right now--there's enough pressure down there as it is. If I bought pants in say, a size 16, to fit over my belly without compressing it, then I would look like a clown the way the legs would be bagging over my thighs.

In other words, I'm off this afternoon to look for a pair or two of "0-6month" maternity pants--the kind with an elastic-enough low waist to get me through until the basketball pops out and I need enormous underwear and big stretchy panels. My one such pair of jeans from last time worked until about 4 months (I look huge in a hurry--see my earlier comments about lack of hip room), but were well worth the minor investment. Unfortunately, they're in the box with the rest of the communal maternity closet.

Now I just hope that my tummy stays calm for a walk through the mall, and that I am able to find refreshments and restrooms in a timely enough manner :)