Wondering when I get to bloom.

Aug 27, 2011

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This is my 7th pregnancy. It’s only the fifth time I’ve got to this stage though, and one of those got only days further. So four times I’ve been around 12 weeks pregnant and staring into those months in the future wondering when the nausea and exhaustion will stop and the blooming begin.

Because I’ve seen pregnant women who bloom. Or at the very least look content. And I’ve never achieved it. I’ve stumbled from sickness to bloating, or back pain, or just struggling through being tired, but I’ve never smiled beatifically, or oozed blissful happiness.

It would be lovely for this time to be different. I don’t think it’s going to be though – today I’ve noticed that I’m having to sit down every ten minutes when I’m doing things, even when the things are not very active, like washing up. And if I don’t sit down, I start feeling awkward and breathless and deeply uncomfortable. This despite the fact that I managed to go on a very slow run this morning – I did 0.8 miles in 10.58 minutes. And then I sat down for a while on the bench in the back garden and let myself breathe and calm down slowly. Not that I’d got very worked up – I’m conscious of what the midwife said about not overheating so I’m absolutely not pushing the pace. Not much of a run in fact, more of a slow motion jog.

So, with all these symptoms becoming more obvious, I’m wondering about anaemia. I usually get told I’m anaemic at some point during pregnancy. Usually it’s towards the end when ppl are trying to think of reasons to put me off home birth, during the phase when haemodilution is most likely and anaemia actually isn’t what it seems. But this time I’m suspecting that I’m suffering much earlier – probably due to the absolutely awful diet that I’m eating given I can’t face anything resembling normal food. I’m struggling to stay hydrated – there’s nothing that I fancy to drink apart from lager, and I don’t drink alcohol in pregnancy. Can’t face tea (which is good in some ways as it inhibits iron uptake and can make anaemia worse).

Anyways, the upshot of all of this is that I’m really really tired. And wondering how I’m going to cope with the next 6+ months.

It’s where it is

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Comments

22 responses to “Wondering when I get to bloom.”

Jenny Paulin
27 August 2011
I really fancied chocolate milkshakes early on in my pregnancies! I hope you find some energy – I think after 4 months you feel better withthe morning sickness gone and it’s only near the end you feel completely drained having to carry so much extra weight around. Well, that’s how itnwas with me anyway. Good luck xx
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1. Jax
  27 August 2011
  Shandy. I’m drinking shandy, and ginger beer, and restricting myself to one coke a day or trying not to buy it at all! Crisps. And I did have a banana milkshake one day at the leisure centre, which was good now I come to think about it.
  When the nausea wears off I will feel more positive I hope. Thank you.
  Reply
Alli Marshall
27 August 2011
At the start of my last pregnancy I was exhausted & I couldn’t understand why as I’d been fine with my other 2, then someone pointed out to me I was older & had children to look after!
I would go into a bedroom & instantly gravitate towards a bed and fall asleep, I realised I needed to do what my body was telling me to do – rest!!
Hope you feel better soon x
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Allie
27 August 2011
I spent about 16 weeks (but on and off up to 20) being sick at least once every day and some days just throwing up and crying for hours on end. It is hard to be positive when you feel crap. I was given iron tabs which just gave me the runs so I halved the dose and took Floradix with it – which was surprisingly easy to stomach and my iron levels improved. Hope you feel better soon. x
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1. Jax
  27 August 2011
  Iron tablets give me the runs. Which when you’re already feeling sick doesn’t help at all. Haven’t tried Floradix yet, but have heard good things about it, so think it may be the way to go. Thanks.
  Reply
Midlife Singlemum
27 August 2011
What are you doing jogging?! Go straight to the sofa, do not pass go, do not collect P200. On other hand, I was a complete pregnancy wimp so best not to listen to me. (3 pregnancies, 4 foetuses, one take-home baby – the very one I wanted 🙂 ) Hope you feel better soon. xxx
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1. Jax
  27 August 2011
  Midwife said I could – I’ve been missing it. I wanted to stay fit so as to have a better chance at a good labour, am well aware that my advancing years are against me 😉
  My odds aren’t actually all that bad – the 3 miscarriages were missed miscarriages so didn’t involve foetuses (which I didn’t know first time around, and so dreaded the moment I would see something awful as I bled. Thank you so much for not bothering to explain that at the clinic dear nurses. Because I needed that additional stress while mourning loss of potential.)
  Gosh, I hadn’t realised I was still so bitter about that.
  Reply
Kris
27 August 2011
Spatone. It’s miraculous stuff, I took it whilst pg last time round and that was the only pg out of four in which my iron levels actually went up. I can’t take iron tabs of any description, and Floradix didn’t really do anything either, but Spatone works brilliantly. Only drawback being you can’t get it on prescription, but for £7 a month, it’s worth it. Boots stock it, and they had it on 3 for 2 last time I got some. Drink it with juice or some high Vit C squash to help the iron uptake.
And running? O.o Not my idea of entertainment, as I much preferred floating around in the swimming pool. But then I never had to worry about putting excess weight on whilst pregnant as I lost my appetite every single time and only piled the pounds on whilst breastfeeding. I have a picture from the week before I had the boy and I look like an anorexic with a beach ball stuffed up my jumper.
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Carol
28 August 2011
This last pregnancy I was anxious for a successful outcome and took(amongst other remedies) Spatone liquid iron and calcium tablets daily from very early on because I was determined to be healthy and get my homebirth.
As for cravings I desperately wanted spicy food, lager and lime, and crisps early on and I did just go with what I fancied. The cravings ebbed away by 15wks and I was able to eat normally and slightly more healthily again.
Can you drink herbal teas? Milkshakes/smoothies are good if you can stomache them, and banana or stewes apple is meant to help with the sicky feeling. I took lemon juice in warm water daily too which is meant to be good for the sickness, though I took it for other reasons.
Hope you feel better and get to bloom soon.
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layla
28 August 2011
I had real problems with anaemia this time around (wasn’t as bad as with Claudia but thankfully we were more on the ball) & I ended up having an iv iron infusion which didn’t have the dramatic effect of instant energy that I’d hoped for 😉 but I avoided the blood transfusion.
Pregnancy just sucks … I’m sick daily from 7 weeks until the 30s (coke helps with nausea), exhaustion, heart burn, carpal tunnel, this time PUPPS which was HELL – never had SPD thank gawd – add in terror & it is just shit. Good job babies are so wonderful!
Shudder … so glad it’s you not me! 😉 (said with a commiserative pat on the shoulder & very best wishes!)
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Tech
28 August 2011
Spatone – tastes like blood but is ok with juice, doesn’t have the same issues that iron tablets have. I had to take it all the time when veggie as my anaemia was of the breathless variety every period.
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Melaina25
28 August 2011
I honestly don’t understand how people are pregnant when they have other children. I mean obviously people do it, but I came home from work everyday and took a nap. Pretty sure you can’t do that with a toddler. I hope it gets better!
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Susan Mann
29 August 2011
I had pretty crap pregnancies too. Hope you get to bloom soon and this one is different for the others. x
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Jenn
29 August 2011
I had crap pregnancies – 9 months of nausea – not much vomiting, just nausea – and a hacking cough that made me fear for when I would eventually need to push (it miraculously went away when I went into labor) which meant I could taste nothing. I ate the spiciest stuff alive in my last trimester, just to taste something. (thankfully, I never had heartburn)
There was no bloom for me. I looked like crap, quite honestly.
There was no glow, either – that was just sweat. And I had dog nose – I could smell broccoli from 50 feet. Which turned my stomach.
Curious about the iron tablets here, as in the US, they didn’t give you the runs…just the opposite, in fact.
Which is why I stopped at two. I would clearly be outnumbered after that, and I was knackered already. God bless you, lovely!
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Isil
30 August 2011
I never felt I was blooming either. During both pregnancies I either felt tired, nausous and remembered how tired I was feeling during washing up. if you can stomach, hummus,lentil soups can help with iron levels. Or add some tahini to the milkshake.
Hopefully the most difficult part is over now and you will feel better.
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1. Jax
  3 September 2011
  Thanks.
  Reply
ella
30 August 2011
Oh bless you, I’ve been there and I know exactly what it’s like. Funnily enough, I was desperate for lager too, no idea why!
Hope you start to bloom really soon, or at least feel a bit better xx
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1. Jax
  3 September 2011
  I’ve heard a few ppl say that about lager – I wonder what it is? And thanks.
  Reply
Julia
31 August 2011
I do feel for you. I only gave birth once having lost two so my experience is very limited. I do hope thing improve soon for you!x
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1. Jax
  3 September 2011
  Thank you. And I’m sorry for your losses. It’s incredibly tough.
  Reply
Annie
6 September 2011
I’m not sure I ever ‘bloomed’ after my 6th pregnancy – I always seemed too tired / too old / too impatient and too full of varicose veins.I also suffered anaemia with my pregnancies from the 3rd one onwards, my midwife always told me to drink orange juice along side iron rich foods to give me a double boost – and seeing as I always opted to home birth I had to do everything I could not to become too anaemic !
Home births are lovely – are you hoping to have one ?
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1. Jax
  7 September 2011
  Last two were at home – I have the anaemia argument each time too. I usually print out the research on haemo-dilution 😉 I’ve never bloomed in pregnancy, but I live in hope!
  Reply