Six Months

I had my monthly check-up today and I'm happy to say that baby and I are in good health. I'm ending my second trimester and beginning to again experience the uncomfortable symptoms of pregnancy.

Heartburn has been plaguing me a lot lately. According to my doctor, it's due to my uterus pushing up my intestines and stomach up towards my chest. I also gained only one pound this past month and my blood pressure is still normal. Both facts which we're happy about. Since I'm already overweight, too much weight gain will put me at risk of preeclampsia (high blood pressure) and my pregnancy would have to be terminated immediately.

Next week, I have to take the dreaded Oral Glucose Tolerance Test--the same blood test which I took early in my pregnancy wherein I had to drink this nasty sugary solution and blood was extracted from me four times in four hours. If I pass that, I have one more exam. However, if I fail, my doctor will have to send me to a doctor who will teach me to monitor my sugar intake and put me on a low sugar diet.

I'm also beginning to feel lower back pains--especially when I do a lot of walking. The baby's very feisty now and he's been kicking and moving a lot lately.

I also received my first tetanus shot today. My upper right arm hurts like hell right now. Next visit, I'll be getting two shots (Hepa and the second tetanus vaccine). We started discussing birth plans but we'll go more into detail when my due date is nearer. She said that after the 28th week, she'll be seeing me every other two weeks instead of the usual monthly visits.

I don't want to think about the birth right now as I'm actually dreading it based on all the birthing stories that I've heard. Even if I'm still a candidate for a vaginal delivery, I'm leaning towards a caesarian delivery to at least spare me and my baby the trauma of the former. But my doctor said we'll discuss the pros and cons as my due date draws nearer. Besides, by that time, I'll be anxious for the baby to get out as it's already very uncomfortable for me.