I am finally sitting down and writing about my pregnancy with Angry Kid.  It is the first time that I’ve actually blogged the details.  It is nothing really dramatic, more of a rollercoaster involving drugs, and surgeries.  In 2004, we attempted to get pregnant, nothing happened.  After fourteen months, we went to the doctor, you diagnosed me with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.  So I ended up taking a prescription drug, Clomid, which is used to stimulate ovulation.  Clomid made me crazy, like insane…and I took it for several months.  Luckily, on the absolute last month that I was allowed to take the drug, I got pregnant.

I’m not quite sure how they have a show “I didn’t know I was pregnant”, because, I knew how pregnant I was at about four weeks along.  Really, one word can describe my pregnancy, and that is VOMIT!  I was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum because this wasn’t just morning sickness.  I vomited EVERY and EVERYWHERE.  I was commuting over an hour to work, back and forth each day.  I pulled over onto the side of the freeway many many many times.  I would eat to puke. I lied in bed.  I sat on the bathroom floor. It was INSANE.  I lost over 30 pounds in a month, and almost had to have a PICC line installed.  Only medication for nausea put through an IV worked for me.

At 32 weeks, I had an attack at 3am in the morning at home.  I had severe pain in the right side of my body.  I thought I was in labor.  It got so bad that we drove to the hospital.  I was diagnosed with gallstones and admitted to the hospital over the weekend for dehydration also.  I got out of the hospital a few days later, and returned to work a few days later.  Yes, I actually worked through all of this, and maintained my sanity through ten hour shifts.

I wasn’t sure if there were any pictures of me pregnant out there, but I actually had some in my Shutterfly account.  My husband’s grandmother took pictures at my Northern California Baby Shower.  Just a few things that I notice…roundness (ain’t baby), pasty white, and wow, my hair.  I was a hot mess!!!

At 36 weeks along, a Wednesday, I had another attack at work.  Angry Husband and I carpooled that day.  When he picked me up from work, I said take me to the hospital.  I laid on a hospital gurney for several hours, pumped full of morphine for the pain, and no food.  They didn’t know how bad I was, so they did not give me food, in case of surgery.  I was seen by a general surgeon, and my OBGYN.  Good times, were coming soon…

I was checked into the hospital for the night, and given an Ambien to sleep.  When I woke up in the morning, the nurses were attempting to induce my labor.  I started arguing with them.  I told them multiple times, “my son is BREECH,  I need a c-section.”  I hadn’t had an ultrasound since I was 20 weeks along, but I knew, because there was no doubt about where my son’s head was.  Of course, they didn’t believe me, and they had to bring over a portable ultrasound machine.  They finally got it, and scheduled my c-section.  I was wheeled into the operating room, and given a spinal.

Angry Kid was born on May 19, 2005 at 6 lbs. and 18 inches long, FOUR weeks early.  He went to the NICU immediately because of breathing difficulties.  Of course, there was the gallbladder thing that I still had to deal with.  If you are doing the math, it is still Thursday.  I sat in the hospital, with my son in the NICU, for a few more days, without REAL FOOD.  On Sunday, an endoscopy was performed to look at my bile duct, gallstones, and gallbladder.  I was put out for this.

The next day, Monday, I had laparoscopic gallbladder surgery.  I had my gallbladder removed, and several gallstones.  I was wheeled back to my room, and finally fed some food, you know, filling items like Jello and popsicles.  Through all of this, Angry Kid was still in the NICU figuring out the whole suck/swallow thing, and was finally breathing on his own (no machines, etc.)  I was also that nutso, whom didn’t take any pain meds.

On Tuesday, I was released from the hospital….by myself, no kid.  Angry Kid wasn’t quite ready to leave yet.  He still had to pass the NICU carseat test.  He passed with flying colors and left the NICU the next day, May 25th.

So when people ask about a second child, or my pregnancy…I tell this story.  I get that look, like I’m crazy.  I don’t even go into my son have surgery at four weeks old for Pyloric Stenosis, the MULTIPLE febrile seizures (at least fifteen), or the asthma.  I’m so thankful for health insurance, seriously.

I tried to get a cute “birthday picture” of Angry Kid this morning, but the sun was shining in his eyes, and I got the squinty face.

We went to The Lazy Dog Cafe for dinner tonight. Angry Kid got a grown-up lemonade which had sugar around the rim of the glass. He throughly enjoyed the sugar. This picture makes me laugh, because it reminds me of Tiffany and Danielle, trying to get the almonds off the glass in New Orleans.

Happy Birthday Angry Kid!!!