Symptom Watch

Noting symptoms is an interesting process when pregnancy falls on the heels of IVF. Because it is near impossible to determine what is causing or caused the symptoms: Umpteen injections of hormones? HCG levels rising? Being relatively sedentary for weeks now (months)? Who knows- but for what it is worth, here is my observations:

(Updated to add- I have been writing this post over the past couple of days and of course the first trimester gods are conspiring to mess with me- because today? Today I have had almost NO FRICKIN' SYMPTOMS. And I am remembering I hate this roller coaster. There is just nothing, absolutely nothing that can tell me this is going to be okay. So, I am trying to breathe....)

Here we go-

Short Fuse- OMG! Everyone and Everything annoys me. Seriously - EVERYTHING! I can't even stand to be around myself. And I get frustrated with the simplest things- all problem solving ability has gone out the window. Ugg.

Dry skin- I want to take a bath in a tub of lotion. I feel like a reptile.

Food and Nausea- my relationship with food is interesting. The immense hunger I feel at times is unreal. And it comes out of no where. Similarly there are times when I have absolute zero interest in food or drink. The other dilemma though is that when I am nauseous it feels like I just need to eat a little. But then I eat a little and I just feel more nauseous. My cravings also come and go quickly. I will have an intense craving for something and by the time I get it out of the fridge and heat it up it smells revolting. I remember cravings from my other pregnancies and I still find it amazing that a little hcg in my bloodstream and I crave foods I don't even like! (But, like I said before- then today I was almost totally fine with food).

The Girls- The girls aren't growing yet like I remember from before. Maybe it is too early (I remember them getting huge fast in the other pregnancies but maybe I am mistaken). They are just a little sore, but the nips are very very sensitive. Again- I find this all crazy strange.

Achiness in my nether region- Shortly after I got a positive test my ovaries started flaring up again. They had gotten big and tender and achy after the ER, and just as they started calming down a bit they flared up again. It felt like there was a wrestling match going on in me. Finally in the past few days I no longer feel like I have been punched over and over in the gut and it feels like my ovaries are starting to settle back into their normal position in there, whatever that means. Occasionally I get some cramping, menstrual type cramping, particularly in my lower back. And it freaks me out a bit. Thankfully it never lasts long. And it seems to be happening less and less.

Dreams- I am usually not a dreamer. But I am dreaming all the time. So far they all seem silly and not really very meaningful, but they are constant and vivid. I also am not sleeping entirely well. I wake up for no reason around 3am every night and feel like I have a harder time getting and staying a sleep. DH has already moved into the guest room because I am such a bear to be around (Refer back to "Short Fuse")

Tiredness- I am tired. Bed time is earlier and earlier, but the semi-ran-over-me exhaustion I remember from before hasn't yet hit me.

Bloated- Especially by the end of the day I am bloaty. It makes me sad how much pudge there is down there and I can't decipher between weight gain from life or what is just pregnancy puffiness. But it is not going to be hideable for long.