Signs and Symptoms of Pregnancy - Month One

written August 13, 2011
4 weeks

"I know my body."

At least that's what I kept telling my husband. Then he'd laugh at me because more often than not, something opposite usually happened.

I really feel like I do know my body more than most though. I know when I'm ovulating. I know when TOM is coming (time of the month). I know when I'm getting a bad bad headache. I know when I'm about to get sick. I know when I take a drug besides Advil or Tylenol. I know what happens 20 minutes later when I eat a candy bar or drink a soda or too many carbs. I feel like I'm really in tune to my body. So why was I so in shock when two lines appeared on the pregnancy test?

Here are some of the early signs I should've been aware of:

1. I was thirsty a lot.
I thought, man...maybe I have diabetes all of a sudden? My mouth always felt dry. I was thirsty and I was drinking a lot of water. I love water, but usually I'm never thirsty. I thought maybe I was eating saltier foods.

2. I got hit with a bad case of the d. TMI? Well, that hasn't happened to me in a long time and when it does, it's usually because I ran outside in the heat and sun without a lot of water or I partied hard the night before...or I ate tons of asparagus and spinach. I did none of those. Earlier that day I went to lunch with my boss. I had my usual calzone from Old Chicago. Then as soon as 4:30 hit, I was running for the toilet. And I was running the entire night and morning. I called in sick to work the next day and felt really strange. Lightheaded. Thirsty. Skinny. Nauseous. Then I remembered I ate a whole cucumber the night before. Could that have been it?

3. Up and down soreness. Usually my "girls" get tender the week before TOM visits. They did like normal so I figured TOM was coming. I was getting my usual dull five minute cramps and I even woke with a dull headache one of the mornings. All signs TOM was coming. My girls have been super sore the past two months before TOM came; however, this time the soreness in that area went away, and TOM never came.

4. Couldn't go anymore. I was having the hardest time going to the bathroom. I figured everything came out of me two weeks before, but even so I'm always regular. I was not. Everything was painful. Something was definitely off. I've never had this problem. Ever. I kept eating more vegetables and a fiber-rich diet...still nothing.

5. Energy level. Some days I had so much energy I could've ran two marathons. Some days I felt like a walking zombie going through the motions. I figured it was me struggling to go into work. Or maybe I was taking on too many projects again. Nope.
6. Late. TOM never is later than 29 days and he was late.
What are some weird symptoms you had?

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Preparing Body for Baby - Month One

written August 13, 2011
4 weeks
What vitamins should I be taking to get ready for baby?

I started a vitamin regime almost a year ago. I always thought I got enough nutrients from the healthy foods I ate, but was told to think again. I know these vitamins haven't been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and I learned that in college, so back then I figured vitamins were a waste of money. Wrong. They should be taken every day, especially when you're trying to get pregnant or have just found out baby is growing inside you.

Vitamins I was taking:

1. Women's One's - Heart, Bone and Breast Health (contains 800 mcg of Folic Acid).
Folic Acid prevents birth defects. According to March of Dimes, "Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps a baby’s neural tube to grow healthy during pregnancy. The neural tube will become a baby’s brain and spinal cord. But if the neural tube doesn’t close the way it should, it can cause a very serious birth defect called a neural tube defect (NTD)." Read more here.

2. Melaleuca's Phytomgea (blend of phytosterols, omega-3s, coenzyme Q10, and alpha lipoic acid)
My mom gave me this one. Official state guidelines state that Americans should eat around two meals of fatty fish a week. According to the website American Pregnancy, "Omega-3s have been found to be essential for both neurological and early visual development of the baby. Pregnant women become depleted in omega-3s, since the fetus uses omega-3s for its nervous system development. Omega-3s are also used after birth to make breast milk. With each subsequent pregnancy, mothers are further depleted. Research has confirmed that adding EPA and DHA to the diet of pregnant women has a positive effect on visual and cognitive development of the child. Studies have also shown that higher consumption of omega-3s may reduce the risk of allergies in infants.

Omega-3 fatty acids have positive effects on the pregnancy itself. Increased intake of EPA and DHA has been shown to prevent pre-term labor and delivery, lower the risk of pre-eclampsia and may increase birth weight and gestational weight. Omega-3 deficiency also increases the mother's risk for depression. This may explain why postpartum mood disorders may become worse and begin earlier with subsequent pregnancies."

3. The Vitamin Shoppe's Vitamin D3 (2000 IU)
My chiropractor is the one who got me hooked on D3. Once he said it's great at fighting off winter illnesses, I started taking it. I've also been told that Vitamin D3 is great for bone density and building a strong immune system to fight off cancers. It also helps in brain development in children. There is a link with autism and lack of vitamin D3 in women. What's most remarkable about vitamin D is the sheer number of health issues it's been linked to. In the past few years, studies have shown that a lack of the vitamin may be the primary culprit in depression, heart disease, pregnancy problems, birth defects, skin and other cancers, and multiple sclerosis. More about D3 here.

4. The Vitamin Shoppe's Probiotic Complex (4 billion CFU)
This is where things gets fun. Constipation is a big side effect of pregnant women. Probiotics help the digestive track and is a good at keeping the immune system healthy. Read more about probiotics here.

5. Standard Process's Cataplex B
This is also from my chiropractor and supports physical and nervous system health. Read more.

6. Standard Process's Symplex F
Symplex F supports the healthy function of the ovaries and the adrenal, pituitary, and thyroid glands. Read more.

7. Standard Process's Drenamin
Drenamin supports adrenal function and helps maintain emotional balance. Read more here.

Vitamins I now take

1. Rainbow Light's Prenatal One (a food-based multi)
Prenatal One is loaded with Iron, Folate and Iodine (which my women's one didn't have). So I went with what the Vitamin Shoppe guy told me and bought this. Read more about Prenatal One.

2. New Chapter's WholeMega Fish Oil
There are tons of studies out right now about pregnant woman not getting enough fish oil, so I started taking this stuff. Omega-3 nourishes the heart, brain, kidney and eyes. I'm in. Read more about WholeMega.

3. The Vitamin Shoppe's Vitamin D3 (2000 IU)

My chiropractor is the one who got me hooked on D3. Once he said it's great at fighting off winter illnesses, I started taking it. I've also been told that Vitamin D3 is great for bone density and building a strong immune system to fight off cancers. It also helps in brain development in children. There is a link with autism and lack of vitamin D3 in women. What's most remarkable about vitamin D is the sheer number of health issues it's been linked to. In the past few years, studies have shown that a lack of the vitamin may be the primary culprit in depression, heart disease, pregnancy problems, birth defects, skin and other cancers, and multiple sclerosis. More about D3 here.

4. The Vitamin Shoppe's Probiotic Complex (4 billion CFU)

This is where things gets fun. Constipation is a big side effect of pregnant women. Probiotics help the digestive track and is a good at keeping the immune system healthy. Read more about probiotics here.

What vitamins are you taking and why?

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The Day our Life Changed - Month One

written August 10, 2011
31 days (i.e. four weeks)

I'm pregnant.


This week marks the beginning of the embryonic period. From now until 10 weeks, all of your baby's organs will begin to develop and some will even begin to function. As a result, this is the time when she'll be most vulnerable to anything that might interfere with her development. Right now your baby is an embryo the size of a poppy seed, consisting of two layers: the epiblast and the hypoblast, from which all of her organs and body parts will develop. (info found on http://www.babycenter.com/)

Wow.

2 lines means YES

I know. I'm just as speechless too. It's weird for me to write those words but it's also very exciting. We've known for a little over 24-hours now and I wanted to capture every moment.  For those who can't handle "open book" personalities or tend to be more private or shy away from my kind of people, this probably isn't the blog to be reading. Because I am that person.

Yesterday (Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011) was pure insanity ever since we found out. From my dentist adventure to some crazy career possibilities to my three AOL article deadlines to trying to focus on work to going to a happy hour with my besties to keeping it from them, I never had a moment to let it all sink in.

It is sinking in now as I write this and I can't stop smiling!

I figure I could keep a little blog journal of our journey since I love to write, I always wondered what was going on in my mom's head when I was in her tummy and I have absolutely NO idea what I'm doing or about to get myself into. I've maybe changed a diaper once in my life. I've held a baby a handful of times and most of the time they never stop crying. I don't work with babies or kids. In short: I'm as clueless as they come.

Let's start from the beginning.

My first thought. Wow. This did not take long at all. I figured since I'm a little older (32) and from what I read - the average couple (age 25) takes around five months to conceive - we would need around that much time and more. It seemed our chances were going down the older we got and we'd best get going. We started trying late June into July and nothing happened. For a second I thought, oh shoot...what if this does take months, even years? But then I reminded myself that was only one month and I didn't know all the rules of ovulation. What I did know was I'm healthy - I've been healthy most of my entire life (minus Toppers binges at UW-Whitewater every Thursday, Friday and Saturday for three years). I do eat really really good. I exercise a lot. And I've been "regular" my entire life. All good signs. So part of me did know it was going to happen. But again...not THIS fast.

My second thought. Dear God what did we just do? Ha. But honestly, the room did swirl a little bit and my heart echoed in my ears. I stopped breathing. This is it. Life is going to change from this point forward. Can I do this? Well, obviously God thinks I'm ready. So it's time to get my butt in gear and start believing in myself.

My third thought. I swear TOM (time of the month) is coming. Is that pee test accurate?? I sent a text to Karl the night before right as I left work and headed off to sand volleyball. "Dude - will have to take a test before tomorrow since I have a dentist appointment. Prob nothing."

Yet, I felt head achy. My "girls" were a bit sore. And I was cramping. Felt like my little friend was coming. I even took a Midol. Figured I'd for sure be getting it while I was playing volleyball that night. Monday, Aug. 8, was day 29 of no TOM. Strange enough, the past two months TOM has arrived on day 29.

No TOM after volleyball. Hmmm. Weird. And I had energy. I never have energy when TOM comes. But my mom did just supply me with a slew of vitamins over the past month...

However, that Saturday I exercised a lot (and seriously I don't remember the last time I felt SO ENERGETIC playing volleyball) and figured all my sweating affected my cycle. But this probably explains why after playing volleyball for eight hours in 80+ degree sunny weather I felt like a Mack Truck hit me on Sunday. I couldn't even get out of bed for church. I had never in my life felt so tired, so exhausted, so cranky. Figured it was dehydration, but boy was I peeing a lot.

My fourth thought. Oh, Karl's gonna love this one. Woke up at 5:45 on Tuesday morning Aug. 9 - my brother's 34th b-day and my younger brother's 3rd wedding anniversary. And to top it all off, the weather was ridiculously awesome. Life felt good.

Like usual, after rolling out of bed, I grabbed my BlackBerry and shuffled into the bathroom. This time I grabbed the pee stick. Peed on it and set it to the side as I scrolled through my texts, tweets, Facebook posts, two email accounts. I quickly looked over about 15 seconds later and there are TWO LINES. TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is when the room got quiet (well...it was already quiet but it felt like I was in a tunnel actually). My heart pounded through the chest and I sat up. I shuffled (LOUDLY) over to our bed. Was hoping Karl's telepathy was working. Nope. He was sleeping soundly. "I AM PREGNANT," I whisper (loudly).

Covers fly off - his face scrunches - forehead wrinkles..."WHAT?!" He stares at me like I'm an alien. Then his face cracks and the biggest smile EVER appears on his face. I melt into him on the bed and wish I scheduled the damn dentist for a different day. I could lay in bed with him forever. Life is good. God is good. My man is made of awesomeness.

My fifth thought. I CAN'T WAIT to tell our parents. Like...I can't even explain how excited I am right now. Tears spring to my eyes every time I think about it. The first grandchild for both our parents!!! I feel so blessed. And I have this whole new appreciation for my mom. This is going to be FUN. Remind me I wrote that when I'm hugging the porcelain bus.

4 weeks preg and ready to run!

My sixth thought. "Anything different in your health?" the dental hygienist asks as she shoves a notepad in my face. "I just need a signature."

"I'm pregnant," I say in this weird hoarse voice that sounds nothing like mine.

Her eyes bulge.

"I know! I just found out an hour ago. I'm still in shock." Voice turns shaky.

"This is great news! How exciting!!! Congrats," her voice rises.

I feel like shushing her. I mean, she knows before my parents do!!!!! What if someone's in the office I know and knows someone who knows someone and it ends up on Facebook!?!? I realize I'm overexagerating and smile and let her poke at my teeth. The dentist comes by. "Why aren't there any new X-Rays?"

I go through the whole story with him. He gets excited. "You are so smart for taking a test before you came in here. You know how many people don't?" He pats me on the back and I feel like I just received an A+. Thanks doc!

My seventh thought. I need to make a girl doctor appointment. I walk down the hall and schedule an appointment for my OB-GYN. The two nurses keep shrieking with joy and I keep reminding them it's still early. They ask for the first day of my last period. July 11. "You're four weeks!" the nurse smiles. "Let's get you and your husband in for an ultrasound on week eight."

We get to see the heartbeat? Holy crap!!!

"That's it?" I ask, trying to play it all cool. I don't need to make sure? Don't I need to be told to stop drinking coffee and stuff? Aren't you going to make me get blood work?

"Take your vitamins and we'll see you in eight weeks."

Okay then! Buh-bye wine tasting Fridays.

My eighth thought. I want to tell the world. I want everyone to know. We both do. But we both know a lot of people who have experienced miscarriages and know this could/can happen to us at any time. So I'm not sure what the plan is. I just feel like screaming from the rooftops! In the meantime I drove into Minneapolis after work feeling like a rag doll (i.e. exhausted). I meet my two besties Kimbra and Hoover for happy hour. Kimbra asks me what I want to drink as I race for the bathroom for the millionth time that day. "Nothing!" I shout back. She so knows, I think. I come back. "I can't drink. We're trying and I shouldn't be drinking." Brows raise.

Note to self: my friends are smart.

I'm not sure how many times through the night Kimbra asked when I'm going to tell her if I'm preg. Lying is never fun, but I really want mom and dad to know first and good friends usually can read right through stuff like that, right? So...sorry girls! But I'm sure you figured it out anyway.

My ninth thought. Holy crap we have a lot of stuff ahead of us. Where do we even start? I don't know. All I know is Karl's going to be an awesome dad. This baby is going to be LOVED to the max. And my life is about to enter a whole new level of crazy. Like crazy. And I'm pretty sure I will not be able to have six jobs going on at once anymore. It's time to figure life out.

My tenth thought. I have no idea what I'm doing. God help me.

Then I flipped my calendar today and it reads:

Life's short and we never have enough time for the hearts of those who travel the way with us. O, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind.

- Henri Frederic Amiel

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What can I make with a Rotisserie Chicken?

Rotisserie Chicken Salad with Grapes and Apple
Serves 4 to 6
(Adapted from Whole Foods Market Recipe and I found on Snacking in the Kitchen Blog - her stuff is sooooo good and is featured in Fitness magazine a lot!!!)

This is beyond good. I will be making this over and over again!

Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


Salad
1 rotisserie chicken
2 cups red seedless grapes
1 green apple, cored and diced
3 stalks celery, peeled and finely diced
3/4 cup almonds, chopped and toasted
1/4 cup sliced green onions


1. Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, honey, lemon juice, poppy seeds, salt and pepper.

2. Remove the skin from the chicken and pull meat off the bones. Roughly chop the chicken into bite-size pieces. Combine chicken, grapes, apple, celery and dressing. Refrigerate for several hours.

3. Once refrigerated, add almonds and onion. Serve.

Karl's reaction: "Oh. My. God. This is so good. This is in my top five for sure. Is this healthy? What's the white stuff? God, this is good. Are there kiwis in here? No? Good. I love this. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Awesome."

My reaction: I loved this. Like loved it. It's easy to make and I can see this being a hit at a BBQ or party. SO GOOD!

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Cheesy Stuffed Shells

Pasta time!

Cheesy Stuffed Shells
serves 5 to 6
(recipe found on www.kraftrecipes.com)

Cheesy stuffed shells made a great Italian dinner!

1 container (16 oz) 2% Milkfat Low Fat Cottage Cheese
1 pkg. (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 cup Kraft 2% milk shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup Kraft grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
20 jumbo pasta shells, cooked, drained
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 large tomato
I also added Italian meat since Karl needs his meat!

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix cottage cheese, spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and seasoning; spoon into shells. I mixed in the ground meat too and stuffed into shells.

2. Mix sauce and tomatoes; spoon half into 13x9 -inch baking dish. Add filled shells; top with remaining sauce. Cover.

3. Bake 25 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining mozzarella; bake uncovered, 2 min. or until melted.

Cheesy Stuffed Shells - Oh, so good!

Karl's reaction: "You know, I decided I don't like grape tomatoes. They remind me of biting into a nest with little seeds. I eat this and it's all good and saucy and then I get a grape tomato and it pops in my mouth and throws off my palette. But this is very good. I like it."

My take: I like this a lot. Everything about it screams yum!

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Ravioli-Vegetable Stacks

A summer lasagna

Ravioli-Vegetable Stacks
serves four
(recipe found in Better Homes and Garden online - www.bhg.com/recipes)

Layers of ravioli, cheese, tomatoes, basil and zucchini - YUM!

1 lb. frozen sausage-or meat-filled ravioli (I used cheese filled)
2 small zucchini
4 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
3 TBS olive oil
1/2 cup small fresh basil leaves
1 8-ounce pkg. shredded Italian-blend cheese (2 cups)

1. Preheat over to 425 degrees. Cook ravioli to package directions. Trim and lengthwise slice zucchini. Add zucchini to ravioli during the last 3 minutes of cooking time. Drain, but do not rinse.

2. In 2-quart square baking dish layer half the tomato slices. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil. Sprinkle half the basil. Using tongs, layer half the ravioli and sprinkle have the cheese. Layer zucchini slices; drizzle 1 TBS oil. Layer remaining ravioli, basil, cheese, and tomato; drizzle remaining oil. Season with salt and ground black pepper.

3. Bake, uncovered, 9 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and begins to brown. To serve, cut in squares; sprinkle with fresh basil. Makes 4 servings.

Ravioli-vegetable stack in a square baking dish

Karl's reaction: "This is pretty good, babe! At first it seems average but the more I eat it the more I like it."

My take - We have lots of tomatoes and basil growing on our deck. If there is a way I can cook with them, I'm happy. And this meal is really, really refreshing and full of flavor. I will be making this again!

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Get Your Foot in the Door Writing Contest

Fun Writing Contest Judged by Sourcebook Editors!
I'm participating in another writing blog contest! This is hosted by the ever-so-fabulous Gabi Lessa - one of my critique partners in crime (she always has the coolest contests). And do note that there is still time for you to sign up for the contest (ends Tuesday, August 9, 2011) if you have a completed manuscript, so go to her blog!

Below is my entry. I'd love any feedback I can get before I submit on Tuesday.

Thanks and best of luck to everyone.

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Name: Christie Koester
Title: Wanted: Groom for my $100K Wedding
Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction
Manuscript word count: 85,000
Judge: Deb Werksman - One of the amazing four Sourcebook's editors

One-sentence pitch: (No more than 30 words)
I have three to start and I need your help telling me which one you like the best out of them all, please!!! Do any of them grab you?

1. When a heartbroken and single 35-year-old wins a $75K dream wedding, she has eight weeks and no groom, and a strategy bigger than her heart can handle.

2. When a heartbroken and single 35-year-old wins a $75K dream wedding, she has eight weeks to find a groom and plan her wedding—and learn about love along the way.

3. When a heartbroken 35-year-old wins a $75K wedding, she has everything to make her fairytale a reality in eight weeks—except the groom—and begins the biggest journey of all.

First paragraph: (Enter your first paragraph. If your first paragraph is shorter than 25 words, you may enter your first two paragraphs, as long as the second paragraph is not over 100 words.)

The cellist plays the first strings of Canon in D, causing my heart to race against my chest like a boxer high on adrenaline. I close my eyes the minute the organist presses the keys and I inhale the heavy scents of sweat pea and cologne filling the sanctuary. Memories awaken of being a little girl twirling in a wedding gown ten sizes too big about to walk down the aisle at Gram’s church. She, practicing at the organ every Saturday morning, a makeshift bouquet of origami roses in my hands, and my best friend Tony drowning in Gramp’s blue suit, waiting for me. And the promise he made years later.

That's all! Let me know what you think and if I need to change things up.

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