First Time Mom...Again

Hello everyone! Welcome to my new blog. I am a 36 year old mom of a teenage girl and I'm also 12 weeks pregnant. Crazy? Maybe! I was married to my first husband for almost 13 years - and following a challenging, drawn-out divorce process, I met Orion and we were married in 2008. Orion is also the father of a teenage girl, our daughters are just 1 month apart. We tried to get pregnant for almost 5 years, but opted not to try any invasive procedures - our philosophy was if it was meant to be, it would happen. 

About a year ago we kind of "gave up" and mentally and emotionally moved on from the hopes of having a baby together. Well, fate had other plans and we discovered we were indeed pregnant in February 2012. Shortly thereafter, I was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, and was admitted to the hospital for IV fluids for the first time on March 13, 2012. Not a stranger to hyperemesis, (I experienced it with my first pregnancy 14 years ago for almost the entire pregnancy), I'm finding my circumstances and support systems to be a much better environment for dealing with these incredibly debilitating symptoms this time around. Hyperemesis gravidarum is defined as:

"a debilitating and potentially life-threatening pregnancy disease marked by rapid weight loss, malnutrition, and dehydration due to unrelenting nausea and/or vomiting with potential adverse consequences for the newborn(s)." 

To learn more about hyperemesis, check out : www.helpher.org.

As with my first pregnancy, I've had to go out on disability from my job, and I've returned to the hospital several times for IV fluids. The differences this time around are that I'm not vomiting as much, I'm able to eat and drink a select few items (albeit only before 1 PM each day) and I'm taking a drug called Zofran to control the nausea during the day and Unisom at night. Also, I'm trying acupuncture and Reiki as treatments for my hyperemesis symptoms. 

My hopes for this blog is that it will help me get through the day-to-day challenges of hyperemesis, that I may help others with hyperemesis realize that they are not alone and provide suggestions for coping, and to chronicle my journey of becoming a mom....again. I realized very early on in this pregnancy that A LOT has changed in the past 13 years since I had my last baby. Despite being a mom for 13 years, I'm feeling very new at this - as though I'm learning how to do this all over again! Not only that, I'm dealing with the challenges of having two teenage girls - and helping the family deal with the big changes that are to come with the new addition!

Thank you for checking out my new blog! Future posts will include tips for hyperemesis, planning a "gender reveal party," new and must-have baby products, designing a nursery space, having a baby after 35, and much more! ~Andrea