Unpremeditated Symptoms

I love my husband. He humors me and my hypopregnia.

*warning* in case you glossed over the standard warning at the top of the blog, this post really will contain words like cervical fluid. Proceed with caution.

It's finally back. I keep thinking things will be under control because I have it all figured out now. My temperature has been going on a bit of a different pattern since I've been tracking this year--my normal pre-ovulatory temp is about 96.8ish, and the normal luteal phase temp is about 97.7. But between the two is usually a couple of days of 97.3 or 97.4 that I'm not sure whether they occur before or after ovulation. I've been assuming they were pre-ovulatory because of how long of a luteal phase I had at one point didn't make sense if it was the earlier date.

But this time, since Kevin was home and actually want to start a baby, not just know if it happened, I started checking my cervical position and fluid. I didn't start until it was a few days from when I thought I probably would ovulate. My cycle length has been very consistent for the last few months, so I was pretty certain I wouldn't be ovulating earlier than I started checking. I had done it a few days here and there earlier in the cycle and had the standard creamy not-much-of-anything. But the first day I checked in earnest (which happened to be a 97.3 day) there was very definite gloopy, stretchy, egg-whitey fluid--about 3". And the cervix was much higher than typical. For those of you who don't know, that kind of gloopy cervical fluid and a high, soft cervix indicates impending ovulation. This was really exciting, and I was pretty sure I still had a couple of days before I ovulated.

So I was as surprised as anyone when, that afternoon, I suddenly felt nauseated and couldn't find anything that I could stomach except a Popsicle. I tried. I felt awful in that way that women who have experienced it know means "If I don't eat something soon I am going to throw up." So I went hunting for something. My first thought was, "Just get something down, don't worry too much about what, because anything is better than nothing." I was wrong. There were several foods (ones that I typically love) that I put in my mouth and nearly gagged on. They were not the right thing. Finally I found a Popsicle I could eat without retching. And I did. And then I felt better.

The next day--97.3 again--in the morning I went looking for something to eat because I have been taking vitamins for the last week and I know if I take it on an empty stomach I get sick anyway. I've been eating a granola bar first thing every morning, but this morning I took a bite and almost lost it. I really wanted to find some peach juice because I know it is light and sweet enough to help, but we didn't have any open. I'm trying to remember what I did end up eating. Whatever it was it was only marginally successful. I know I was feeling sick before I took my vitamins. But I figured it wasn't going to make a whole lot of difference for me to wait for a few hours since there was actually something in my stomach, the vitamins shouldn't make it worse.

I'm having a hard time convincing myself that my over-active imagination was projecting symptoms on to a physiologically sound body simply because I want to be pregnant, because I was not in a wishing phase--I was in an, "I'm so excited I'm about to ovulate and I want to get it this time!" phase--fully engaged and happy with where I was. I honestly didn't think I had ovulated so I was amazed that I was feeling sick. And then when I checked cervical fluid that morning--nothing. A little bit of creamy and a low, hard cervix. What? Was yesterday really the end of the impending ovulation signs--as in I ovulated that day? What?

Then yesterday morning (97.5) getting ready for church I put on the skinny dress I bought for my high school reunion this summer. I figured that if I was pregnant, I wouldn't have much opportunity to wear it for a while. Also, since it was a dress I figured it would be nicer to my stomach, which was not in the mood for waistbands. But the band of fabric right under the bust that the rest of the dress hangs from--which fitted snugly but was never a problem before--was so uncomfortably nauseating that I took it off and changed into a loose dress. I didn't even want to think about wearing bloomers (with a waistband) so I had a slip on, but after a few minutes even the skinny slip was too constricting and I changed it for a bigger one, too. Sigh.

I'm really having a hard time convincing myself I'm not pregnant. I haven't ever had morning sickness so immediately (the same day) before, but I don't know any other explanation. And yesterday, my bathroom started to stink like old urine. This is not entire remarkable since I have a potty training child and do cloth diapers and don't disinfect every day, but from how old it smelled, I can't imagine it was new. This morning (97.6) the smell was so bad I couldn't stop talking about it to Kevin, trying to talk myself into enough motivation to clean it. He conceded it didn't smell great, but didn't seem too offended by it. But every time I ventured in there with the thought of starting to clean, I had to leave, it was so bad. Then I remembered--pregnancy nose. If I am pregnant, it makes perfect sense. Hypersensitivity to smell. AAARRRGGGHHHH!! Why is it impossible to not think about being pregnant and to make every circumstance of my life into a symptom of pregnancy? And it doesn't help that I am sitting here trying to think of how I can possibly contrive exercise clothes from my wardrobe that don't include a waistband.

And the Hand of the Lord blessed my husband to pick up on my signals before I even knew I was giving them--he volunteered to clean the bathroom when I was really just trying to get myself to do it..