Pregnancy Update – October and November

Salaam alaikum.

So finally I feel like writing about my pregnancy for this month and a little bit about how I was feeling last month.

Alhumdualillah I finally am over the nasty chest cold I caught before our trip to Casablanca for my husbands visa interview in October.

Before I travelled I saw the nurses/dr at the local clinic and they measured my uterus at 26 cm – which means I was in my 26 week of pregnancy.

However according to the last  ultrasound and all the other ultrasounds we have had during the pregnancy – we know Peanut is measuring two weeks behind.

The trip to Casablanca was full of stressful events.  It started with the ATM machine in the Taza Marjane eating my debit card and the lady who works in the bank branch not wanting to return my ATM card despite me showing my carte du sejour and passport.  She also wouldnt budge when my husband came in and tried to get my card back.

In the end we missed the train that we had bought tickets for and she had to eat humble pie when my husband and his entire family threatened to close all their accounts if they didnt give my dang ATM card back.

The regional manager had to come in and give me my card – which has enough money in the account.  I even had to call USAA to check where the problem was and yes it was on the Moroccan side not processing the payment when I attempted to withdrawal money.

What a start to our journey to Casablanca.  Our train ride to Casablanca was over sold to the point passangars sat on the floor or on top of their luggage or just stood in the aisles for the entire ride.  We ended up in the cafe car for the entire ride and at first balanced on bar stools and then on top of our bags and then finally scored seats in the cafe booth.

I during my pregnancy hadn’t had swelling.  That said by the end of the trip my ankles were cankles and my whole body had taken on water like the Titanic.

Once we arrived in Casa our next bit of drama was my husband losing his wallet as he put it in his back pocket and then rode on the back of a friends motorbike and it fell out of his back pocket.  The good news was because I was so anal about his passport – he didnt have that with him and he had sat on his wallet weirdly thus ATM card was bent a few days earlier so that didnt work.  The only real loss was his carte du sejour which he reported stolen to the police in Casablanca.

This was before his visa interview – about gave me a heart attack.

I was able to find a homopathic cough syrup to help with the chest cold but the real issue was the amount of smoke in our hotel and the lack of non smoking public spaces in Casablanca.  I have never in a very long time seen so many male and female smokers as I saw in Casablanca.

I wont be staying at the Casa Voyagers Ibis hotel or any other Ibis because there are no truly non smoking rooms or public areas after this last stay.

I wont go into depth on the amount of Moroccans who came specifically to drink at the bar also located in this Ibis hotel.

During the trip to Casablanca I had two episodes of Braxton Hicks contractions.  These we brought on by a lot of walking and not hydrating enough.  If I sat down the BH contractions would stop for as long as I was sitting but if I drank and ate something then they would stop for good.

Scared my husband to death with the BH contractions.  However he got to play hero by bringing water and snacks to me and then fuss over me.

My husband was during this trip and before a helicopter husband since we found out I am pregnant.

Even more so in Casablanca – he stayed up several nights because I would have severe body racking coughs that sounded like I was struggling to breathe – and I couldnt sleep laying down I slept sitting up in an L shape with my back against the head board of the bed without inducing coughing fits.

Peanut dealt with the trip like a champ.  I even had that first special moment of a young male teenager seeing me standing up on the tram and offering me his seat because he noticed I was pregnant.

That generous act made my day for two reasons -1. Someone noticed for the first time I looked pregnant 2. That person was nice enough to offer me their seat.

The bloating stayed during the entire trip to Casablanca and only went away once I returned to Taza.

Once back in our home I became concerned about my sugar levels as at the last clinic visit they checked my urine and one of the parts of the color strip indicated excess levels of something – but the doctor never mentioned anything was wrong.

So I took it upon myself to purchase a glucose meter and start tracking my glucose levels until the next prenatal visit.

I tracked and watched even more closely my diet trying to limit carbs and simple sugars while increasing my walking.

I had my November prenatal visit yesterday and the doctor asked me why I came in because she scheduled my next visit for Feb 2015.  Yes you read that correctly.

So I told her its the normal practice to be seen every month of pregnancy until the last 2-3 months when the doctor seeks you weekly in the USA.

I also told her I was concerned about ketone/sugars in my urine.  So would she mind?

She said come on in your the first here and I will see you if that’s what you want.

She weighted me and I lost 2 of the 3 kilograms I had gained during the pregnancy.  SO I lost 4.4lbs of the 6.6lbs I had gained.  I found that a bit alarming..I mean arent I suppose to gain some weight with my pregnancy not lose weight?

Not that I am feeling very hungry all the time or craving anything specific.  It is sweet potato and pomogrante season and I am making the most of it.

I walk every day at least 15 minutes.  So not sure how to chalk up the 4.4 lb weight loss.  I also have been eating protein once a day.. just yesterday I ate like 1/2 lb of ground beef with some hot sauce and cheese on bread in one sitting by myself.  However I balance that out by eating a lot of salads and raw veggies.

My blood pressure is looking good at 106/81.

I peed in the kidney shaped pan for them and proteins, sugars and everything came back normal with only a slight elevation in Ph.  It was the Ph that was off the charts at the last visit.  It can indicate kidney disease among other issues.

My uterus is measuring at 28 cm -so 28 weeks firmly putting I and Peanut in our third trimester.

Peanut switches between being active in the morning and the night although at first was most active at night.  Peanut moves around most often when I listen to Quran,I talk to Peanut, my husband talks to my Peanut or after I eat.

Peanut has also noticed the change in the weather as its now winter in Morocco and in Taza that means sharp cold winds and rain to match.  Peanut gets active when ever I am under the covers warm and laying down reading or knitting.  Also attempts to hide from the cold in my rib cage over my pelvis from the cooler temps.

I have also gone on a hat knitting tear.. in 3 days knitting two hats for Peanuts arrival.

My emotional state changes day to day but I try to focus on the positive and not think about anything that makes me anxious or stressed out such as selling stuff from the apartment and packing to leave Morocco potentially without my husband.

As of 11/20 my husband and I decided to leave the apartment we have been renting together for the past year and I had rented during my service as a PCV for two years before that.  So we have been in the middle of a week long move to my in laws apartment.

Thank goodness I refused to purchase a ton of furniture or decorate our apartment in any major fashion – so that I would say 90% of stuff fits in a suitcase or can be given away to family, friends or PCV’s we know.  I have given away the majority of the school supplies I had brought to Morocco or was given by other PCV’s to other PCV’s.

I have a box of stuff awaiting two PCV’s who said they were interested it items.

I am giving my wardrobe, bed, ponj’s and select kitchen stuff to my mother in laws mother who lives out in a rural location simply known as “the Area,” and no its not the Moroccan version of Area 51. 🙂

I have a total of 4 boxes of stuff for my in laws to keep besides the A/C unit, table and chairs as well as the fridge.  I am sure the fridge, A/C and table set will be put to go use.. and should we move back we will either get them back or the cost of the item from my in laws.

Its been stressful packing and moving and making sure to labels stuff and keep my mother in law from potentially hoarding any items I have boxed up.  Seriously there are only so many of any item one can own before its becomes hoarding.

I am going through boxes of random items that got moved and figuring out keep, give away or trash.  I still also have my final pack and weigh in for my last two bags for my flight home.  Its been a really emotional week and I am sure I am bound to only be more emotional as time of departure gets closer.

 

 

 

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