Sunday, October 25, 2009

28 Weeks, and Other Stuff

So, we are offcially past 28 weeks. This has been a milestone in my head. I don't know why. Maybe because survival rates go up so much after this point. 32 weeks is the next big milestone in my head, because long-term effects on premature babies go down after this point. I don't spend much time worrying these days, but this kind of stuff is always in the back of my mind. No doubt a lingering side effect of the miscarriages...

A few days ago, my husband saw his aunt for the first time since we announced the pregnancy. She asked him if it was an accident. I was so offended. This question never fails to irritate me. He also confessed that two of his sib's asked the same thing, and expressed surprise that I'd want a child. He said it's because they don't know me well, and don't see that side of me. They don't know me well because I try to avoid them, because one is an alcoholic and the other a drug addict. But still, their attitudes bothered me. I don't understand why people we are not particularly close to feel the need to express their horrid, ill-informed opinions. Thank god there are plenty of people who love us, support us, and are so excited for us. It more than makes up for the lugs who say stupid things!

I am up 19 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. People keep telling me how tiny I am, which is driving me nuts. All I can hear in their comments is recrimination: "you're not eating enough.". That often appears to be the inherent message. I know that I am Perfectly on track, and eating just fine. I forgot to mention, I think, that I had told my OB that the GI said my albumin was low, and I need to eat more protein. The OB said that she was surprised my GI didn't remember that albumin is generally low in pregnant women, because they have more blood. She wasn't worried at all.

Things continue to be crazy and hectic. The big project at work is scheduled to kick off next week, but there is always the chance that things could get messed up. A big monkey wrench appeared last week, and I'm still waiting to see how it all shakes out. It wasn't anything I could've prevented or seen coming, and is totally due to someone else's rookie mistake, but that does little to ease the concern. Normally, the response would be to simply bump things a little, straighten out the problem, and move forward. But time is something of the essence for me right now! I can't bump it too far into the future without risking that the baby might appear before the project is finished! Argh! I should know more by midweek.

Things on the new job front are holding steady. I finally had to tell my office at the beginning of the week. I was able to get by with just telling the HR person who maintains my personnel file, and the head of my department. The HR person was psyched for me, and swore she wouldn't tell anyone. The department head was also surprisingly cool, said that none of us know where we'll be in a year, and said she's keep it to herself. She also promised me that it would have no impact on my assignments in the future. We had a really good conversation about it, actually. So, we'll see how things progress, now that I am sort of out of the closet.

My first baby shower is in a little more than 2 weeks. I am not sure if it's supposed to be a surprise or not. I am also not sure what to wear, but I don't really want to buy anything new. Maybe a cute, inexpensive ebay find is in order.

4 comments:

Jessica White said...

YAY for 28 weeks! I'm glad that Dr is happy with how things are progressing for you.

That's great that work has been so understanding of your future with them...hopefully the project gets straightened out soon.

Jamie said...

Congrats on reaching 28 weeks! Every week feels like an accomplishment.

I remember all the 'you're too small' comments. After Skeeter was born and weighed in at over 7 lbs, my first thought was, "TAKE THAT!!"

Io said...

An accident? Who the hell asks that? Yech. Yes, do remember how many people are so very happy and support you.
Go 28 weeks!

Quiet Dreams said...

People can be so inappropriate. So sorry...

As for the you're so tiny remarks, I'm sure you know better how people intend them, but I imagine that some people may intend them as a compliment (I know, that's messed up). Like, even a pregnant woman would want to be thin or something. I could be wrong, but I know that some people tend to want to reassure pregnant women that they're really not all that "big."

It's hard to ignore the stupid people, but I guess we have to keep trying. :)