Allergies, Constipation, and Morning Sickness, Oh My!

I am so sorry for the delay between posts.  This pregnancy is kicking my butt! 

When I wake up in the morning I struggle to get out of my nice comfy bed, but usually my bladder won't let me lay there for long.  I'm so tired all the time!  My toddler is hating it, but I try to keep her occupied with flash cards, books, music, and a little bit of floor time.  She's getting better at walking, but still prefers crawling to get around.

On top of all that, my allergies are going insane!  Just to give you an idea, I went through four boxes of tissues in two days.  My face was swollen, my sinuses were throbbing, and I kept blowing my nose anyway trying to prevent any of it from draining down into my chest.  Those of you with allergies know once that happens it opens up a whole new level of yuckiness.  I was so miserable that I called my doctor's office and asked if there was anything I could do.  They recommended I go back on my Claritin.  I argued, saying I thought you weren't supposed to take anything in your first trimester.  To this they said all the sneezing and blowing my nose and not breathing properly were denying both me and the baby the oxygen we required oh so much and that it would be better to go back on the medication I was used to (and is also on the approved list for pregnant women) than to continue fighting it on my own and possibly harm the baby.  Good enough for me.  After a week my symptoms finally started dying down.  The upside to this is my toddler now imitates blowing her nose whenever I do.  Its hilarious!

When it comes to food, this time around is completely different.  My last pregnancy, I couldn't stand the smell or sight of meat.  It would immediately turn my stomach.  This time, however, I can't get enough of it!  I thought maybe it was just my body screaming for me to eat protein, but whenever I try to eat eggs (excellent source of protein) I get sick to my stomach.  So much so that whenever I smell them I feel ill.  Oh goody.  Peanut butter is okay, but it just doesn't do it for me the way a burger or sausage or meatloaf (uh oh, getting hungry) does.

I try to drink as much water as possible to help with the constipation, but so far no dice.  Its so uncomfortable!  I will be asking the doc what he recommends to help with this.  The obvious fruit and lots of water come to mind, but I'm so nervous about eating fresh fruit when I'm pregnant.  My last pregnancy I was in love with cantaloupe.  I ate it almost every day!  Then they had a big contamination scare and I was terrified to eat it anymore.  Food poisoning and pregnancy do not mix!!!

I have my first doc appointment on Wednesday.  Don't worry, I will share his words of advice for me with all of you.  Until then...